Meet today’s artisan, Jon Weitz, who is the Owner & Founder of Avocet Hospitality!
Generation: GenX
Hometown: Charleston, SC
Day Job: Owner & Founder of Avocet Hospitality
Night Job: Husband. Father. Explorer. Thrill Seeker.
Headquarters: Charleston, SC
Tell us what you create: Avocet Hospitality is a boutique/lifestyle hotel owner/operator that always strives to inspire guests at every turn. Not just “pretty hotels,” but experiences that make guests stop and take notice.
Tell us your mission: To create environments where both employees and guests cannot control their urge to smile or laugh. I want to create places that are passionate and fun – not just beautiful.
Tell us your most noteworthy achievement in hospitality: Working side by side with my wife, Lisa, to create and build Avocet Hospitality. I have been involved in creating and/or rebirthing some truly remarkable hotels, but bringing together a group of like-minded individuals and building a work environment that is both fun and rewarding is the most rewarding project I have been involved with.
Tell us how your hotels impact the world in a positive way: We work very hard every day to make people, employees, and guests smile and laugh! Our job is to bring joy to people’s lives.
If you had one day to experience your hotel, what would you do?: If I could only choose one hotel for one day, it would be The Vendue, Charleston’s Art Hotel. I chose The Vendue because of the constantly changing contemporary art. I would spend a few hours learning about each piece of art and the artist behind the painting. Afterward, I would head to The Rooftop Bar for a bite and drinks and take in the beauty of Charleston Harbor. After a quick shower and change in my very chic (and red) guestroom, I would head down for dinner in Revival to experience Chef Jason’s modern take on classic Lowcountry cuisine. Lastly, I would snag at least two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies from the lobby before heading up to bed.
Tell us what your favorite part about being a boutique hotelier is: Figuring out what story each hotel wants to tell. Every hotel tells a different story and has its own personality. It is much more rewarding than repeating the same story in different cities.
Something that is coming up in the pipeline: Rebirth of The Admiral Hotel in Mobile, Alabama. Mobile has never had a true lifestyle/boutique hotel. I look forward to bringing something to Mobile that has never been there before.
Avocet’s properties are cherry-picked approved boutique hotels.
