What The Kessler Collection does

The Kessler Collection, founded in 1984 by Richard C. Kessler and headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a privately-held, family-led luxury boutique hospitality company that develops, owns, and operates a portfolio of 11 boutique and luxury hotels across 9 destinations in the Southeastern and Western United States. Its portfolio spans sub-brands including Grand Bohemian Hotels, Grand Bohemian Lodges, Casa Monica Resort & Spa, Bohemian Hotels, Beaver Creek Lodge, and the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, complemented by 27 restaurants and lounges, 7 signature Poseidon spas, 5 Grand Bohemian Art Galleries, Kessler Charters boat tours, cooking and wine blending experiences, and the Armstrong Mansion event venue. The company pioneered the soft-brand model in U.S. hospitality by co-founding Marriott International's Autograph Collection in January 2010, which provides global distribution through Marriott Bonvoy (150M+ members) and central reservations.

The Kessler Collection generates revenue through a hybrid model combining owned and managed hotel operations (rooms, F&B, spa, events), third-party management fees on independent owner assets, and ancillary experiential revenue from art galleries, charters, and classes. Pricing is quote-based and undisclosed, consistent with upper-upscale and luxury positioning. Its go-to-market is enterprise/relationship-driven, targeting luxury leisure travelers, wedding and celebration couples, corporate groups, and culinary/art enthusiasts across its destination portfolio. Distribution occurs through direct booking (kesslercollection.com and individual property sites), Marriott's global distribution system, group sales/RFP channels, and the newly-formed Kessler Hospitality JV with Highgate — a strategic alliance announced November 2025 that transferred operational management of three flagship properties to Highgate's $15B+ AUM platform while Kessler retains ownership and creative direction. In May 2025, the company announced its first select-service expansion, a dual-branded Courtyard/Residence Inn by Marriott in Richmond Hill, Georgia, scheduled to open late 2026.

Name

The Kessler Collection

Legal name

The Kessler Collection

Website

https://kesslercollection.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Kessler Collection is a privately-held, family-led Orlando-based hospitality company that develops, owns, and operates 11 luxury boutique hotels across 9 U.S. destinations, complemented by 27 restaurants, 7 spas, and 5 art galleries, distributed via the Marriott Autograph Collection and Bonvoy platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Boutique Hospitality

NAICS

Traveler Accommodation (7211)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Hotel & Resort Restaurants (THAFACAH)

Keywords

• Luxury boutique hotels
• Hospitality management services
• Resort dining experiences
• Hotel development operations
• Wellness spa services

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Hotel Operations: Revenue from managing and operating luxury boutique hotels across the portfolio, including room revenue, ancillary services, and property management fees from third-party owners
2. Food & Beverage: Revenue from 27 restaurants and lounges featuring world-class cuisine, cooking schools, and wine blending experiences across hotel properties
3. Spa & Wellness: Revenue from 7 signature Poseidon Spas offering wellness services and treatments
4. Event & Wedding Services: Revenue from hosting weddings, celebrations, corporate events, and exceptional events across multiple properties
5. Art Gallery & Retail: Revenue from 5 Grand Bohemian Art Galleries featuring curated art, sculpture, and jewelry collections
6. Experiences: Revenue from unique Kessler experiences including Kessler Charters, cooking schools, wine blending, and entertainment at Plant Riverside District

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Kessler Collection develops, owns, and operates a portfolio of 11 luxury boutique hotels and resorts across 9 U.S. destinations, supported by 27 restaurants and lounges, 7 signature spas, 5 art galleries, and curated experiences such as cooking schools, wine blending, and luxury boat charters. The company also provides third-party hotel management and development services to independent luxury property owners through its Kessler Hospitality division, formed in alliance with Highgate.

