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Courtesy of David Colquitt
David and Annie Colquitt, along with their children, Will and Ruby: They have a long tie to the Swag, and now ownership.
If you had asked David and Annie Colquitt about their career plans a few years ago, they would never have mentioned anything remotely connected to the lodging industry. But earlier this year they jumped at the chance to buy a famed mountaintop resort. The Swag in Waynesville, North Carolina is known far and wide, and the Colquitts experienced the awe-inspiring beauty and family-like atmosphere during their honeymoon there about seven years ago. Their connection is much deeper, however, as Annie’s family has been friends with former owners Dan and Deener Matthews for four decades.
Annie’s grandfather clued the couple in when the Matthews started toying with the idea of selling. “I called Dan and flew to New York City that weekend for a five-and-a-half-hour meeting,” says David. “Opportunities like that do not come up every day. We had to make a quick decision. We said, ‘Let’s go for it!’”
David and Annie, along with their two young children—Will, who is almost 4, and year-old Ruby—will maintain their home in Knoxville, Tennessee and spend about three days a week at The Swag. They inherited a well-trained staff and appointed Greg Hoover as general manager to oversee the operations.
“We want to learn the business, get to know the guests and see what needs to be addressed,” says David. “The core of what makes The Swag so special, we do not want to change that at all. We know that The Swag means so much to so many guests. We joke that we won’t change much—we might change the sheets. Our hope and desire is to be good stewards for the next 50 years and make sure that thousands more folks come and experience the beauty and the sense of place that The Swag offers.”