College of Charleston Creates Michael and Amy Bennett School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

The Michael and Amy Bennett School of Hospitality and Tourism Management is making its debut at the College of Charleston, a gift that was announced at a ceremony on Friday, Jan. 9, at Hotel Bennett.

The school will reside in the College’s School of Business. It’s named for the owners of Bennett Hospitality, which was founded in 1983 and includes Hotel Bennett and 25 others across South Carolina, Georgia, and Montana. 

“With Charleston’s long and storied tradition as one of the world’s great hospitality and tourism destinations, there is no better home for a top-tier program studying this dynamic, multibillion-dollar industry,” says College of Charleston President Andrew T. Hsu. 

The gift enhances all aspects of the existing program, including increasing executive engagement, attracting top-notch faculty and students, and providing resources for innovation in an important industry.

“Charleston is a living learning lab for our hospitality and tourism management program,” says Paul Schwager, dean of the School of Business. “For more than 25 years, the city has offered our students exceptional internship opportunities, access to world-class resources and meaningful industry connections.”

While taking classes at the college in 1977, Michael Bennett also worked in the university’s facilities management department, an experience that helped launch his successful career. His wife, Amy, graduated from the college in 1982. Their son, Jack, is a 2016 alumnus and now heads up Bennett Hospitality with Bennett’s sister, Kim Bennett Brown, one of the founding members of the company. 

The Michael and Amy Bennett School of Hospitality and Tourism Management is the first named school at the college.