Charlestowne Hotels Year in Review

February 7, 2023

Charlestowne Hotels, a leading hospitality management company known for its customized, owner-centric approach, closed out 2022 with significant additions to its portfolio and a new leadership structure to support the company’s strategic growth plan.

“In 2022, we expanded our reach into three new markets, including California, Connecticut, and Maine. We also continued to hone our expertise in managing unique assets with the takeover of Hotel Marcel, which is expected to be the country’s first sustainable net-zero hotel,” says Kyle Hughey, CEO of Charlestowne Hotels. “It was a year of major firsts for us as well, thanks to the opening of Gingerline, Charlestowne’s first standalone restaurant concept, and the takeover of the Inn at Aspen, our first ski-in, ski-out property.”

Charlestowne Hotels recorded its second consecutive banner year, a major milestone in the company’s 40 year history. While many hospitality markets sought to return to 2019 revenue numbers, Charlestowne set out to improve against 2021, and achieved a 20% portfolio wide RevPAR increase. The management company’s RevPAR is up 26% to 2019, more than double the national average (8.1%) over the same time period. This success was supported by Charlestowne’s strategic revenue management & marketing tactics, a growing number of properties located in sought-after leisure markets, and the steady return of corporate business travel.

To accommodate portfolio growth and provide advancement opportunities for team members, Charlestowne introduced nine new Vice President and Director roles to the corporate office, established a new food and beverage support team, and added three operational roles to provide direct guidance to hotels at the property level.

“Over the last year, we focused on resource realignment, market diversity, and team member growth,” Hughey continues. We’re proud of the leadership opportunities we’ve created for our team members and the advancements we’ve made to fully support every hotel in our portfolio.”

Hotel Openings, Takeovers and New Development

In 2022, Charlestowne Hotels opened or took over six hotel properties and five corresponding dining outlets. The management company has also announced two new development projects for the year ahead, with more to be shared in the coming months.

Openings

Lockwood Hotel (Waterville, ME): Charlestowne’s eleventh opening in a collegiate market, which includes overseeing the property’s 53 rooms & suites and on-site restaurant, Front & Main.
Hotel One75 (Hamilton, NY): The newly-refurbished 94-room hotel, located one mile from Colgate University’s campus, is Charlestowne’s second property in the Hamilton area and twelfth hotel in a collegiate market.

Takeovers

Hotel Marcel (New Haven, CT): Part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton, the hotel is an adaptive reuse project that opened in May 2022, and is expected to become the country’s first sustainable net-zero energy hotel. Charlestowne is overseeing the management of this 165-room distinctive property, along with its on-site restaurant, BLDG.
The Darling Hotel (Visalia, CA): Charlestowne’s first property in California is an adaptive reuse project that features 32 charming guest rooms and suites, along with Elderwood rooftop restaurant, which Charlestowne will also manage.
The Inn at Aspen (Aspen, CO): The only hotel at Buttermilk Mountain, and home of ESPN’s Iconic X Games, the 122-room condo hotel is Charlestowne’s first ski-in, ski-out resort and first in Aspen.
The Memphian (Memphis, TN): Part of the Tribute Portfolio by Marriott, the hotel is located in the city’s Overton Square. Charlestowne is proud to manage the 106-room property and its two eclectic dining concepts, Complicated Pilgrim and Tiger and Peacock.

New Development

Hotel Verdant (Racine, WI): An 80-room adaptive reuse project that will be a pillar of the Racine, WI community. The boutique hotel will feature two unique restaurants and a robust beverage program.
A Tapestry Collection Hotel by Hilton (Pensacola, FL): A stunning 144-room hotel in Pensacola, FL with a fantastic location in downtown Pensacola’s newest master planned mixed-use development project, The East Garden District. The property will feature four event spaces, two intriguing dining concepts and Charlestowne’s signature guest-facing creative programming.

Food and Beverage 

Charlestowne solidified its place as a leader in the food and beverage space with the opening of its first standalone restaurant concept, Gingerline, in the summer of 2022. The Charleston, SC based restaurant features lively cocktails and coastal cuisine. Gingerline was fully conceptualized, opened and managed by Charlestowne Hotels, with the aim of filling a culinary gap in the downtown dining market.

In addition to Gingerline, Charlestowne opened or took over management of five new hotel restaurant concepts in markets ranging from Tennessee to California. The in-house food & beverage team is responsible for leading all front and back-of-house operations for every restaurant it manages, which has resulted in acclaim from local diners and hotel guests. For instance, since Charlestowne assumed management, Front & Main at Lockwood Hotel has become the #1 restaurant in the local market on Yelp and OpenTable.

Portfolio Accolades

Charlestowne’s individualized management style, which encompasses highly personalized operations, marketing, and revenue management strategies, has helped the company’s newest and longstanding assets secure the industry’s most notable accolades.

In 2022, The Loutrel was named the #2 Hotel in the U.S., the #20 Hotel in the World and the #1 Hotel in Charleston in Travel and Leisure’s World Best Awards. Deer Path Inn was voted the #1 Resort Hotel in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year and The Spectator Hotel was again voted one of the Top 10 Hotels in Charleston. Hotel Marcel was awarded the DOCOMOMO US Award of Excellence and Metropolis Positive Planet Award for its exceptional preservation practices.

Leadership Support Structure & Looking Ahead

This past year, Charlestowne completed the final phase of a realignment plan for its corporate team. The company made 19 strategic new hires and introduced a new leadership structure to provide more property support and career advancement opportunities for internal team members.

“As we look ahead to 2023, we’re planning to focus on more advancements in the evolving hospitality tech space,” Hughey says. “To further cater to guest trends, we’re also inspiring our on-site teams to become even more creative with guest programming, packages, and amenities. We have the structure in place to continue our intentional growth plan and are primed for success in the year ahead at the corporate level as well as providing our owners financial success.”

For more information about Charlestowne Hotels and their innovative approach to management, visit CharlestowneHotels.com.

About Charlestowne Hotels    

Independent hotel management has been a cornerstone of Charlestowne Hotels’ business for more than 40 years. Ranked one of the industry’s top management companies (Lodging, HOTELS), Charlestowne specializes in lifestyle, adaptive reuse, collegiate, branded, soft-branded and condo properties spanning a range of markets including urban city centers, secondary cities, and resort destinations. The company, which currently manages a portfolio of 50+ hotels, also includes a growing food and beverage division with more than four dozen food and beverage outlets, ranging from coffee shops and delis to rooftop bars and full-service restaurants. To achieve this, Charlestowne treats each property like its own brand, working with owners and on-site teams to develop revenue optimization, operation systems, creative programming and strategic marketing synergies that elevate the property’s unique story and enhance the guest experience. As a result, Charlestowne properties consistently achieve above-average RevPAR growth.