Combining civic responsibility and entrepreneurism, developer Bert Pooser recently opened the Inn at USC, a 117-room property on the campus of the University of South Carolina, hometown of Pooser and his firm, IMIC Hotels.

The hotel consists of two buildings: a 94-year-old former single-family home and a new-build facility that has 114 of the rooms and all but three of the property's 31 suites. The property's limited public areas in the new wing include a hospitality lounge and an f&b space where a breakfast buffet is served daily.

City restrictions and an agreement with the neighborhood association capped the hotel's room count and prevent management from doing any radio, TV or print ads to promote the property.