The Modern Hotelier #92: Charlestown Hotels and Hospitality Career Growth | with CEO Kyle Hughey
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Steve Carran: We are really excited to release this episode with Kyle Huey, CEO from Charlestown. David, what were your favorite parts from this conversation?
David: I love me some independent.
Uh, he was great. Um, you know, true independent, you know, management company. you know, I think for us and all the people we've met and spoken to, it's great to each time we find one of these people that are so emotionally invested to being truly independent, whether it be owners, operators.
And so I thought it was a great episode and I think it's a great way to also, you know, learn how to navigate, you know, moving up the ranks in hospitality. 
Steve Carran: Yeah.
absolutely. and I think that was one of my favorite parts. I mean, he was on the accounting side and then worked with a hospitality company. And he's like, this is an amazing industry, I need to be involved in this. And now he became the CEO of one of the premier independent management companies in the US.
And agree with you, David, their independent collection is awesome. And I absolutely loved it. So enjoy the show. We're really excited about this one and let us know what you think.

David: Welcome to The Modern Hotelier. I'm your host, David Millili.
Steve Carran: I'm your co host, Steve Carran.
Jon Bumhoffer: And I'm the producer, Jon Bumhoffer.
David: who do we have on the program today?
Steve Carran: Yeah, David. Today we have on Kyle Huey, the CEO of Charlestown Hotels. Kyle is the head coach who helps define the company's strategy and conducts productivity assessments for the complete portfolio. He's a trained CPA with a natural business acumen. Kyle has an eye for the industry development and profit optimization opportunities combined with his 15 year background and account in the accounting industry.
With a passion for pushing creative boundaries, Kyle guides Charlestown Hotels to integrate strategic, innovative systems that maximize the client's goals. Welcome to the show, Kyle. How are you doing?
Kyle Hughey: Doing great. Thanks, Steve. Thanks, David, for having me on today.
David: No, that's great. All right. So we're going to dive right in. So we're going to go through a lightning round, ask you some questions, dive into your personal background, your professional, and then get into some industry topics. Sound good?
Kyle Hughey: Sounds great.
David: All right. So what was your first job?
Kyle Hughey: first job is kind of boring and standard, uh, kind of embarrassing, but you know, I'm gonna count it. So I just went right into the public accounting world as a CPA, so good experience, but not that glamorous or sexy for sure.
David: Did you have a role model growing up?
Kyle Hughey: Um, I think, you know, just in general, I had a good, good loving family. So, grandparents, uh, parents, you know, those, those are kind of what built me as a character, so, built my character, helped me build my character. So, I've, those were always people that I looked up as role models, for sure.
David: Great. Is there a luxury you can't live without?
Kyle Hughey: Well, in, right now, in Charleston, South Carolina, I could not live without air conditioner. It's so hot down here. I mean, you're taking, you know, two or three showers a day and you just can't stop sweating. So, air conditioner is it for, for the day, at least.
David: All right. So if you had your own late night talk show, who would your first guest be? 
Kyle Hughey: Um, first guess, I bring in Roger Federer. I mean, he's, he's kind of hot right now, he's got a new documentary out, and he's just always done, I mean, had a great career, transcended sports into philanthropy and even fashion a little bit, and he just does everything with such style and grace. I mean, it's, it'd be a good one, I think, for, at least to kick off the program.
David: not a good choice. All right. So last, last one in this round, if you had a time machine. And you can go to the future, you can go to the past. Which way are you going and what year are you going to go to?
Kyle Hughey: Yeah, so, I mean, um, I'm going forward. You know, you'll hurt your neck looking back. So, I, I, God goes forward. And, um, I'd really like to go out 20 years. I mean, I think, personally, my wife and I, we really are intentional in, in the way we, parent and operate in our personal lives. And then, at CH, Charlestown Hotels.
We're really making intentional decisions and I'd love to see how those pan out in say 20 years. So we run it out to 2044, something like that. That'd be a good time to see where things have landed.
Steve Carran: That was good. So now we're going to learn a little bit more about you and what makes you tick. So you grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. Is that correct?
