Today we’d like to introduce you to Judith Puckett-Rinella.
Hi Judith, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
For much of my early career, I worked in New York City as a Director of Photography, collaborating with publications including The New York Times and Vanity Fair. Storytelling, atmosphere, beauty, and emotion were always at the center of my work — learning how spaces, light, and visual details could make people feel something lasting.
Eventually, I became an entrepreneur myself and founded Whisper Editions, an online limited-edition design and technology auction platform, alongside a striking brick-and-mortar flagship store in Manhattan’s historic Seaport District overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. The space — which we affectionately called “The Lodge” — was designed as an immersive, wood-clad living environment complete with an atrium mezzanine and two hearths. It felt warm, transportive, and deeply personal.
What surprised us most was how often clients would say the same thing: “I wish I could stay here for the night.” People didn’t want to leave. They longed for spaces that felt soulful, layered, and restorative rather than transactional. That realization planted the seed for what would eventually become our hospitality journey.
From there, my husband David and I knew we wanted to create a real hotel experience — one rooted in emotion, storytelling, design, and genuine human connection. It took us nearly eight years, filled with countless ups and downs, before we finally closed on Wicklow Hall, a historic estate tucked beneath the ancient oaks of South Carolina’s Lowcountry.
The property was beautiful, but it required an enormous amount of restoration. We spent a full year renovating it — much of the work completed by David and myself with our own hands. It was exhausting, emotional, and incredibly meaningful. We poured ourselves into every inch of the estate, trying to preserve its history while creating something that felt transportive and deeply welcoming.
Today, Wicklow Hall has become far more than a boutique inn. It is a living, breathing extension of everything we value: beauty, hospitality, craftsmanship, history, gathering, and creating spaces where people feel genuinely cared for. Looking back, the path from editorial photography to entrepreneurship to hospitality may seem unexpected, but in many ways it has always been about the same thing — creating experiences that move people emotionally and stay with them long after they leave.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not one single entrepreneur has had a smooth ride, and our story is certainly no exception. In fact, Wicklow Hall was roughly the fourteenth property we either had under contract — or attempted to have under contract — throughout this journey. There were likely even more along the way. Behind every “overnight success” are years of near misses, setbacks, pivots, and an extraordinary amount of perseverance.
There was also a significant chapter spent in Asheville helping develop Asheville River Cabins alongside my partner Brett Turner, while David and I simultaneously operated and managed hospitality properties together. For the past four years, David and I have also served as General Managers of a wildly successful glamping destination in Asheville. The work has been grueling, rewarding, and all-consuming — truly a 24/7/365 lifestyle with no real days off. Hospitality is beautiful, but it is also deeply demanding. It tests how badly you want something and how hard you are willing to work for it.
There have been countless sleepless nights interrupted by guest emergencies — power outages, water issues, weather events, operational crises — all while trying to continue building and restoring Wicklow Hall simultaneously. One of the greatest tests came when a devastating hurricane struck Asheville directly in the middle of our Wicklow development process, pushing everyone emotionally, physically, and financially to their limits.
So, to answer your question: has it been smooth sailing? Far from it. But through that process, David and I have earned — and we truly mean earned — more than 1,300 five-star reviews in hospitality. Every single one represents thousands of tiny decisions, sacrifices, problem-solving moments, and genuine care for the guest experience.
Hospitality at this level is not simply a business. It becomes a way of life. And despite the hardships, we still deeply love creating places where people can gather, rest, reconnect, and make memories. That is what continues to drive us forward.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
David and I both come from deeply creative and artistic backgrounds, having spent more than twenty years working at a high level in New York City within design, visual storytelling, entrepreneurship, and hospitality-driven experiences. Because of that foundation, we approach Wicklow Hall less as a traditional hotel and more as a fully immersive world — one designed to emotionally move people the moment they arrive.
What we are most known for is creating an experience that feels transportive and deeply personal. We often say we want the physical spaces at Wicklow to feel like a warm hug. Every nook, every layered texture, every flicker of candlelight, every porch, garden path, fireplace, curated piece of music, or shared breakfast moment is intentionally designed as an opportunity to ignite the senses and create emotional connection.
We are especially proud that guests consistently describe Wicklow as unlike anywhere they have ever stayed before. In a world where so much hospitality has become standardized and transactional, we have worked very hard to create something singular — a true one-of-a-kind experience. People often refer to Wicklow as a hidden gem, but to us it feels more like a living storybook tucked beneath the ancient oaks of South Carolina’s Lowcountry.
We believe what sets us apart is that nothing about Wicklow feels manufactured or corporate. It is deeply personal because it was truly built by hand — not only by David and myself, but alongside members of our own family. My cousin traveled from Kansas to help us build our bar and craft the oversized custom mirrors that now hang above nearly all ten fireplaces throughout the estate. Our daughters have also worked beside us, hand-finishing wood pieces and banisters throughout the property. There are fingerprints, stories, sacrifices, and love woven into nearly every corner of Wicklow Hall.
Guests are not simply checking into a room — they are stepping into an atmosphere, a feeling, and a slower rhythm of life.
We also feel incredibly proud to serve as caretakers and ambassadors for this magical corner of the Carolina coast — the Santee Delta region and what we affectionately call the edge of the Hammock Coast. There is an extraordinary beauty and soulfulness here that many people have never discovered before arriving at Wicklow. In many ways, we see ourselves as gatekeepers to that magic, helping introduce guests to the landscapes, history, artistry, wildlife, food, and quiet wonder of the Lowcountry in a way that feels intimate and unforgettable.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happiest is actually very simple: being able to provide for my family while doing work that I genuinely love. There is something incredibly meaningful about building a life around creativity, hospitality, beauty, and human connection — and then watching that work directly support the people you love most.
I feel deeply grateful that David and I have been able to create something that feels true and honest to who we are. In a world that often pushes people toward sameness, we are proud that Wicklow Hall feels entirely unique to us — built from our instincts, our experiences, our hands, our family, and our story.
There is also a tremendous joy in the daily work itself. Even though hospitality can be exhausting, there is something profoundly fulfilling about waking up each day and creating spaces and experiences that bring people comfort, celebration, rest, and memories they will carry with them long after they leave.
At the end of the day, being able to put dinner on our family’s table by doing work we truly love feels like both a blessing and a privilege. We never take that for granted.
Pricing:
- Stays From $199+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://WicklowHall.com
- Instagram: @WicklowHall
