CHARLESTON, SC – Hotel Bennett, the luxury hotel opening later this summer overlooking Charleston’s Marion Square, has assembled an experienced team of meeting professionals to spearhead its group sales efforts.  

Leading the team is Heidi Nowak, the hotel’s Director of Sales and Marketing, who joined after a distinguished career with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Cathy Gregory has been appointed Director of National Accounts, following her move from Leading Hotels of the World. And, John Harrison, who has been serving as a national sales director for Salamander Hotels & Resorts – the company that manages Hotel Bennett – is Director of Regional Sales in the Northeast Office. 

“We look forward to delivering an exceptional group experience and a previously unattainable level of luxury in Charleston,” said Nowak. “Hotel Bennett will truly become the South’s grandest hotel in a city renowned as one of the world’s finest.”

European in its design, Hotel Bennett features elegant guestrooms and suites opening onto the square, a two-tiered restaurant with outdoor seating, and a stylish bar and lounge. The hotel will also include a spectacular rooftop pool and bar, a luxury spa, a patisserie, and over 12,000 square feet of grand event and meeting spaces. 

The luxury property is named for the Charleston-based Bennett family, and is owned by local hotelier Michael Bennett and his company Bennett Hospitality. Hotel Bennett is being managed by Salamander Hotels & Resorts, the luxury hotel company founded by Sheila Johnson. Bennett is also a Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Legend brand.

Heidi Nowak joined Hotel Bennett after working in leadership roles for 20 years with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, most recently as the Director of Sales and Marketing at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. For the previous seven years, she served as Director of Sales, Marketing, Meetings and Special Events at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte, a AAA Five Diamond property.

Formerly of Leading Hotels of The World, Cathy Gregory served as the Director of Group Sales for the hospitality consortium, representing more than 400 luxury hotels and resorts worldwide. Previously, Gregory worked with Tempe Mission Palms Hotel and Wild Dunes Resort, part of the Destination Hotels & Resorts collection, as an integral member of their sales teams.

John Harrison joined the Hotel Bennett team after working as a national sales manager for Salamander Hotels & Resorts, the company that manages Hotel Bennett. Formerly, Harrison worked for Pyramid Hotel Group, where he served for 14 years as Director of National Accounts for Hotel Viking in Newport, Rhode Island. Harrison’s previous experience also includes working on the pre-opening teams of two Four Seasons Hotels & Resort locations: Aviara, a Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond resort located along Southern California’s sun-drenched Pacific Coast, and the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, also a Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond resort located on the iconic Las Vegas Strip.

Hotel Bennett will offer corporate groups and destination weddings the most luxurious new indoor and outdoor event spaces in Charleston in which to meet and celebrate, including a 6,600-square-foot Grand Ballroom, elegantly appointed boardrooms and a spectacular rooftop event location. Pre-opening group offers begin at $350.

Prominently located on King Street and Marion Square, the hotel’s historic site formerly housed the original west wing of The Citadel, South Carolina’s Military Academy. More recently, it was home to the Charleston Library. Today, Marion Square, the most famous green space in the city, serves as a central gathering location for world-class events and festivals.

Hotel Bennett’s sweeping lobby will serve as a gathering place for visitors and locals alike. The signature restaurant and its bar open onto dramatic terraces overlooking Marion Square, offering an outdoor dining experience unlike any other in Charleston. The hotel will also feature Camellias, including an etched-mirrored ceiling and reclaimed pink marble from the former Charleston Library for its bar and table tops.

Stylish guest rooms and suites will include high-quality, custom furnishings which reflect the authenticity of the Charleston area’s surroundings. More finely appointed than traditional luxury hotel guestrooms, they will offer elegant bathrooms with designer pedestal tubs, separate showers, luxurious bedding and locally inspired artwork.

Drawing on the inspirational venue, the hotel’s signature spa will create an urban oasis for guests with treatments that incorporate the area’s maritime surroundings. The spa will also provide a true King Street shopping experience for those browsing the exclusive retail offerings.

The rooftop experience will feature an elegant, heated pool at its epicenter, spectacular views of Charleston and what is destined to become one of the most iconic hotel bars in America. By day, the pool, bar and terrace will provide a peaceful retreat for the hotel’s guests, serving chilled drinks and creative, lighter fare. In the evening, it will become the city’s most sophisticated new gathering place. 

About Salamander Hotels & Resorts

Salamander Hotels & Resorts is a privately owned and operated company based in Middleburg, VA, just outside Washington, D.C. Founded by entrepreneur Sheila Johnson in 2005, the company has a luxury portfolio featuring two distinct collections. The Signature Collection includes the stunning Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, a 340-acre equestrian-inspired property near Washington, D.C.; The Henderson, a 170-room grand beach resort in Destin, FL; NOPSI New Orleans, a new 217-room luxury historic hotel re-imagined which opened in July 2017; and Hotel Bennett, a 179-room luxury hotel in Charleston, SC, opening in summer 2018. The Golf Collection includes the famed Innisbrook Resort in Tampa Bay, which hosts an annual PGA TOUR event on its Copperhead Course; the elegant Reunion Resort in Orlando, which includes Signature Course designs from Nicklaus, Palmer and Watson; and the recently renovated oceanfront Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, FL, home to layouts by Nicklaus and Watson. All Salamander properties are members of Preferred Hotels & Resorts. For additional information, visit www.SalamanderHotels.com.