Kyle Hughey: That's correct. Yep. Yep. State of South Carolina.
Steve Carran: So how did that shape you into who you are today?
Kyle Hughey: You know, again, I think I grew up even outside of kind of a more rural area. I mean, I think, again, it was a slower pace of life, but a great experience. I had a great, childhood and, and, and early life before I went off to college. And I think that just, it was a real grounded area. And I think in terms of building character, I think that that always kind of set the tone.
It wasn't a fast paced, uh, I think people, you know, where I'm from, you know, they thought well, they, you know, focused on family and, and priorities in life. They were pretty well, organized and I think that's, something I, I hold very valuable now and I think it's, it's set, it, it's been impactful for sure.
David: And so growing up like me, you wanted to be a baseball player, that you played through high school and then you went to Citadel for college. What led to that decision? What position did you play?
Kyle Hughey: Yeah, well, so I, so I, I didn't, unfortunately, didn't play any baseball at the Citadel, but, uh, you know, obviously, I grew up in the South, you know, in the 90s, everybody was a Braves fan, who wasn't? So, you know, you just, you know, that was always the dream, and then reality sets in, but, the Citadel was just a good decision.
One of my great, my best friends still. You know, he went there, he was going there, encouraged me to go there too, and I got there, and then he quit, and I stayed for the next four years, but it was a great experience, I, you know, I wouldn't trade it for the world, again, like I mentioned earlier, in terms of the community I grew up in, it shaped character, the Citadel definitely did that as well, so, no regrets at all.
Steve Carran: That's awesome. Big Chipper Jones fan, I can assume.
Kyle Hughey: for
sure, I mean, you know, he was holding down the hot corner over there at third, but yeah, it was good. I was a big Chipper fan.
Steve Carran: Same here, same here. So, Israel is, uh, on your top of the, on top of your bucket list. any plans to go there, or any, any, have you, have you gone yet?
Kyle Hughey: I'm not going 
there. I, you know, I think it's just something where, just in the world, in terms of my faith, there's a lot of background there, and I think it would always be a good experience to tie that, that faith back to actual, uh, location geographically. So that's why it's always on the bucket list, but maybe something.
For my wife and I to experience in the future, you know, I think that's it. In the short term, talking about bucket list, you know, I'd love to be, uh, think of the Olympics are coming up and I wish I'd kind of maybe planned that earlier. I think that's a, if you were to ask me right this second, that's a bucket list one for sure, 
Steve Carran: absolutely. Are you a big Olympics guy? Do you have a favorite, favorite sport in the Summer
Kyle Hughey: You know, we watch them always. It's kind of a family thing. We, um, I got four kids and my wife, we sit down every night. It's kind of our ritual for the, you know, the three weeks that last. And it's just a good time and, you know, we get excited to be a little patriotic and, or definitely a lot of patriotic, uh, pulling for the USA and it gives us something to root for and watch together.
Steve Carran: Absolutely, absolutely. Basketball team's looking good. So, now we're going to go on to your career a little bit. So how you got to be the CEO of Charlestown Hotels. So, after the Citadel, you went and worked for a couple of accounting firms, with the accounting and military background from the Citadel, how does that help you in your current role of CEO?
Kyle Hughey: Yeah, I think, kind of maybe two, two parts answer there. I think ultimately. the military, the component at the Citadel, I think it just leads to change and overcoming obstacles. I think then, you know, y'all know in the hospitality world, everything's changing and there's a lot of obstacles, always. And I think you just, you get a little perseverance, a little grit, and you push through.
I think in the military, I think that's the mindset you have to have. and then in the accounting world, I think, uh, you know, it's, nobody wants to ever say they're an accountant like I mentioned earlier, but I think it's a great foundation for business. I think it, you know, there's not a business that's run without an accountant.
I think so. It, it really laid a lot of groundwork for me to experience a lot of things, see a lot of things, understand different industries. I think those are, it was a great foundational for business. So I think, um, that kind of just started that, that, uh, path for sure.
David: then you went on to become the controller for Kiowa Partners, and then you got to work at the Kiowa Island Club. what really was, did you get from that experience? What made you want to do that?
