This late 19th-century Italianate villa is named for its most distinctive architectural feature. Columns was built in 1883 as a private residence for a tobacco merchant. Today, after a thorough renovation, it’s a Victorian fantasy world, as ornate and colorful as any hotel in town. Columns’ rooms and suites show plenty of variety, thanks to the historical floor plan. All are decorated in a style you might call maximalist, with eclectic elements that feel more collected than designed.

New Orleans has a character and an identity that’s uniquely its own. And so does Hotel Peter and Paul, an old Catholic school and a 19th-century church that have been transformed into a stylish and modern — but not at all modernist — boutique hotel. Its style is eclectic, bohemian, and romantic — there’s hardly a square inch that’s not richly textured or appealingly weathered. Rooms in the Schoolhouse are more compact, though no less distinctive, than those in the Rectory or the Convent.

The Virgin Hotel New Orleans is a vibrant, fun, and ever-sociable sort of place, and there’s nothing the least bit minimalist about it. It’s set in the city’s Central Business District, which in New Orleans is quite a bit more fun than it sounds. The exterior is a serious modern tower, which in its choice of materials pays subtle tribute to the city’s old warehouses. Inside, it’s one part vaguely European sophistication and one part sub-tropical color explosion, just like New Orleans itself.

Maison Métier effortlessly combines the youthful good looks of a hipster-brand boutique hotel with the grown-up glamour of something substantially more luxurious. The look is unapologetically luxe, right down to the jewel-like colored marble tiles in the bathrooms. But in these hands, luxe doesn’t mean stuffy — the accommodations feel like bedrooms in the home of an eccentric, mysteriously wealthy friend, one who’s careful to make sure you never feel underdressed.

This handsome red brick edifice, a 19th-century landmark in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District, would be promising raw material for any hotelier; the owners of the Hotel St. Vincent, however, are hoteliers of unusual talent, and what they’ve made of it is extraordinary. The interiors are full of retro inspiration and historical detail, but they’re anything but old-fashioned. And the comforts are substantial, even luxurious, without feeling the least bit ostentatious.

Hotel Henrietta has personality to spare. It’s a strikingly modern — but look closer and you’ll see it’s packed with references to classic NOLA architecture, from the arched colonnade on the ground floor to the galleries on the upper floors. Inside it’s a similarly heady mix of old and new; the reception features richly veined marble and a parquet floor that happens to be on the ceiling. And the rooms are a little bit mid-century modern, a little bit Art Deco, and a little bit Belle Époque.

The French Quarter doesn’t always live up to its expectations, but a hotel like the Celestine New Orleans is a reminder of what makes this one of the most unique neighborhoods in America. Ten rooms and suites decorated in a retro European-inspired style look out over either busy Toulouse Street or the tranquil inner courtyard; while they’re plenty comfortable, they’re more notable for their eclectic and richly detailed style.

Travelers to the Big Easy may not find accommodations more quintessentially representative of New Orleans’s Garden District than those of the storied Pontchartrain Hotel. Overlooking St. Charles Avenue’s postcard-perfect boulevard and streetcars, this ’20s-era architectural treasure offers rooms which lavish guests in sumptuous, stately décor, a look recalling the Crescent City’s French and Spanish origins, dressed in hues of mint green and black lacquer.

There’s no place in the American South better suited to the boutique-hotel aesthetic than New Orleans, perhaps the most colorful city in the country. And it’s hard to imagine a better building for the task than the Twenties Art Deco edifice behind which you’ll find The Barnett. Rooms here come with high ceilings, an underrated benefit of repurposed industrial spaces, as well as a mix of vintage-style fixtures, authentic vintage furniture, and locally sourced artwork.