Charleston, South Carolina, Jan. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Michael and Amy Bennett School of Hospitality and Tourism Management is making its debut at the College of Charleston, marking a defining moment for the university and the city. The gift was announced at a ceremony on Friday, Jan. 9, at Hotel Bennett on King Street.
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 the internationally renowned 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 industry vital to the success of the Holy City.
“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.
“Michael’s work ethic, attention to detail and quality will show itself in the school; he has done hospitality in the right way. The school will create the finest hospitality leadership pipeline in the world,” adds Schwager.
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 extraordinarily 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. Michael Bennett and his family are credited with helping lead the revitalization of Charleston’s Upper King Street corridor.
The Michael and Amy Bennett School of Hospitality and Tourism Management will not only raise the stature of the program as the first named school at the College, but also create momentum for the institution and the city.
“It is deeply meaningful to see Michael and Amy invest in our future students, who may follow in their footsteps,” says President Hsu. “Mike’s vision and generosity will ensure that the College of Charleston stands among the very best universities in the nation for educating the next generation of leaders in hospitality and tourism management.”
The gift will also inspire more students to go into the hospitality industry and share the unique experience offered by Hotel Bennett and the city of Charleston.
“Charleston is the most hospitable city in America, so there should be a school of hospitality that reflects that,” says Michael Bennett.
Read more about this monumental gift and the Bennett legacy in the Winter 2026 issue of the College of Charleston Magazine.
- Michael and Amy Bennett – Credit: Nate Bell – Richard Bell Photography
- Hotel Bennett exterior – Credit: Drew Castelhano