Kyle Hughey: Yeah, so, so Kewa Island is a, is a barrier island down kind of just, just south of Charleston and it's a great property and, and kind of came out of public accounting going into private industry. It was a good path and, and Kewa Partners is a group that at the time owned probably 22 different entities. everything from the utility to real estate to true land development.
So, going there, I knew I would have a, a wide range of exposure to different industries, and it did disappoint. I, I was there about seven years. Saw a lot of great things, got a lot of experience. Uh, you know, they, they were, they, they're a well, uh, established company. great people to work for two different ownership sets while we were there.
and they gave us kind of the full show, showed behind the curtain a little bit. I got to see a lot of things, make, understand why decisions were made. And again, continuing to build that, uh, business acumen and experience. So that's, that's basically led in there. And then one of the things that you mentioned, they, they, um, kind of own manage is the Kew Island Club.
And that was really my first taste of hospitality. And it's a very nice luxury club. and I really saw how the people, the, the employees there treated the guests, treated the members, to give great experiences, uh, you know, magical time. People come in the summertime, experience Kiawah Island's special place anyway, and then you layer in the amenities of the Kiawah Island Club.
And the, employees deliver a great guest experience or member experience, and you can just see how that just made that vacation, that summer vacation, that much more magical. And it was a real taste of the hospitality world. 
Steve Carran: That's great. I got to give David credit too. He didn't pronounce it right before the show. And then we put it in a little voice thing and it told him the wrong way to
David: Oh yeah, I wrote, I took, I took some notes. 
Kyle Hughey: That's good. I 
mean, 
David: it out.
Kyle Hughey: you, you gotta, you actually need to make a trip down there. It's such a special place, and then you'll get the, the, the pronunciation directly. Yeah. Absolutely. There you go. You're absolutely right. I'm familiar with it and I gotta make it down there. It looks incredible. So, from there, you went to Charlestown Hotels as their VP of Finance and since have worked your way up to CEO. What made you choose Charlestown and, you know, tell us a little bit about Charleston for those that might not be as familiar.
sure. First part is really, uh, well, let me, I'll, I'll kind of answer the second part first. So Charlestown Hotels is, um, independent hotel management company, based in Charleston, South Carolina, been in business 40 plus years. I mean, it really has a legacy. I've been here nine years and it was already an established legacy.
And the reason that the appeal would come here was because they had a reputation that had beautiful properties, independents. At the time, you know, generally Southeast, a couple outliers, outside of the region, but generally Southeast, beautiful properties. And also they were known for their team, like, um, the, at Kiowa, the company was pretty big and I knew at Charlestown, the company, I was going to get this even more experience.
I had a lot of, obviously finance, accounting background experience. But at Charlestown, I knew I was going to get to see some operations, some revenue management, marketing, all aspects of hospitality. and then I met the people here and learned that they were going to be, bring me right into the fold very quickly.
there was no, no silly questions. They probably did a lot of eye rolls and laughing, but they were always, uh, trying to foster my education and hospitality. Had some great, colleagues, coworkers, and. And then I knew about that already. So when I came here, they delivered on that. It's been a great experience.
David: So since becoming CEO, I know this is a tough question, but is there, is there one accomplishment that you're proudest of? 
Kyle Hughey: you know, there may be, that's a tough question. You know, kind of maybe a two, two, I'll give you a two part answer. The first is obviously, uh, in a single thing, I'm super proud of our portfolio. I mean, the body of work that we've, we've got is our properties in our portfolio. And they continue to be, uh, you know, best in class in travel and leisures, Condé Nast, all the awards, and I think that speaks for itself.
So obviously a lot of pride there, but on the other side, maybe a little bit more of a macro level, something that I'm very proud of to be part of and trying to continue to pass, you know, to carry that torch a little bit is the legacy that we have, right? we've had properties and owners, uh, clients, however you want to look at it, owners that we work with for 20 plus years.
We've got great long standing relationships, and I think that speaks to how we operate as a company, how we lean into what their vision is, executing on what they have, and I think, um, You know, most of our owners care financially, so we've obviously been successful, uh, along that area. And then in that same legacy vein, I think, you know, every month when we send out and do our anniversaries at our, at our, at our company, we have, you know, 5, 10, 15, 20 year employees.