Product overview

The Kessler Collection is a portfolio of luxury boutique hotels, restaurants, and experiences organized as a unified hospitality brand. The portfolio comprises 11 distinctive hotels and resorts under sub-brands including Grand Bohemian (Hotels/Lodges in Asheville, Charleston, Charlotte, Greenville, Mountain Brook, Orlando), Bohemian Hotel, Casa Monica Resort & Spa, and the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District. Supporting the hotel portfolio are 27 restaurants and lounges (including Between the Trees, Mico, Élevé, The Boheme, Cordova, Spirit & Bower, Búho Bar, Alpine + Antlers, Habitat Feed & Social, and Red Stag Grill), 7 signature spas under the Poseidon Spa brand, 5 Grand Bohemian Art Galleries, Kessler Charters boat experiences, Kessler Armstrong Mansion event venue, and Cooking School and Wine Blending experiences. The collection also offers third-party hotel management services through Kessler Hospitality. The company pioneered soft-brand hospitality through Marriott's Autograph Collection and recently formed a strategic alliance with Highgate for expanded management capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Grand Bohemian: Luxury boutique hotel brand featuring curated art, original music, unique architecture, and Bohemian philosophy of celebrating the arts across hotel properties.
• Grand Bohemian Art Gallery
• Plant Riverside District
• Kessler Armstrong Mansion
• Kessler Charters
• Poseidon Spa
• Classes by Kessler

Products and services

• Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville A European hunting lodge-inspired luxury boutique hotel near Biltmore Village in Asheville, NC, featuring Tudor-style architecture, original artwork, and mountain views. Targets luxury leisure travelers and couples.
• Beaver Creek Lodge An all-suite ski-in/ski-out mountain lodge in Vail Valley, Colorado, offering scenic views, outdoor adventures, and the Alpine + Antlers restaurant. Targets luxury leisure and ski travelers.
• Grand Bohemian Charleston A glamorous boutique hotel in Charleston's historic district featuring European-inspired design, art collections, and Élevé Restaurant with rooftop dining. Targets luxury leisure travelers, couples, and culinary enthusiasts.
• Grand Bohemian Charlotte An urban high-rise hotel in Uptown Charlotte with Argentinian-inspired design, Búho Bar rooftop lounge, and Mico Restaurant featuring South American cuisine. Targets luxury leisure and corporate travelers.
• Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville A luxury boutique lodge overlooking Falls Park in Greenville, SC, featuring views of Reedy River Falls, Between the Trees restaurant, and Spirit & Bower bar. Targets luxury leisure travelers and couples.
• Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook A distinctive boutique hotel in Mountain Brook, AL near Birmingham with botanical-inspired design, Habitat Feed & Social restaurant, and cooking school experiences. Targets luxury leisure, culinary, and art enthusiasts.
• Grand Bohemian Orlando A moody, provocative downtown Orlando icon with Vienna Secession-style art, Bösendorfer Lounge, The Boheme restaurant, and Altira rooftop pool lounge. Targets luxury leisure, corporate, and art enthusiast travelers.
• Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront A Savannah riverfront hotel on River Street featuring Coastal 15 restaurant, Rocks on the Roof bar, and access to the Plant Riverside District entertainment venue. Targets luxury leisure travelers and couples.
• JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District A luxury JW Marriott hotel within Savannah's entertainment district featuring multiple restaurants, lounges, District Live music venue, and retail shopping. Targets luxury leisure, corporate groups, and event travelers.
• Casa Monica Resort & Spa A Moorish Revival landmark hotel in St. Augustine, FL originally built in 1888, featuring Cordova coastal chophouse, Poseidon Spa, and curated art collections. Targets luxury leisure, wedding, and historic-heritage travelers.
• Plant Riverside District Savannah's entertainment district featuring the JW Marriott, high-end shopping, over a dozen restaurants and lounges, District Live concert venue, and Kessler Charters boat tours. Targets leisure travelers, event-goers, and tourists.
• Kessler Armstrong Mansion A historic 1919 mansion in Savannah featuring Southern hospitality, Neo-Roman Gardens, and a marble grand staircase, used for weddings and grand celebrations. Targets wedding and celebration planners.
• Kessler Charters Luxury vintage boat tours of Savannah's intercoastal waterways offering sunset cruises, island adventures, and experiences in a timeless luxury setting. Targets luxury leisure travelers and special-occasion groups.
• Grand Bohemian Art Gallery Curated art galleries featuring ever-evolving collections of art, sculpture, and jewelry across multiple Kessler properties including Asheville, Charleston, Greenville, Mountain Brook, and St. Augustine. Targets art collectors, design enthusiasts, and hotel guests.
• Cooking School by Kessler Award-winning culinary experiences taught by expert chefs, taking guests through global cuisines with hands-on cooking classes at Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook. Targets culinary enthusiasts and experiential travelers.
• Wine Blending Experience Interactive wine blending classes where guests create and bottle their own custom wine with personalized labels, available at Grand Bohemian Charleston and Mountain Brook. Targets wine and culinary enthusiasts.
• Poseidon Spa Wellness spas at multiple Kessler properties offering water-inspired rituals, treatments, and relaxation experiences designed to retune mind, body, and soul. Targets wellness-focused luxury travelers and hotel guests.
• Kessler Hospitality Management Services Third-party hotel management services offered by Kessler including operations, talent management, commercial strategy, food and beverage, and design and development for luxury boutique hotels. Targets independent luxury hotel owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Properties consistently rank among top hotels in their markets (Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, U.S. News & World Report)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship.

• HighgateflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025The Kessler Collection formed a strategic alliance with Highgate, a leading real estate investment and hospitality management company with over $15 billion of assets under management and a global portfolio of more than 400 hotels. Under this alliance, Highgate manages several of Kessler's most celebrated hotels including Casa Monica Resort & Spa, JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, and Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville. The partnership formed Kessler Hospitality, a specialized hotel management division combining Kessler's creative vision with Highgate's operational excellence and revenue expertise.
• Marriott InternationalflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Kessler Collection partnered with Marriott International in January 2010 to co-found and launch the Autograph Collection brand, pioneering the soft-brand movement in the U.S. Properties including Grand Bohemian Hotels operate under the Autograph Collection, gaining access to Marriott's global distribution, central reservations system, and the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program with over 150 million members.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Salamander Hotels & Resorts: Salamander operates a small portfolio of luxury destination resorts and hotels in the US and Caribbean with an owner-operator model similar to Kessler's, owning and managing flagship properties like Salamander Middleburg and Innisbrook.
• Auberge Resorts Collection: Auberge Resorts is an ultra-luxury boutique hotel collection with a portfolio of one-of-a-kind, design-driven properties and residences, directly comparable to Kessler's Grand Bohemian brand on curated, art-forward luxury boutique positioning across resort destinations.
• Benchmark Hospitality: Benchmark is a third-party operator of resorts, conference hotels, and lifestyle properties, overlapping with Kessler's management services business and luxury resort portfolio positioning.
• Montage International: Montage operates a portfolio of ultra-luxury hotels, resorts, and residences under the Montage and Pendry brands, directly comparable to Kessler on curated, design-forward luxury resort collections with deep experiential programming.
• Davidson Hotels & Resorts: Davidson is a third-party operator and owner of upscale and luxury independent and branded hotels, comparable to Kessler's hospitality management and ownership capabilities within the upper-upscale and luxury boutique segment.
• Sydell Group: Sydell Group operates lifestyle boutique hotel brands including NoMad and LINE, comparable to Kessler in curating design-led, arts-driven boutique hotel experiences for affluent leisure travelers.
• Hersha Hospitality: Hersha is a privately held owner and operator of upscale and lifestyle hotels in gateway markets, comparable to Kessler's boutique collection focus and owner-operator business model.
• Standard International: Standard International operates The Standard and Bunkhouse boutique lifestyle hotels, comparable to Kessler's flagship Grand Bohemian brand on design-forward, culture-rich boutique hospitality with vibrant food and beverage venues.

Broad incumbents

• White Lodging: White Lodging is a large third-party hotel developer and operator across upper-upscale and luxury brands, comparable to Kessler on the hospitality management services arm while operating at a significantly larger scale.
• Highgate: Highgate is a leading real estate investment and hospitality management company with $15B+ AUM and 400+ hotels; it is now Kessler's strategic alliance and operating partner through Kessler Hospitality, comparable as both JV partner and broader incumbent operator in luxury and lifestyle hospitality.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KesslerCollection
• Instagraminstagram.com/KesslerCollection
• Xx.com/kesslercareers

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Kessler Collection