A new boutique hotel has opened in the 1950s-era motor lodge that until last year housed The Drifter Hotel, the hipster-friendly motel, bar and performance venue known for its clothing-optional pool.
The Drifter, which opened in 2017, was sold last year by the group that also operated the New Orleans boutique hotels Columns and Hotel Saint Vincent.
Offering affordable passes for its adults-only heated pool, it became known as the site of lively parties and concerts along a decreasingly seedy stretch of Tulane Avenue in Mid-City. In 2019, it scored a spot on Architectural Digest’s list of the “chicest” hotels in the nation.
In addition to sometimes topless sunbathers, the Drifter’s pool also hosted aquatic theatrical performances produced by Aqua Mob New Orleans.
A view of the pool area at The Drifter Hotel in Mid-City. The 20-room boutique hotel opened in 2017 in a renovated 1950s-era motel property on Tulane Avenue.
Now known the Maidstone New Orleans, the latest version of the hotel that first opened in 1956 as the Crescent Motel officially opened Feb. 18 following a transformation by its new owners, ISMD.
The revamped mid-century space includes 18 rooms, two fewer than in its prior incarnation. All have been “extensively renovated” by a New York-based design agency and now feature custom tapestries made by a Oaxacan textile artist, according to a news release.
The poolside bar has been rebranded as the Maidstone Lounge, with the outdoor area now featuring a saltwater pool, a sunken fire pit and a menu of craft cocktails and small bites provided in partnership with local food vendors.
The 3522 Tulane Ave. property was purchased last year by an investment group that includes a celebrity attorney, a cannabis company CEO and a real estate investor awaiting trial for allegedly bribing a chief advisor for New York Mayor Eric Adams.
Mark Geragos, the Los Angeles-based lawyer who has represented Hunter Biden, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Michael Jackson, has partnered with Irwin Simon, who leads the publicly traded cannabis, beer and hemp food producer Tilray Brands, and Mayank Dwivedi, who faces charges of conspiracy and bribery stemming from allegations that he and a fellow hotelier paid kickbacks for building permits. Dwivedi, who is represented by Geragos’s daughter in the case, pleaded not guilty last year.
Dwivedi has previously invested in New York hotel projects with Simon and Geragos, including the Maidstone Hotel in East Hampton with Simon and, with Geragos, the Capri Hotel in Southhampton.
The new owners aim to turn the hotel into “more of a four-star guest experience,” real estate broker Elizabeth Novit said last year.
Calls to the listed phone line for the Maidstone New Orleans, which is under separate management from its East Hampton operation, went unanswered, and hotel representatives did not respond Thursday to an email requesting further details.
The new ownership, which has announced plans for further expansion in New Orleans, has significantly hiked prices in its quest for swankiness.
Rooms at the Maidstone New Orleans are available starting at $295, before taxes and fees, according to its website.
The price for pool passes has also been increased, with drop-in passes now offered for $25 and annual memberships now $600, a representative told Axios New Orleans.
Both the room and pool rates are now about twice as high as they were under the hotel’s previous ownership.