Charlestowne Hotels Year in Review
2023 Highlights Include New Portfolio Additions; Leading Industry Accolades
CHARLESTON, SC – After significant internal and portfolio growth in 2022, leading hospitality management company Charlestowne Hotels once again celebrates a successful year bookended by exciting expansion, numerous accolades for its properties and executives, and advances in its corporate structure and technology.
Charlestowne’s 2023 growth was characterized by deeper expansion into the Midwest and college towns, heightened work with soft brands, and the growth of our revenue and marketing services for properties around the country. We also continued to transform our corporate structure and redefine our leadership model, launching a refreshed website to introduce our new VPs and directors and showcase the forward-thinking work we’re doing to provide our partners with best-in-class service. Kyle Hughey, CEO of Charlestowne Hotels
Among other high-level positions, Charlestowne promoted longtime employee Max Spangler to VP of Technology. The company also launched its “Rooms for Growth” incentive program, which enables employees to stay at any Charlestowne-managed property at special rates.
HOTEL OPENINGS + DEVELOPMENT
In 2022 & 2023, Charlestowne Hotels focused efforts on becoming more involved with soft brands, adding two properties: The Memphian(Memphis, TN) and Hotel Marcel(New Haven, CT), the latter of which is the first and only 100% electric zero emission hotel in the United States. Portfolio growth continued in 2023, with highlights including:
- Hotel Verdant (Racine, WI): Once the Zahn’s Department Store building, this 80-room adaptive reuse property is Charlestowne’s sixth in the region. Hotel Verdant is on track to become a LEED Certified boutique hotel that’s both friendly to the environment and inspired by it, incorporating hygge into its design aesthetic. Charlestowne also oversees its two restaurants: Marguerite and Eave.
- The H Hotel (Midland, MI): This 139-room, AAA Four-Diamond property transitioned from a Dolce by Wyndham to an independent property in October. Its first property in Michigan and seventh in the Midwest, Charlestowne is now overseeing the management of this iconic community staple, along with its three on-site restaurants: Café Zinc, One eighteen, and Oxygen Lounge. A go-to for area events, the hotel has 25,000+ square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space.
- Little Mod Hotel (Charlottesville, VA): Charlestowne’s 13th property in a university market, Little Mod is a 20-room hotel situated in a 1960s revitalized building, charming guests with nostalgia, groovy furnishings, whimsical F+B offerings, and an unapologetically hip vibe. The management company’s third Virginia-based property, Charlestowne also oversees the airstream-style food truck, The Mod Pod.
- Starkville, MS: Charlestowne also took over the management of three best-in-class properties at Mississippi State University: Comfort Suites Starkville (which has now been converted to an independent hotel under Charlestowne’s management), Courtyard by Marriott Starkville, and Hampton Inn Starkville.
PORTFOLIO + LEADERSHIP ACCOLADES
Charlestowne properties continue to reign as the best in the country, thanks to highly personalized operations, marketing, and revenue management strategies that set each asset apart from its competition. Most notably, three Charlestowne-managed properties were honored in TripAdvisor’s Best of the Best Awards, which recognize the 25 most exceptional hotels in the U.S. (Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, IL, and The Spectator and French Quarter Inn in Charleston, SC).
Other stand-out industry accolades in 2023 included:
- Travel + Leisure’s It List of best new hotels in the world: Hotel Marcel (New Haven, CT)
- Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards:
- Deer Path Inn (#2 Hotel in the Midwest)
- The Loutrel (#8 Best City Hotel, #2 Hotel in Charleston)
- The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens (#11 Best Hotels in Florida)
- Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards:
- French Quarter Inn (#5 Hotel in Charleston)
- The Spectator (# 7 in Hotel in Charleston)
- USA Today’s 10Best:
- Historic Hotel Bethlehem: #1 Best Historic Hotel
- The Bristol Hotel: #6 Best Pet Friendly Hotel
- The Bar at The Spectator Hotel: #7 Best Hotel Bar
- Tiger & Peacock at The Memphian: #8 Best Hotel Bar
- Food & Wine’s 10 Best Bars in the US: The Spectator (Charleston, SC)
Top Charlestowne executives were also recognized as leaders in the industry:
- Hotel Management 40 Over 40: Matt Barba, Chief Operating Officer
- Charleston Regional Business Journal 40 Under 40: Johnathan Capps, Chief Revenue Officer
LOOKING AHEAD + AREAS OF FOCUS
Charlestowne is well-poised to maintain its stronghold in the management of boutique, independent, and soft-branded assets.
In 2024, we’ll develop properties in Charleston, Santa Fe, and Orlando, as we remain focused on strategic growth in beloved and emerging tourism markets,
Hughey says. Out west, we have plans to rebrand and relaunch a ski-in/ski-out resort in Aspen, Colorado, coinciding with a full property renovation slated to debut in October 2024. With the support of our new corporate infrastructure and our best-in-the-industry leaders, we’ll also explore opportunities to partner with hotels with larger key counts.
Key areas of ongoing advancement in 2024 will include technology (both at the corporate and property levels), F+B programming, and the management of alternative lodging with experimental programming, with announcements to be shared in the coming months.
For more information about Charlestowne Hotels and their innovative approach to management, visit CharlestowneHotels.com.
About Charlestowne Hotels
For more than 40 years, Charlestowne Hotels has been recognized for its management of lifestyle hotels and is consistently ranked by top industry publications as one of the leading hospitality management companies for independent, collegiate markets, soft brands + brands, condo hotels and adaptive reuse properties. The company's family of individual hotels includes a portfolio of 60+ properties and 40+ food & beverage outlets located in urban city centers, secondary cities, and resort destinations. Charlestowne's management expertise encompasses all phases of operations, inclusive of day-to-day management, new development, property renovations + repositioning projects, and hotel transitions. Charlestowne properties consistently achieve above-average RevPAR growth and receive some of the country's top travel accolades including topping the "best hotels" lists by Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, USA Today and TripAdvisor. To achieve this, Charlestowne treats each property like its own brand, working with owners and on-site teams to implement lifestyle operations, revenue optimization and strategic marketing that elevate the property's unique story and enhance the guest experience. For more information visit www.CharlestowneHotels.com.