A house RESOLUTION

 

to recognize and honor Michael Roye "Mike" Bennett, foundeR of Bennett Hospitality, and to commend him for his significant, visionary impact on the hospitality industry in Charleston and throughout the State.

 

Whereas, the House of Representatives is pleased to express gratitude to Mike Bennett for his vital participation in the renewal and development of Charleston as a world-class center for tourism; and

 

Whereas, an eighth-generation Charlestonian, Mr. Bennett is the son of Virginia and Warren Bennett and was reared west of the Ashley River with nine family members in a two-bedroom home.  He gained an entrepreneurial spirit from his father who trained him in the business of raising sunken boats from Charleston Harbor, using truck inner tubes, and then repairing and selling them; and

 

Whereas, while attending the College of Charleston ("The College") into his junior year, he worked as a carpenter's assistant in renovating campus buildings in 1977, along with jobs as a bellhop and on a cruise ship. He later ran a bike and moped rental business, Free Wheelin', which led to real estate investments and eventually to his hospitality empire; and

 

Whereas, Mr. Bennett founded Bennett Hospitality in 1983 and then a restaurant group, Holy City Hospitality, which includes Virginia's on King Street, named for his mother and featuring her signature dishes. He opened the Hampton Inn Hotel on Meeting Street one block from Marion Square and purchased the Old Citadel which abuts Marion Square and converted it into an Embassy Suites Hotel; and

 

Whereas, embracing Mayor Joe Riley's 100-year plan aimed at revitalizing the city's downtown while preserving its history and beauty, his company purchased the Charleston Music Hall in 1995 and transformed it into a world-class performance venue; and

 

Whereas, twenty years from conception to creation and named for his parents, the Hotel Bennett opened on King Street in 2019 as an anchor to his other two hotel successes in Charleston. He trains hospitality students in his hotel on the philosophy of "B kind", named in honor of his son Brennan's memory. His hospitality group has grown to include twenty-five other properties across South Carolina, Georgia, and Montana and manages nearly three thousand hotel keys and multiple restaurants; and

 

Whereas, together with his beloved wife Amy, a 1982 graduate of The College whom he met when she was leading a quail hunt, he reared two fine sons: the late Brennan Bennett and Jack Bennett, a 2016 graduate of The College who now leads Bennett Hospitality with Mike's sister, Kim Bennett Brown, who was one of the company's first members; and

 

Whereas, Mr. Bennett established a scholarship at The College the day after the tragic shooting at Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston in 2015 to help the children of the church: the Mother Emmanuel AME Church Endowed Scholarship. He created an exchange with Dublin City University in Ireland by bringing Irish students for intensive hospitality training for the past fifteen years; and

 

Whereas, his philanthropy multiplied on January 9, 2026, when he and his family announced the establishment of the Michael and Amy Bennett School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the College of Charleston, the first named school in the college's long and storied history. This initiative aims to create a world-class hospitality leadership pipeline; and

 

Whereas, Mr. Bennett's singular impact was honored with South Carolina's highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto, and Hotel Bennett was awarded a Michelin Key in 2025 for being among the worldʼs most exceptional hotels. The South Carolina House of Representatives is deeply grateful for the contributions that Mike Bennett has made to the tourism and hospitality industry throughout this great State, and the members wish him continued success in all his future endeavors. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Michael Roye "Mike" Bennett, founder of Bennett Hospitality, and commend him for his significant, visionary impact on the hospitality industry in Charleston and throughout the State.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Michael Roye "Mike" Bennett.

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