H 4942

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Bill 4942
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)
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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This web page was last updated on January 15, 2026 at 11:20 AM