Behind the Cotton Sail
Monday, September 8th, 2014
HOS Management’s flagship hotel in Savannah no longer needs an introduction. The impeccably restored 200 year-old boutique charmer delighted locals and tourists alike from the moment it opened its doors last May.
Part luxury hotel, part fine dining, part chic rooftop deck with dramatic riverfront views, and part elegant wedding/event venue, the Cotton Sail shakes it up into an all-in-one experience with a twist.
Savannah’s historic riverfront had been long-suffering in the upscale fixtures department, so it was not surprising that the Cotton Sail’s docking was met to great fanfare, a flurry of guests, and a rooftop consistently brimming with craft cocktail-sipping Savannahians.
The family-owned real estate and hotel development/management firm behind the Cotton Sail, HOS Management, manages a flock of hotels nationwide, franchising several big brands such as Hilton, Intercontinental and Choice. Savannah, however, is a port they call home. They built a life here long ago after emigrating from India. When Savannah recently began proving itself a logical choice for the next big thing, the Patel family was eager to drop anchor here once again.
Kris Patel and his brother, Riki Patel, hold up the operations end of the family empire as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of HOS, respectively, while their father and uncle (CEO Kirit Patel and President and COO Anil Patel) continue to build upon the legacy they started 30 years ago when they first began buying hotel properties.
“With the Cotton Sail, we wanted something that felt truly local and comfortable as well as beautiful,” explains Kris Patel. “We wanted to give Savannah an upscale riverfront destination unlike anything it had, while still drawing straight from its bones and character. So we bought this centuries-old former cotton warehouse, turned coal warehouse, turned import export facility – and turned it into a luxury hotel with an atmosphere that feeds off all that rich history.
“The name, Cotton Sail, is a nod to its cotton warehouse past and seafaring scenery. We even installed wooden planks along the rooftop restaurant and lounge, Top Deck, to make it feel like a ship’s deck. We wanted people to see it all – be able to imagine the boats that were once docked in back, be able to feel the original heart of pine wood floors that we uncovered and carefully restored.”
According to Patel, the Cotton Sail’s location was a huge factor in HOS Management’s decision to go independent with the hotel. “We had to do right by our city, and were certain that the hotel should be one-of-a-kind, just like its location. We knew we had something special that was strong enough to survive without the backing of a franchise.”
Patel also mentioned that HOS hired a SCAD student to help unearth the building’s history, and then design a brand and logo that fit. “Creating jobs and helping to stimulate the local economy is important to us, obviously.
“It’s also a critical piece of an out-of-town guest’s experience, having those meaningful, courteous touch points with the people who live, work, study and play here. We are the Hostess City, after all.”
