Driftwood Motel
810 US-90
Bay St. Louis, MS
The Gulf Coast highway motor court, returned to the form it had before the interstate made everyone forget it was here.
About Driftwood Motel
Eugene Schmitt purchased the Driftwood Motel in late 2023 through his firm SVN Urban Properties and spent the following months restoring a horseshoe-shaped motor court on Highway 90 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, originally opened in 1961. Project lead Jack Bucskowski encountered complications at every turn and opened the revived Driftwood in summer 2024. Bay St. Louis sits on the Mississippi Gulf Coast about 60 miles east of New Orleans. Its Old Town district has been building since Hurricane Katrina into one of the more genuinely creative small towns on the Gulf: art galleries in 19th-century buildings, live music most nights, and festivals that draw from across the region.
What Driftwood Motel Is Known For
The color palette Schmitt chose for the renovation, oranges and baby blues, is not arbitrary. It is the palette of Gulf Coast motor courts in the 1960s and 1970s, specific enough that guests who have never been to Mississippi before recognize it as exactly right the moment they pull in. The Friday night pool movie screening, the cocktail mixer station, the free bicycle rentals, the badminton court on the center island: each of these is a decision about what staying somewhere should feel like, stacked up. The property is one year old and already part of the local fabric, having hosted Driftapalooza, a two-day music and arts festival in partnership with Good Earth Records that brought in musicians from across the Gulf Coast. That is not a hospitality amenity. That is a property that has decided what it is and is acting accordingly.
Amenities
- Breakfast Included
- WiFi
- Horseshoe motor court layout with center island
- Pool with Friday night movie screenings
- Complimentary poolside drinks and snacks on movie nights
- Self-serve cocktail mixer station (BYOB)
- Continental breakfast and coffee/espresso included
- Free bicycle rentals
- Badminton court
- Gas grill for guest use
- Free washer and dryer on-site
- Common kitchen available to guests
- In-room bathrobes
- Keyless PIN code entry
- Free WiFi
- Free at-door parking
What Guests Love
- The center island layout is the specific thing guests keep returning to: the pool, the badminton court, and the grill face every room at once, which makes the courtyard feel like a gathering space rather than a parking lot in the middle.
- Friday night pool movies come with complimentary drinks and snacks at the pool, a detail guests single out by name as the kind of thing they did not expect from a Highway 90 motel stop.
- The bicycle rentals are a practical decision in a town where parking once is enough: Old Town Bay St. Louis, with its galleries, restaurants, and weekend live music, is an easy mile down the road.
- Multiple first-time solo travelers cite the horseshoe layout specifically for making them feel safe and comfortable: the courtyard is enclosed, the parking is at the door, and other guests are visible across the center island at all hours.
Worth Knowing
- The Driftwood does not offer daily housekeeping. Towel exchanges and specific requests are accommodated, but rooms are not serviced every day.
- Rooms are small by current standards, consistent with the 1961 motor court footprint. The property describes this directly. The design and outdoor spaces are where the investment shows most.
- The Downtown Dasher, Bay St. Louis's golf cart shuttle service, runs between the motel and downtown and is the easiest way to move between the property and Old Town without driving.
- Pets are not permitted at the Driftwood Motel.
- The self-serve cocktail station is stocked with mixers, but guests bring their own bottles. Stock up before arriving: grocery options near the motel are limited.
The Room
Rooms are small, deliberately so, and finished in the oranges and baby blues of the Gulf Coast motor court tradition. The renovation went into every detail: bathrobes, hair dryers, and free toiletries are standard. Keyless PIN code entry operates each door. TVs with satellite channels are in every room. Air conditioning is in-room and window-unit style, consistent with the era being honored. Room types include standard rooms and suites. The property's own description says rooms are small but modernized and comfortable, and recent guests confirm it: clean, newly decorated, with bathrooms that look and feel brand new. The common kitchen is available for guests who want more than the continental breakfast setup, and the washer and dryer are on-site for anyone staying multiple nights.
The Grounds
The Driftwood is a single-story horseshoe motor court, rooms arranged around a central courtyard that faces outward on three sides and closes around the center island. The island holds the pool, a badminton court, and a gas grill, all within sight of every room door. The color scheme on the exterior, bright oranges and baby blues, lands exactly as intended: guests describe pulling into the courtyard and understanding immediately what kind of place this is. The pool area doubles as the Friday night movie venue, with a screen and complimentary drinks and snacks. Free bicycle rentals are available from the property for guests exploring Bay St. Louis or the waterfront. At-door parking puts the car at the room; the courtyard puts everything else in view.
