Our Story - The Columns Resort

Happy Anniversary! Yes, it has been six years (as of December 22nd) since we bought the Columns. It has been a busy and exciting time for us. There have been many wonderful times as well as a few challenges along the way. Now that we have four years under our belts, we are beginning to feel like veterans at the innkeeping business. Not that we don't run across new situations from time to time! However, many things (such as scheduling, accounting & advertising) have definitely gotten easier.

Learning how to run the Columns (i.e. learning the ins & outs of innkeeping) has been much more fun than difficult. We were plunged headfirst into it right from the first day (we had a check-in less than an hour after closing escrow). We both have good people skills and tremendously enjoy interacting with our guests. Gary, in particular, is a hostess down to the core of his being and counts assisting, serving, and just chatting with our guest as easily one of the best parts of being an innkeeper.

Running a hotel has certainly kept us busy! When things are quiet, we keep ourselves out of trouble doing projects (like painting the pool deck). We have had a chance to get out once in a while. We visit restaurants way too often (Take a look at Gary's PS restaurant guide). And every so often we take a day to visit La La land, San Diego, Big Bear, etc. Now James is working as a contract lawyer here in Palm Springs so that we can do a few renovation projects that we have been wanting to do. Our next big job will be re-tiling most of the rooms this summer. We have a great new housekeeper named Chris. Even though James is away from the hotel during the day most days, he still rushes home so he can get a few hours of gardening in. The grounds look more beautiful than ever.

We both grew up in the Midwest - Gary in Indianapolis, James in Louisville. Gary went to the Ohio State University and liked it so much he stayed for three degrees (BS in Zoology, MS & Ph.D. in Neurophysiology. He did a post-doctorate at the University of Miami and at an institute at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center before getting a job at the US Patent & Trademark Office in Arlington, VA which he held for 11 years. James received a law degree from Duke University (he was on law review) and after doing a federal clerkship (USDC DNJ), returned to Washington, DC to practice law. Three years ago, we met at a club downtown. It was love at first sight (well at least by the first date). We moved in together about six months later.
In March of 2000 we visited Palm Springs for the first time. We fell in love with its incredible natural beauty, the friendly locals and the wonderful laid back ambiance. We were both ready for a different career and had talked off and on for a long time about opening a business of our own - including operating a guest-house. However, we certainly did not come to Palm Springs to shop for a resort. But while we were here, James was flipping through the Bottom Line© and saw a few ads for resorts for sale. We were amazed at how reasonable they seemed (at least compared to current Washington, DC prices), so on a lark we decided to call the realtor and check them out. One of the places was the Columns.
It took us the rest of the year to investigate properties, put together financing, and close the deal. There were lots of snags and frustrations along the way - we didn't know what a challenge buying a business would be! Some things that we though were going to be difficult - like selling our house turned out to be very easy while other things turned out to be unexpected mine fields. We just kept plugging away dealing with each crisis as it came up. That last three months were probably the longest of our lives. It was very emotional at times. Gary had made many friends at the PTO and it was very hard to say Good-bye. They gave him a very touching send off complete with a visit from the Commissioner.
On December 12th, we loaded up a rental truck with everything we owned, hitched our car on the back and headed off for sunny California. It was quite a trip - 6 1/2 long days on the road. Because of ice storms rolling across the country, we had to drop south all the way to Atlanta before we could start going west. In addition, our truck was so overloaded, it could only make 60 mph with a strong tail wind. We finally made it on the 18th and boy were we glad to see the Coachella valley spread out before us. The closing was delayed and delayed (as they often are in CA) and it was hectic up to the wire but at 4:55 pm on December 22nd we received word that the closing had been recorded in the County of Riverside and we were the proud (and exhausted) owners of the Columns However, ever since we have opened for business, we have had a blast! We have never worked harder and have never had more fun.
Our Plans,Actually, the reason why we bought the Columns is that we like it just the way it is. In particular, we like the ambiance of both the property and our guests - we feel that we are well suited for each other. If you haven't been here, you'll love it! James has also been doing some law work on a contract basis here in Palm Springs (he finally just got his license -almost 2 years after he passed the exam). Gary has been a realtor for several years. He works for one of the premiere real estate firms in Palm Springs - Classic Homes, inc. If you are interested in buying a new house here in the Coachella valley after then, be sure to give me a call! We can lodge you by night and sell you lodgings by day.