Management company Charlestowne Hotels is set to operate the Hotel Maverick on the Colorado Mesa University campus in Grand Junction, Colo. The boutique hotel, owned by the university, is currently in a soft opening as the only hospitality teaching facility of its kind in western Colorado and is expected give hospitality students opportunities to participate in paid internships, connect with hospitality leaders through panels and speaking engagements and interviews for industry jobs after graduation.
Hotel Maverick has 60 guestrooms and suites, a combined 3,793 square feet of meetings and events space, a heated outdoor soaking spa and a fitness center. The hotel’s dining experiences include Devil’s Kitchen, a farm-to-table concept with views of Grand Mesa and Colorado National Monument; and and grab-and-go restaurant Betty’s Gourmet Coffee.
“Our leadership team is keen to continue expanding the geographic footprint of Charlestowne’s hotel-management collection and jumped at the chance to work with Hotel Maverick because of its incredible location in the Grand Valley and the remarkable hospitality teaching experience provided to students,” said Kyle Hughey, COO of Charlestowne Hotels. “Hotel Maverick fits within our growing portfolio of university hotels and provides us with the opportunity to become more involved with on-site [food-and-beverage] operations while simultaneously supporting and mentoring the industry’s new guard.”
Charlestowne and Hotel Maverick’s extended classroom experience further promotes hands-on educational opportunities for those enrolled in CMU’s hospitality management program. In addition to offering paid internships to CMU students, any recent graduate from CMU’s hospitality program is guaranteed an interview with Charlestowne Hotels.
Hotel Maverick is Charlestowne’s 10th property located in a university market. Additional collegiate hotels that the company manages are located on or near the campuses of Clemson University, Colgate University, Sewanee – the University of the South, Longwood University and the University of Arkansas.
In response to COVID-19, Charlestowne Hotels has worked with both the on-site hotel team and the university to develop safety protocols for guests and staff, including sanitizing the reception desk after each guest interaction, permitting one party at a time to travel via elevator, adding individual hand sanitizer amenities to every guestroom and reducing indoor restaurant seating by 50 percent.
