Leading hospitality management company Charlestowne Hotels proudly announces the promotion of Matt Barba to its corporate team as vice president of operations.
Matt will now lead Charlestowne’s operational strategy of all property management departments, including food and beverage, for a growing portfolio of 50 hotels and counting. He brings nearly thirty 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, Matt managed multiple properties within the company’s portfolio, spearheading a number of new openings and transitions. Most notably, Matt 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, Matt has served as the general manager for the Charlestowne-managed Deer Path Inn, transforming it into one of the company’s flagship hotels. After overseeing a complete property renovation, Matt elevated the Inn’s service culture and food and beverage program to unprecedented heights. The Bar at Deer Path Inn now generates more than double the annual revenue per seat than hotel bars in larger metropolitan cities. Additionally, under Matt’s leadership, Deer Path Inn was named Travel and Leisure’s “#1 Resort Hotel in the Midwest” for two consecutive years, and the “#18 Hotel in the World” in 2020.
“Matt’s tenure and dedication to elevating our work with independent hotels has been critical in Charlestowne’s evolution. 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,” says Kyle Hughey, Charlestowne’s executive vice president and COO. “With his return to the corporate team, Matt can now apply his extensive boots-on-the-ground knowledge across our entire portfolio.”
As vice president of operations, Matt 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 food and beverage program.
Matt 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 guest rooms 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,” Matt says. “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.”
