As president of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, a luxury hotel company founded by Sheila Johnson in 2005 and based in Middleburg, Virginia, Mr. Devadas oversees a growing portfolio of unique luxury properties in the U.S. and the Caribbean.
The Salamander collection includes the highly acclaimed Forbes Five Star, 168-room Salamander Resort & Spa near Washington, D.C., which opened in 2013; The Henderson in Destin, Florida, a luxurious spa and beach resort overlooking the Gulf of Mexico which opened in 2016 and includes a 170-room grand seaside hotel and 52 luxury condominiums; Hotel Bennett, a 180-room grand European styled luxury property which opened in January 2019 on Charleston’s famed Marion Square; and the newest addition to the Salamander family, the iconic Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, renowned for its two miles of pristine private beach and plethora of world class accommodations and amenities amidst 400 acres of natural beauty.
The Salamander collection also includes two expansive Florida golf resorts: Innisbrook Resort in Tampa Bay, featuring 72 holes of championship golf and host of the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship and Hammock Beach Resort near St. Augustine, highlighted by the spectacular Nicklaus designed Ocean Course and the equally challenging Conservatory Course designed by Watson.
Devadas began his career with The Potomac Hotel Group in Washington, D.C., where he served as regional director of operations for 10 years before directing the lodging portfolio for CCA Industries which included The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville and Kiawah Island Resort near Charleston. As managing director, he led the restoration and repositioning of The Jefferson Hotel and The Hermitage Hotel resulting in the achievement of Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond awards for the respective properties. At Kiawah Island he oversaw $200 million of development, culminating in the successful opening in 2004 of The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, a 255-room ultra-luxury hotel, which is hailed as one of the world’s best.