So with great longevity of clients and great longevity of employees, I'm very proud to be, we're, you know, we've got a lot, and I, I can't take a lot of, uh, Pride in it, but, uh, our team, we do try to carry that torch, and it speaks to the legacy of what we're doing here, and I think there's a lot of, good things that are coming from that with the longevity there.
David: great. So we're more than halfway through the year. Earlier in the year, you unveiled and talked about growth plans for the group. How's it going so far?
Kyle Hughey: you know, again, it's just, it's, it's going fine. I'm not gonna just be, I'm kind of more of a realist. Um, it's going fine. I mean, I'd love for it to say we've taken on, you know, X amount of properties, and then everything, and, and, and really what we've seen the slowest development. you know, we've got four projects and I'm, I'm sure, you know, you've heard this.
So, four projects that are just kind of, one's going forward, the other three are kind of sitting. They're just hovering right there. And as soon as something, be it either the interest rates come down a little bit, or construction prices come down again, they're ready to go. We're, we, we're going to put the foot on the gas, but you know, that's frustrating.
You know, we, we get our team, you know, across our corporate office and even on property, we get excited about new projects and it, because, you know, we just, we just love that experience. and they're just sitting there looming. We want those to come to fruition, and hopefully they do in the next, you know, 90 days, 120 days, finish off the year with, uh, some positive momentum going into 25.
That's, but generally we've had some takeovers. Like I said, that one development project's going forward, a lot of opportunities still continuing to push in that college and university markets, and we've got two opportunities there. So love to see some of those, uh, you know, come into the fall too.
Steve Carran: Very nice. So now we're going to get more into the industry topics, thought leadership area of the podcast. So, you know, you mentioned a couple challenges that, you know, you're kind of having on the building side with interest rates, construction costs. As an industry, what do you think is our biggest challenge and how is Charlestown tackling that?
Kyle Hughey: Yeah, I mean, I think you've probably been hearing this for the last few years. I mean, I think staffing, well, recruitment into the industry is one thing. You know, you know, I think I can speak to that from experience, right? I never even knew hospitality was such a great industry to be part of until I got here.
Again, kind of tripped into it and very thankful I did. so, you know, as, as I talk with my kids and, and their friends and stuff, they don't, they never, you know, hospitality, I'm pushing that. I said, that's a great career, great experience, and it really covers anything you want to do. I mean, I think I spoke to it already, operations, revenue management, marketing, accounting, it covers a lot of basis in hospitality.
People only think of it as, you know, kind of a front desk agent or in the F& B industry and it runs a gamut. There's a, you know, everything touches it. So I think recruitment into the hospitality industry is something we've got to make it more appealing. and I think we had a good reset on there back in 2021 22.
Wages were increased, the employees, voice was heard a lot. And we, and Charlestown as a company, We had to meet those employees where they were, we needed to make sure that they, under, we, we were empathetic to the situation they were in. We knew it and we responded with it. Whether raise, raising wages, help with childcare, flexible schedules.
one of the things that I'm, I'm, I think we are doing as a company, we really put in succession planning. I think that's a, that was an attractant. it's been a focus for our since in 24 where we're partnering up with, you know, experienced general managers, DOSs, um, really across down, across all the job titles where you partner up with somebody maybe one or two steps ahead of you and get that experience.
You may visit their property and I think that will, that, recruitment tool brings people into it and then they see a growth pattern. They see this is a career. It's not just a job. And I think that that goes back to my first point about getting people into the industry. So, you know, I think we're doing some of those things, but I think it's always going to be a challenge.
I mean, it's not easy. you know, we joke around about where's easy street. Well, it's not in the hospitality world, but at the same time, it's a very fulfilling job and industry that we're happy to be part of. So,
David: Yeah. So we, we talk about this a lot. On the podcast. And obviously it's become a bigger topic post COVID that travelers are now looking for experiences. So how do you guys approach that? And any advice for hotels that are looking to offer experiences, try to attract new customers, new guests?
