CHARLESTON, South Carolina—The Indigo Road Hospitality Group (IRHG) announced the appointment of Katharine Ames as chief marketing officer. In this newly created role, she will continue to oversee all marketing efforts across the company’s portfolio, including internal communications, public relations, programming and branding, partnerships, and social media.
Ames, who is based in Atlanta, previously served as director of marketing since joining the company in 2021. She will continue to lead an internal team of marketing directors, managers, and coordinators and oversee several agency partners. She will continue to report directly to IRHG Founder and Chief Vision Officer Steve Palmer in her new role.
“Katharine has been a crucial part of the Indigo Road team since day one,” said Palmer. “Her deep knowledge and passion for our overall brand and her ability to communicate on a large scale have been essential to our continued success. I look forward to watching her continue to do amazing things in this new role.”
Before joining IRHG, Ames spent eight years at a boutique lifestyle agency, rising from an entry-level public relations coordinator to a vice president of public relations. There, she led internal and external communications, strategic campaigns and partnerships, and media outreach for multiple hospitality and lifestyle accounts, including several IRHG restaurants.
“The Indigo Road has been such an integral part of my professional career that this new role feels like a natural progression, and an incredibly exciting step for me personally,” said Ames. “Being a part of the company’s thoughtful growth, and a leader on a team that values authentic hospitality is incredibly rewarding.”
Since its inception in 2009, the IRHG portfolio has grown to include 35 restaurants in 14 markets across the south. In 2021, the company expanded into hotels with the opening of Skyline Lodge in Highlands, North Carolina, and it has since expanded its portfolio to six properties with four more under development.
