NEW ORLEANS – The Columns Hotel has a new owner.
Jacques and Claire Creppel, the 20-room hotel’s owners for the last 40 years, sold it for an undisclosed sum to Jayson Seidman, a developer who has recently created two hip destinations in New Orleans — The Drifter on Tulane Avenue and the The Frenchman near the French Quarter — as well as five other imaginative hotels around the country.
For decades, the Columns has been a great place to get an affordable cocktail in picturesque Uptown surroundings. It’s been the site of many weddings and special events and used as a location for the feature films “Pretty Baby,” Tightrope” and “12 Years a Slave.”
Siedman hasn’t announced any plans yet but it’s possible the hotel will get a dose of ironic postmodern cool to go along with its cemented iconic status.