Kyle Hughey: yeah, I mean, luckily for us, we've, like I said, we've been in the independent, forefront for. 25 years back, kind of before it was really that popular. so we've really always laid in, with that and that's what we do in our property. So every property in our portfolio is kind of a standalone.
It's got its own vision, its own brand, its own essence. And what we do is we really build out the experiences around that. You know, for example, in Charleston, we obviously have the historic, we've got the beaches, we've got. the tours, things like that, great culinary scene that we really try to layer into the hotel, and really activate it.
When you stay at a hotel in Charleston, it's, you're immersed in Charleston and we really bring that to the forefront and it deliver on that experience. so I think that's something we've always done. We do it across our whole portfolio, speaking of, give another example is in the university markets, right?
we work for a university or a college that hotel becomes kind of the living room. It's their first exposure to that university. So it's gotta be a great experience. So really we understand the vision and kind of what the owner wants out of the property. And then we deliver. So if, if, like I said, they want to really make a great first impression on those.
You know, faculty that are coming or those new students that are coming in. We really hear that, deliver on that, and hopefully that's another contributing factor for a student to make that choice for that college or university. And then it also sets them up for four years of continuing to come back. So it builds in a little bit of that, loyal guests.
So those are the kind of things we do at our properties. And it usually ties into whatever the vision of the owner is or the community that's part of. I think that's another way hotels should do it a little bit better. Sure, you can give a great experience, but you got to tie it geographically as well. I think you can always pull in a couple threads.
David: Yeah, no, that's great. And a lot of those lines, Steve and I have mostly independent backgrounds. I've sold into mostly independent hotels. What else, besides that being able to guest, the guest experience, what else excites you about being in the independent space? 
Kyle Hughey: Yeah, I think what you do is you, you know, you start with, uh, from scratch. You got a playbook that you're actually going to create. Here at Charlestown Hotels, I mean, we do it from the very start. We love to be. on a new development, we love to be 18 months out. We're helping them with the brand.
We're really working it. We do all this in house. We basically have an in house agency that really understands hospitality, things that matter, have a good return on investment. But that, we help build that brand. We hear the voice of the owner, and it really tie that in, and then we just deliver. We create the brand, and then operationally, we start building around the brand.
Everything comes back to the brand to touch base on. So I think that that excites me. I think when you create something from scratch and then you see it 18 months out, and you're, you're at a, you know, you're at a conference table with the owner and some marketing team and operations team. And then next thing you know, you're 18 months out or actually, 36 months out, the property's been open and you're delivering on the brand that you helped create at that conference table.
That's a very fulfilling, experience. And, and as an independent, that's the way it works. There's no brand to hand you a book and say, here's what your uniform is going to be. So, that also speaks to the team that we have here. Really, people come to Charlestown Hotels because they know that they're going to get that experience.
They want to be part of that. Build something special. Deliver. Open it. Unveil it. And then that guest has that experience. Or we get to go to an opening party or a five, we just celebrated a five year anniversary on our hotel up in Bristol, Virginia. And it was such, we were there with them for 18 months prior.
And it was great to see that come to life. And then they're through stabilization, weathered COVID, and doing great things for that community. And the owner's happy and his vision's delivered. And Yeah, I think, and we're, we're excited to be there, so it's a win for all parties, for sure.
Steve Carran: That's awesome. So you've worked your way up to CEO. Started out, as we said, VP of Finance. What advice do you have for, somebody out there who might be looking to be a CEO who are, that's kind of their goal in their career to be a CEO. Any advice you have for them?
Kyle Hughey: Yeah, and I think, I got it kind of from my mom, I think she said, never stop learning. I think that's what you have to do you know, obviously I had a very nice lane as an accountant in a public, you know, for a public firm, I could have stayed there, but you know, I went to Kiowa, learned some things there, saw some operations, came to Charlestown Hotels.
The team here has been a, doctorate in hospitality. They fed into me for nine years and I'm still learning every day from that team. so I think my, back to the advice, I think you've always got to start learning. You ask good questions about like, why somebody made that choice? Like, why did you go that direction instead of this direction?
