New Orleans’ king of luxe hotels has taken on a new venture: pickleball

In the 13 months since opening its doors in the Lower Garden District, The Exchange Pickleball + Beer has far exceeded owner Renee Melchiode’s expectations. The facility is packed on most weeknights, attracting tourists and locals, and sales are growing every month.

Now, Melchiode wants to take her business to the next level, so she’s turning over management of the facility to Jayson Seidman, whose local hotel and restaurant projects, including The Columns, The Drifter and Hotel St. Vincent have earned him a national reputation as one of the hottest boutique hotel developers in the country.

Seidman isn’t buying into The Exchange as an investor, which Melchiode still owns with several partners.  But his New Orleans-based hospitality company, Sandstone, is now running The Exchange — both the pickleball side of the business and the food and beverage operations. In recent weeks, Seidman has started upgrading the bar and restaurant menus.

“The courts are very popular and it is doing great so we don’t want to disrupt what is working,” Seidman said. “But we want to be able to offer the clients an opportunity to stay a while and enjoy the space.”

Sandstone was founded by Seidman in 2007 as a real estate development company focused on hotel projects. In recent years, it has expanded into design and operations. In addition to 10 hotels in New Orleans, Texas and New York, Sandstone also owns the Fives bar and restaurant on Jackson Square and the midcentury-era  Ranch Motel in San Antonio, which he has transformed into an urban leisure resort with guest rooms, a pool and pickleball courts, among other amenities.

Melchiode said Sandstone is the perfect fit for The Exchange.

“I was talking to one of my customers about some of the obstacles to growth we were experiencing and he introduced us to Jayson,” Melchiode said. “We met and really connected. I feel comfortable turning over the business to them.”

‘Reach our potential’

Since opening in August 2023, The Exchange has experienced steady growth in business, with revenues increasing at least 5% a month, Melchiode said.

She chalks some of it up to the nation’s love affair with pickleball, which flowered during the pandemic and has shown no signs of slowing.  She attributes some of her success, simply, to climate control: the seven pickleball courts are indoors and air conditioned.

There’s also the facility’s proximity to the hotels and short-term rentals of the Warehouse District and Central Business District, whose guests account for more than half of The Exchange’s customers.

“Tourists plan their visits around us and bring their suitcases with them, sometimes on their way in from the airport, sometimes on their way out of town,” she said. “Sandstone is in a better position to take advantage of those opportunities and to help us reach our potential.”

Leisure concepts

Seidman sees his involvement at The Exchange as the natural evolution of Sandstone, which is branching into leisure and wellness concepts. He was a tennis player in college and believes in the health benefits of recreational sports, which he is beginning to integrate into his hotels.

“Racket sports generally increase a lifespan by 10 years so there’s this idea that racket sports is a complement to a better life,” he said. “We’re trying to lean on that.”

At Seidman’s new property in San Antonio, The Ranch Motel, that approach to wellness and leisure is wrapped in a resort concept. At The Exchange, it will be centered on the bar and restaurant, which will feature more fresh, healthy foods and drinks.

“We’re not just about being another bar but about serving high-quality items and fresh juices and drinks with lower alcohol content and no alcohol content,” he said. “We also want to educate people about things that are healthier for you.”

Part of Sandstone’s plans include an all-day coffee bar with fresh juice and smoothies. There will also be other upgrades and changes down the line, including, perhaps, a rebrand and interior renovations.

“We are working on a repositioning but we’re still working through details,” he said. “There will be a refresh of sorts but we don’t want to disrupt what is already working.”