Columns
New Orleans, Louisiana
Milan
Vibe
Red hallways, gleaming mahogany and period chandeliers set a theatrical tone, while locals make the veranda part of their cocktail routine.
“Victorian cocktail stalwart”
A stained-glass stair medallion informs colorful rooms layered with antiques and fringed lamps.
The listed Simon Hernsheim House preserves its mahogany staircase, stained-glass skylight and antique chandeliers.
Locals still gather for veranda cocktails beside the carefully preserved mahogany bar.
On residential St. Charles Avenue in Milan, with the streetcar connecting Uptown and downtown.
“after a thorough renovation it’s a Victorian fantasy world, as ornate and colorful as any hotel in town.”
Rooms
The historic floor plan gives each room a different shape, with eclectic furnishings throughout and claw-foot tubs in selected rooms.
“Fringed lampshades and claw-foot tubs sustain a sleek bordello mood in the rooms, and downstairs, lavish parlors showcase folk art exhibits, a coffee counter,”
Backstory
A tobacco merchant’s private mansion became a World War I boardinghouse before welcoming hotel guests in 1953.
Eat & drink
Columns Restaurant & Bar serves gumbo, duck confit and Sazeracs, with seating extending from the mahogany bar to the porch and garden.
The neighborhood
Live oaks line residential St. Charles Avenue in Milan, where the streetcar connects you to Uptown and downtown.
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The app
This is one hotel. The app has every one we rate, in your pocket, for the whole trip.
Our shorthand
What makes a hotel special, how well they pull it off, and what it feels like outside the door.
How well they pull it off
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
They did this well. You’ll notice.
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Architecture and interiors lead. There’s a creative vision at work.
The guest is conspicuously well cared for. Requests met before they’re made.
Rooted in place. Local character runs through the whole stay.
Energy and scene. Where the city goes out, whether or not it’s sleeping here.
A building with history. The story of the place is part of the stay.
Built around feeling better. Rest, sweat, soak, spa.
A hotel the city grew up with. Same rituals, same regulars.
A world of its own. No reason to leave the property.
Scene — what’s outside the door
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
A place apart: the property is the destination.