Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom and Hannah Dittrich.
Hi Tom and Hannah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We decided to move to Charleston in 2016 for the outstanding food, culture, history, and charm…and to escape the cold weather of the Northeast. It didn’t hurt that we could boat year-round here! After settling down we realized how much our friends and family loved visiting Charleston as well. We were getting visitors on a monthly basis – and we were happy to share our wonderful city with them. We were both medical professionals but decided to put Tom’s background of hospitality to use. His family owns seasonal vacation rentals in Upstate NY and he grew up helping to operate them. We bought our first property in 2019 and have now expanded to four short-term rentals in downtown Charleston. We love hosting visitors to the Holy City!
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?
Overall running a hospitality business has been a real pleasure. We find it naturally gratifying and it pairs with our lifestyle quite well. Of course, we have had small hiccups – like the time a car veered off the road and struck into one of our properties. That was a surprising phone call. It turned out the driver had a seizure. Thankfully he was going slow enough that no one was injured and our property was not damaged. All is well that ends well!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a luxury hospitality business with properties in downtown Charleston. Our methodology is to use finishes and decor that are better than what we would put in our own home. For example, our beds are handmade and far more comfortable than any big box store mattress. The furniture is a mix of antiques to fit the history of the area, blended with an updated boho chic style. Local and handmade artwork is incorporated throughout the properties. We make our rentals fun by adding unique touches – record players, ample outdoor space, games (indoor and outdoor), and all the usual streaming services included on large 4K TVs. Day to day we focus our operations on ensuring the utmost cleanliness for our guests. We also act as personal concierges, providing top recommendations for what to do and where to eat. We essentially take what a top hotel would provide and create an experience which surpasses that. In the end, our goal is to make the guest experience as positive as possible.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
As for books, we like “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. We feel this should be required reading for all!
Our current podcast obsession “Stuff You Should Know,” is not only entertaining but so educational. There is so much stuff we should know!
The Sherwin Williams “Color Snap” app is supremely helpful – we use it to pick out paint colors when renovating a property.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@palmsofcharleston.com
- Website: www.palmsofcharleston.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/palmsofcharleston
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PalmsofCharleston
Image Credits
Ellis Creek Photography
