Southern Hospitality Group LLC

What Southern Hospitality Group LLC does

Southern Hospitality Group LLC is a privately held hospitality real estate development and management company founded in 1998 and headquartered in Greer, South Carolina. The company develops and manages franchised and independent hotels across the Southeast United States, operating in Athens GA, Nashville TN, Greenville SC, Charleston SC, Myrtle Beach SC, Augusta GA, Asheville NC, Clemson SC, and Spartanburg SC. SHG is an approved developer and operator for four major hotel brands: Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, and IHG (Holiday Inn). The featured portfolio includes the Spartanburg Marriott, Hyatt Place Downtown Athens, Clemson University Inn & Conference Center, multiple Fairfield Inn and Holiday Inn Express properties, the Residences Biltmore, Hyatt Place Augusta, and Marina Inn at Grande Dunes.

The company earns revenue across three primary streams: hotel development services (market research, site selection, financial analysis, design direction, and construction management for franchise hotel openings), property management services (full-time on-site General Manager with corporate support for each managed property), and franchise hotel operations (sales, marketing, revenue management, and pricing decisions for franchised properties). Ancillary services include dedicated accounting and financial oversight, HR support, and FF&E/OS&E procurement. The company has overseen 23+ opening and development projects and 17+ management projects over its 27-year history. Distribution is enterprise-direct, with hotel owners and developers as the primary customer segment and franchise brands as strategic channel partners.

SHG operates with a lean eight-person core real estate team, supplemented by on-site General Managers deployed at each managed property. The company is founder-owned and operated by Andrew Cajka, who serves as President and Founder and personally opened 14 Hyatt Hotels & Resorts prior to founding SHG. Cajka is also co-founder and Audit Committee Chair of Southern First Bank, providing strategic banking relationships. The company has received regional industry recognition, including Upstate South Carolina Hotelier of the Year (2020) from the Restaurant & Lodging Association. There is no evidence of external institutional investors, public markets listing, or material technology/AI investment.

Name

Southern Hospitality Group LLC

Legal name

Southern Hospitality Group LLC

Website

https://shghotels.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southern Hospitality Group LLC is a privately held hotel development and management firm founded in 1998, operating franchised properties under Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, and IHG across the Southeast US with an 8-person core team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Management Services

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111), Traveler Accommodation (7211)

SIC

Hotels & Motels (7011), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Resort-Area Full-Service Hotels (Non–All-Inclusive) (THAGAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business & Corporate Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAE), Beachfront & Coastal Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAI), Resort-Style Extended-Stay Properties (THAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Hotel development services
• Hospitality property management
• Franchise hotel operations
• Hotel real estate development
• Commercial property management

Headquarters

HQ city

Greer

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hotel Development Services: Provides market research, site selection, financial analysis, design direction, and construction management for hotel development projects. Oversees opening and development projects for franchise hotels.
2. Property Management: Manages hotels and properties through development and implementation of meticulous management plans. Provides full-time on-site General Manager with corporate support team.
3. Franchise Hotel Operations: Operates franchised hotels under Hilton, Marriott, Holiday Inn, and Hyatt brands. Manages sales and marketing, revenue management, and pricing decisions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Southern Hospitality Group develops, opens, and manages independent and franchised hotel properties under the Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, and Holiday Inn brands across the Southeast United States. The firm delivers end-to-end hospitality services including market research, site selection, financial analysis, design direction, construction management, full-time on-site general management, sales and marketing, revenue management, financial reporting, and human resources support. Its portfolio includes hotels, offices, and mixed-use developments in markets across Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

Product overview

Southern Hospitality Group is a hospitality real estate development and management company operating a portfolio of franchise and independent hotel properties across the Southeast United States. The company operates as a single integrated platform offering both property ownership/development services and operational management services. The product portfolio includes nine featured hotel properties under nationally recognized brands (Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Holiday Inn), complemented by six core service lines covering the full lifecycle of hospitality real estate: Real Estate Development, Property Management, Sales and Marketing, Operations, Financial Services, Human Resources, and Development Resources. The company develops and manages properties in Athens (GA), Nashville (TN), Greenville (SC), Charleston (SC), Myrtle Beach (SC), Augusta (GA), Asheville (NC), Clemson (SC), and Spartanburg (SC).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Estate Development Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 23+ opening and development projects completed
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HyattcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Hospitality Group is approved to develop and manage Hyatt branded hotels including Hyatt Place properties in Athens Downtown, Augusta, and other locations. The partnership involves franchise development and property management.
• MarriottcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Hospitality Group is approved to develop and manage Marriott branded hotels including Spartanburg Marriott and Fairfield Inn properties. The partnership involves franchise development and property management.
• HiltoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Hospitality Group is approved to develop and manage Hilton branded hotels. The partnership involves franchise development and property management.
• Holiday Inn (IHG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Hospitality Group has developed Holiday Inn Express properties in Myrtle Beach. The partnership involves franchise development and property management.
• Southern First BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndrew Cajka is co-founder of Southern First Bank and serves as Audit Committee Chair. This represents a strategic community banking relationship.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• North Point Hospitality Group: Atlanta-based hotel management and development firm operating franchised properties under major brands across the Southeast US. Comparable to SHG in regional concentration, multi-brand franchise focus, and integrated development-plus-management offering.
• Crestline Hotels & Resorts: Third-party management company operating franchised and independent hotels, resorts, and conference centers across multiple states. Comparable in scope of full-service hospitality management, including conference and resort assets like SHG's Clemson University Inn.
• HVMG (Hospitality Ventures Management Group): Third-party hotel management company operating franchised and independent properties under major brands nationally. Comparable as a third-party operator serving owner/investors, with similar value proposition of outsourced professional management for branded assets.
• McKibbon Hospitality: Family-owned hotel management and development company based in the Southeast US with a portfolio of franchised and independent hotels across multiple states. Matches SHG on Southeast concentration, multi-brand franchise approvals, and full-service development-to-operations offering.
• Concord Hospitality Enterprises: Hotel development, ownership, and management company operating franchised properties under Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG flags across the US. Comparable in multi-brand franchise strategy and combined developer/operator model, though larger and more geographically diversified than SHG.
• Pyramid Hotel Group: Third-party hotel management company operating franchised properties under major brands across the US. Comparable to SHG as a non-franchisor third-party operator offering full-service management for branded assets, though with broader geographic reach.
• Auro Hotels: A privately held hotel management, development, and investment firm headquartered in the Southeast US operating franchised and independent properties across multiple states. Closest comparable to SHG in geography, multi-brand franchise model, and integrated development-plus-management platform.
• HEI Hotels & Resorts: Private hotel owner/operator and third-party manager of upscale and luxury franchised properties across the US. Comparable as an integrated developer-operator under major brand flags, though at meaningfully larger scale than SHG.

Broad incumbents

• Hyatt Hotels Corporation: Global franchisor of lodging brands under which SHG develops and operates multiple properties (Hyatt Place Athens, Augusta, etc.). Comparable as a brand-partner counterparty and as the broader incumbent whose franchise approval SHG leverages as a competitive credential.
• Marriott International: Global franchisor of lodging brands under which SHG develops and operates multiple properties (Spartanburg Marriott, Fairfield Inn). Comparable as the brand-partner counterparty in SHG's franchise relationship and as the broader incumbent defining the operating standards SHG must meet.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-hospitality-group-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Southern Hospitality Group LLC