Greenville's Hotel Hartness ready to carry on tradition of hospitality.

In the far reaches of Hotel Hartness, tucked away on a hard-to-find wall in an intimate little bar called The Captain is a subtle reminder that the feet about to traverse the grounds of the old Hartness family home are not the first to enjoy the site's hospitality. Not by a long shot.

Photos that show people whose names stand without explanation names like Willie Nelson and John Denver are just a few from a large collection that Pat and Mary Lou Hartness keep mostly to themselves.

Despite their success in business and as patrons of charity (and the social mastery thereof) the Hartnesses don't like to do much bragging, a tour guide explained on a recent media walkabout. So photos of those glory days remain largely private.

But their former home, with a long-lived reputation as the site of community gatherings, often in the name of charity, is about to be thrown open to an even more steady drumbeat of visitors.

Hotel Hartness quietly will open its 73 rooms to paying guests this month. The Captain will open for cocktail lovers. The full-service Spa H will open to people wanting a quiet and private escape. And at the fine-dining restaurant Patterson Kitchen + Bar, the tables have been set for weeks as new staffers the first staffers learn to take care of patrons with a Hotel Hartness touch.

A grand opening is planned in April, but it's better to open softly and master those roles before the big crowds come, said hotel General Manager Albert Mertz. The facilities include 16,000 square feet of dedicated space for meetings and events.

Hotel Hartness is the crown of the overall Hartness community on Greenville's Eastside on 449 acres of land that includes pastures, walking trails and private homes in an urban village setting.

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