Hear the answer, you may not agree with it, but you put that in your toolkit and you think about it next time you're making decisions around operations or revenue management or marketing. You know, especially if you cross out of a discipline like accounting was obviously my core area of knowledge, and when you start, the opposite is marketing, which is, you know, it's kind of fun though, they, you know, everything they do is beautiful, and it's, it's this, you know, again, the sexy part of the, of the hospitality in the industry, and it's fun to get over there and learn how they do it and why they do it, and what gets a return on investment, what's just for awareness, our CFO, Michael Cady, I mean, he's always feeding me information on just his thought pattern so that I know what he's thinking.
Good communication within a team, is crucial, but, you know, again, I'm always trying to keep that learner's, uh, learner's heart and take away from the team where I can.
David: All right. So this question, you can, answer if you want to answer it, and we've talked about this a lot. So, you know, there's been a lot of, for lack of a better term, consolidation, a lot of brands graduate. Now there's rumors that standard is going to be. Gobbled up. how does that make you feel?
And what is your take on that?
Kyle Hughey: Yeah, you know, I mean, good, you know, good for them. We saw a lot of consolidation in 22, 23, you know, coming out of COVID, I think there was a lot of capital out there and I think people, you know, took advantage and they said, we can consolidate, get a check and everything like that. That's great. and I don't have a problem with it cause I think what it does is it makes our lane wider because really from a, from a Charlestown hotel standpoint, we're an independent company who really wants to grow organically and thoughtfully.
We make choices and, you know, it's a good fit. We gotta have an owner that works for us, the property, it's gotta be capitalized, it's gotta be the right geography. We wanna make sure that we're making good decisions where, we're there, what I mentioned earlier, the legacy in 20 years. We chose the right projects and opportunities.
Put our best foot forward, accelerated them, made them special, and delivered for the owner. And then that's, that's the kind of owner or client we want to take on. Well, if people are getting consolidated, and again, going back to our, or, we're a small, medium sized, organically grown company. Every owner calls me.
I see them every year. I, I would never want to have so many hotels Where I'd have to get a, somebody have to remind me who the owner was or who the general manager was. And that's just not appealing to us or our partners here at Charlestown Hotels. Our executive team want to be intimate with our, uh, intimately know our, general managers and our owners so that we hear them.
They know to call us and we're still, can get in there and do the work. Not necessarily a C-suite that just sits here and directs strategy. We want to be Knowing what's going on in the ground. So anyway, I got a little long winded on that. Sorry about that answer, but I think we're, we're, we like our lane, and if consolidation happens, um, that's good. It can, it just can go wide to our lane, because people want what we give. I think they want that boutique feeling, even from an ownership standpoint. They want to know who they're talking with and working with.
David: Yeah, I love the answer because we, I mean, that's kind of, we always feel like it's refreshing to hear that answer because on the flip side for those who aren't in your position, it hurts because you're like, Oh wow, graduate was great. Now it's part of Hilton. What's going to happen to it?
And I, it was, I think that was the perfect answer for people who love independent 
properties. 
Kyle Hughey: That's good. 
Steve Carran: Well said. Well Kyle, we've been asking you questions this whole time, so now we're going to flip the tables and let you ask David and I a question. 
Kyle Hughey: Sure. Um, you know, obviously things are changing. like I mentioned, development projects are slowed. You guys are industry leaders and, and know a lot of people and a lot of, uh, projects and things like that. Where do you see 25 and 26 heading? You know, give me the future of it. The project's slow.
Does, you know, tourism come back from worldwide back to domestic travel? Or just where do you guys see it going in the next, say, 24 months?
David: Yeah, I mean, you touched on a lot of, a lot of things. So, I mean, we've got, the staffing issues and we've kind of need to recognize how do we make this more of a career so we can service the people that do want to travel. I think you also touched on the interest rates are a big factor.
Um, And, you know, we won't get into any specifics, but obviously there's a lot of political turmoil in this country right now, and not just in our country, in other places, you know, they're, you know, going to Israel is, you know, you got to make sure you go in a time where you feel safe and comfortable. So, you know, I think we.
