CHARLESTON, SC—Hospitality management company Charlestowne Hotels has promoted Matt Barba to its corporate team as VP of operations.
Barba now leads the company’s operational strategy of all property management departments, including F&B, for a growing portfolio of 50 hotels and counting. He brings nearly 30 years of hospitality experience to his new role, with the last decade dedicated to expanding recognition for Charlestowne Hotels’ growing management capabilities.
As Charlestowne’s regional director of operations for four years, he managed multiple properties within the company’s portfolio, spearheading a number of new openings and transitions. Most notably, he oversaw the development of signature Charlestowne properties including The Spectator, Sewanee Inn, Shem Creek Inn, Elliott House Inn, French Quarter Inn and HarbourView Inn, among others. Since 2015, he has served as the general manager for the Charlestowne-managed Deer Path Inn, transforming it into one of the company’s flagship hotels.
“Matt’s tenure and dedication to elevating our work with independent hotels has been critical in Charlestowne’s evolution,” said Kyle Hughey, EVP/COO, Charlestowne. “He’s held leadership roles within each of our departments before they even existed, helping to define our corporate structure and influencing our individualized approach to property management. With his return to the corporate team, Matt can now apply his extensive boots-on-the-ground knowledge across our entire portfolio.”
As VP of operations, Barba will assert Charlestowne’s commitment to operational excellence and refine the company’s tailored service approach for each property in the portfolio. This includes improving communication channels among internal corporate teams, identifying operational growth opportunities, strengthening service culture, developing new creative programs to enhance the hotel guest experience and further elevating Charlestowne’s growing F&B program.
He has been with Charlestowne for almost 10 years, but his resume showcases a wealth of experience beyond his work with the management company. Career highlights include coordinating the closing, liquidation and re-opening of The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville while aiding the management of an $18 million renovation of guestrooms and public areas. He also played an instrumental role in developing various elevated assets for the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, including the construction of the on-site Sanctuary Hotel and Ocean Course Clubhouse.
“I’ve always loved the challenge of taking a hotel product and figuring out what operational tweaks can be made to take the experience from expected to distinctive – from both a front and back-of-house perspective,” Barba said. “To now have the opportunity to do this across an entire portfolio as diverse as Charlestowne’s is a challenge that I’m both honored and excited to take on.”
