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US: Hospitality management, development, and investment company Raines has opened the 59-room Lantern Columbia hotel in South Carolina, part of its Woven portfolio of lifestyle hotels.
The Lantern Columbia is located within the historic Columbia Central Fire Station, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Columbia Central Fire Station sits in the Vista neighbourhood along the Congaree River.
Raines Development led adaptive reuse efforts, honouring the building’s firehouse legacy while featuring mid-century modern interiors spread across three buildings.
James Beard Award nominee Kevin Johnson is in charge of the menu at the hotel’s restaurant Ladder 13.
A partnership with the University of South Carolina’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management and CarolinaLIFE program provides employment and career pathways at the hotel for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
General manager Rick Hayduk previously worked with the ClemsonLIFE program at The Shepherd Hotel in Clemson (South Carolina), where around 30 per cent of employed staff were comprised of individuals with disabilities.
Hayduk said: “Having our team made up of local hospitality professionals, local individuals with disabilities, USC’s Hotel, Retail, and Sports Management students, and CarolinaLIFE students is a first, anywhere. We think it will portray the best of Columbia. Our ambition is to have guests of The Lantern and the patrons of Ladder 13 leave inspired, aside from having an incredible stay or dining experience.”
Raines managing partner Grey Raines said: “This project is personal proof that high-end hospitality and meaningful community impact are not mutually exclusive. Seeing the historic Central Fire Station revitalised is incredible, but seeing our team — comprised of seasoned professionals and eager students from the HRSM and CarolinaLIFE programs — working side-by-side is the true achievement. We’re opening minds to what inclusive leadership looks like, right here in the Columbia community.”
Highlights:
- Raines has opened the 59-room Lantern Columbia in South Carolina, part of its Woven portfolio of lifestyle hotels
- The hotel is an adaptive reuse of the historic Columbia Central Fire Station, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with mid-century modern interiors across three buildings
- James Beard Award nominee Kevin Johnson leads the culinary concept at the on-site restaurant, Ladder 13
- A partnership with the University of South Carolina’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management and CarolinaLIFE creates employment and career pathways for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
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