Have leveled off kind of post COVID. and now it's really up to the thought leaders, the industry leaders to really make what the next, you know, 12, 24, 36 months are going to be. And like you said, there's no excuses. I mean, people want to travel, people want to stay at hotels or they want experiences. So, the industry just has to really kind of embrace whatever change and like your mother said, you know, keep learning, and just adapt.
Steve Carran: I think kind of in on the hotel side I think we're gonna see management companies kind of like yourself be a little bit learn to be a little bit more flexible I was talking to the CEO of one management company and they're offering four day work weeks for their employees and they're figuring out how to Make all this work because you know the people that are coming out of college.
They want to These flexible work environments, they wanna work from home, right? Like that's, that's great. And you know, some jobs you can do that in a hotel, right? But you can't do that at a front desk. So how do we incorporate these flexible environments for folks working in a hotel, so that, you know, they do have a little bit more work life balance and just are a little bit more happy as well.
So I think we're gonna see a lot of hotels and, you know, companies do that. And, and hopefully we can attract more younger talent and. Always keep learning from them as well. They have a lot of great ideas, this upcoming generation, the younger people coming into this industry. So I 
think it'll be, it'll be fun to see.
Kyle Hughey: Yeah, thanks for that insight for sure. I think one thing we can all three agree on that, you know, as an industry, it's a resilient industry. Ever changing industry and it, it, it adapts. So I think, you know, David, you mentioned adaptability. I think that's a good word. It'll always kind of be part of our industry and where we're going.
Steve Carran: Absolutely. So now we're going to kick it over to our producer, Jon. He's been listening the whole time. He's going to ask you one more question before we get you out of here, Kyle. 
Jon Bumhoffer: So as you guys are talking, I'm going through the beautiful portfolio that you guys have of hotels. It looks like there's quite a few, adaptive reuse properties in there. I'm curious, like, how do you approach working with that? Whether it's either a hotel coming to you, um, and or you initiating that adaptive reuse and what you're looking for in, places that you can start, like, activating in that way.
Kyle Hughey: Yeah, you know, adapt, we're talking, you know, it's all about storytelling and, and, and creating a great experience. Well, adaptive reuses usually have a story. There's already a, there's a history there. You know, I think about our, our great property, The Collector down in St. Augustine. I mean it. It's a hundred plus year old property, a collection of a block of homes that were converted into a, throughout and then interconnected with a garden.
You know, owners come to us, that's, you know, they usually have a, that collector maybe not so much. It was kind of set up that way and bought that way and we just kind care for it, you know, nurture it and make sure it stays in a good state, but it's all about storytelling there in that garden for sure.
And then if somebody does come to us on a new, kind of a new development with an existing property, I think we work with them very well. We've gained a lot of experience with tax credits, historical tax credits, making sure that we understand, hey, some things can't be changed operationally. We want efficiency and we want a good flow and all those things.
But if the historic tax credit says we can't touch a certain wall or this wood's got to be coming back in. place there, we'll work around that. We've learned that, that will create character, that'll create storytelling, and it'll be part of the project. So, well, we've learned a lot, but again, going back to my initial responses, the storytelling is usually, a little easier, not easy, but a little easier, because there's, it's been something before, or it's easier to tie into a, a part of the community or geographically.
So, yeah.
David: So that does it for another episode of The Modern Hotelier. So Kyle, tell us how people connect with you. They can connect with Charlestown Hotels. You, this is your chance to plug away.
Kyle Hughey: Sounds good. Yeah, thanks. Well, obviously our website, charlestown hotels.com would be the best place to reach out to us, see our beautiful portfolio. Like I said earlier in the, in the podcast, I think our body of work is our portfolio and it shows Well, I mean, John, you, you were perusing it there during the, during the show.
we're super happy, but that's really the best way to get us a hold of us and you connect with any of our team members there.
David: That's great. Thank you. So that does it for another episode of The Modern Hotelier. So whether you're watching or listening, we appreciate you and hope to be with you again soon. Thank you and thank you, Kyle.
Kyle Hughey: Thank you guys.