The Experience
The Driftwood opened in 2024 and is already operating like a property that has been part of Bay St. Louis for years. Check-in is contactless via PIN code, with instructions delivered before arrival. Schmitt's background is in commercial real estate, not hotel management, and the decisions made in this renovation reflect someone thinking carefully about what the experience of staying somewhere should feel like rather than what a hotel renovation checklist requires. The continental breakfast and coffee setup in the common area, the cocktail mixer station, the bicycles: these are not amenities tacked on for marketing. They are a coherent position on how a night in Bay St. Louis should go. The Gulf Coast season is long. Summer brings heat and humidity, and the bayfront energy in Bay St. Louis peaks with outdoor festivals, weekend farmers markets, and the art walk that runs the second Saturday of every month. Fall is the local favorite: temperatures drop, the crowds thin, and the Gulf stays swimmable well into October. The Driftwood itself has become a venue for the town's creative community, hosting Driftapalooza in September 2025 with musicians from New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast. Winter is quiet and mild by most standards, the highway motels nearly to themselves, Old Town still open and unhurried.
Details
Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Driftwood Motel have EV charging?
No, Driftwood Motel does not have EV charging.
Does Driftwood Motel have WiFi?
Yes, Driftwood Motel has WiFi.
What is there to do near Driftwood Motel?
Old Town Bay St. Louis: 1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Bay St. Louis Beach and Waterfront: 0.8 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. New Orleans, Louisiana: 60 miles, about a 120 minute drive.
How far is Driftwood Motel from Old Town Bay St. Louis?
1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is Driftwood Motel from Bay St. Louis Beach and Waterfront?
0.8 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is Driftwood Motel from New Orleans, Louisiana?
60 miles, about a 120 minute drive.
Does the Driftwood Motel have a pool?
Yes. The outdoor pool sits in the center courtyard, visible from every room. On Friday nights the pool area hosts movie screenings with complimentary drinks and snacks for guests.
What is included in the continental breakfast?
A continental breakfast with coffee and espresso is set up in the common kitchen each morning, included in the room rate. The common kitchen is also available to guests throughout the day.
Is the Driftwood Motel pet friendly?
Pets are not permitted at the Driftwood Motel.
What is the check-in process at the Driftwood Motel?
Check-in is contactless. A PIN code for the room is delivered by email before arrival.
How far is the Driftwood Motel from downtown Bay St. Louis?
Old Town Bay St. Louis is about a mile from the motel, reachable by bicycle using the property's free rentals or by the Downtown Dasher golf cart shuttle service that runs between the motel and downtown.
What is the cocktail station at the Driftwood Motel?
The motel provides a self-serve mixer station stocked with cocktail staples: ice, mixers, and garnishes. Guests bring their own bottles. There are no liquor sales on-site.
What types of accommodations does the Driftwood Motel offer?
The property has standard rooms and suites arranged around a horseshoe-shaped motor court. Rooms open directly to the exterior courtyard. All rooms are small by current standards, consistent with the 1961 footprint, and fully renovated.
How far is Bay St. Louis from New Orleans?
Bay St. Louis is about 60 miles east of New Orleans, roughly an hour by car on Interstate 10. The Amtrak Crescent Line also connects Bay St. Louis to New Orleans directly from the historic downtown train station.
What is Highway 90 and why does it matter to this area?
Highway 90 is the historic coastal route that connected Gulf Coast towns from New Orleans east before Interstate 10 shifted traffic inland. The Driftwood sits on this original route, and the towns along it, including Bay St. Louis, retain the slower character of that older corridor.
Is parking available at Driftwood Motel?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at Driftwood Motel.
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Things to Do Near the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Old Town Bay St. Louis
1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
Old Town Bay St. Louis is the historic commercial district where art galleries, antique shops, live music venues, and restaurants occupy 19th-century buildings under a canopy of moss-draped oaks. The monthly Art Walk runs the second Saturday of every month, with galleries open late and local artists present. The Downtown Dasher golf cart shuttle connects the Driftwood directly to Old Town and the waterfront.
Bay St. Louis Beach and Waterfront
0.8 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
The Bay St. Louis waterfront runs along Beach Boulevard on the Mississippi Sound, with a public beach, the Jimmy Rutherford Fishing Pier, and the Bay St. Louis Municipal Marina, which has 163 slips and access to the Gulf of Mexico. The harbor area has waterfront restaurants and is the departure point for charter fishing excursions and boat tours.
New Orleans, Louisiana
60 miles, about a 120 minute drive.
New Orleans is about an hour west of Bay St. Louis on Interstate 10, and the proximity is part of why Bay St. Louis has become what it is: many of the restaurants, galleries, and residents have direct New Orleans roots, and the Driftwood is positioned as a natural stop for travelers moving along the Gulf Coast corridor in either direction. The Amtrak Crescent Line also stops at the historic Bay St. Louis train station, connecting directly to New Orleans without a car.