Charleston
For a complete change of scene, Girlahead is in Charleston. Oh, what a divine place with some lovely, quaint, and very hospitable hosteleries. The reason for this trip is the 2026 Global Conference of Preferred Hotel and Resort, which is based at Charleston Place, a 40-year-old hotel that fortunately has 440 keys and lots of style. The MD is Becky Hubbard, H-U-B-B-A-R-D, Hubbard. She was out and about the whole time. She started her career as a server, knowing that she eventually wanted to run a hotel with curving staircases and a giant chandelier, and that's what she's doing. The hotel is now owned by Ben Navarro, N-A-V-A-R-R-O. Son of football legend Frank Navarro, father of tennis star Emma and three other kids, presumably as active as dad, Ben Navarro turned up on the stage for an audience of 550, dressed in his trademark navy shorts and Gillette with short-sleeved shirt. He's humorous, straight to the point, and passionate. As we shall see during the next few days' coverage of the preferred meeting, one evening was held in a gorgeous park, the American garden, with mature trees, opened only a year ago, that Frank Navarro created from a parking lot that was about to be developed as condominiums.
The hotel really looked after everybody extraordinarily well. Various outlets like Palmetto, E-A-L-M-E-T-T-O cafe. And other bars and restaurants, including Daniel Humm, H-U-M-M, were utilized for various events and activities. And throughout, there were enough snacks to make everybody gargantuan, but fortunately, there was a lot of interior walking to do. The girl ahead room 226 was a five-minute walk from the aforementioned staircase and at least 10 minutes from the main meeting room. Every late afternoon, a harpist below played very soothing. The noise from the lobbies wafted up to the second-floor open lobby, which became reception for the event. All 550 delegates immediately got an idea of southern hospitality when checking in and picking up ones. Name that on a green lanyard. There was a choice of gifts for everybody, all made in Charleston and obviously supplied with at least help from the Charleston Convention and Tourism Board. There were a range of cooking skillets, beautiful things, but no good for fellow head travelling hand baggage. There were lovely straw work baskets and exquisite jewelry. Divine gold earrings with various attachments hanging down. There was also a collection of postcards and a postbox with lots of pens for you to write notes for people and they would be posted. Well, cousins, C-O-U-S-I-N-S, this is obviously what Charleston is all about. It's going to be a fun and worthwhile few days, dot, dot, dot.
