With the grand opening of The Lantern Hotel, a new collaboration between USC’s CarolinaLIFE program and the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management is underway.
The Lantern Hotel is a four-star boutique hotel located in the Vista area. The hotel's mission is to employ individuals with intellectual disabilities to give them meaningful experiences and growth within the hospitality industry.
Rick Hayduk, general manager of The Lantern Hotel, said he started working with Raines Co., a multifaceted hospitality organization with the intent of creating a similar hotel model to The Shepherd Hotel in Clemson. The Shepherd Hotel employs students who are part of the ClemsonLIFE program.
Hayduk is also a father of two children with down syndrome. His son, Abe, currently works at The Lantern Hotel. When he turns 18, he’ll become part of the restaurant management team, as he wants to be a bartender, Hayduk added.
Hayduk said hospitality is a great career path for those with intellectual developmental disabilities. The individuals are able to learn independent living skills, he added.
“Hospitality lends itself to working with people with disabilities because you do not go into hospitality if you don’t like people,” Hayduk said.
CarolinaLIFE
CarolinaLIFE is an inclusive post-secondary program housed within the College of Education. There are 25 students apart of this program.
The programs director Erica Milliron, said the program has seven students and multiple alumni working at The Lantern Hotel.
“It's not ... that they gave a job to someone as an act of charity. That individual has applied for their job, and they're working hard to keep their job," Milliron said.
Hayduk said the employed individuals with disabilities are called Special Ability Teammates, or SATs. The SATs are working at the front desk, laundry, housekeeping and more, he added.
“We’ve got SATs working in public area cleaning. We’ve got them working as food runners and bussers, stewards,” Hayduk said. “So they pretty much are all over the hotel, as are the students.”
With students working in the hotel, Milliron said they are learning important skills such as cooperation, communication and collaboration, all relating to a job setting.
“Those are things that cannot be replicated in the classroom,” she said. “Whether you’re an HRSM student or a CarolinaLIFE student, being able to do that on-site is really important.”
H.S. Russell, executive board member and investor in The Lantern Hotel, said being a part of a mission like this means everything to him, especially from an investor's standpoint.
“This is not about money,” he said. “A lot of it has to do with purpose. Now, to be a viable business, you do have to make money. It would not be worth the risk without the mission.”
HRSM
According to Allen Wallace, the communications manager for the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, two students are currently employed, with more opportunities to come. Fourth-year hospitality management student Madison Monastra is currently working as a desk receptionist.
“I get to work with individuals with disabilities, so we’re kind of mentoring them in a way,” she said. “I really enjoy getting to work alongside them.”
Russell said, while one of the main goals was to work with CarolinaLIFE, HRSM was chosen due to the school's well-known programs.
The HRSM college is nationally ranked in multiple areas. According to the university, hospitality and leisure management ranks No. 10 nationwide from the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject.
“When we started speaking to the HRSM school, we didn’t have to ask. They jumped at it,” Russell said.
Wallace said the curriculum offered at HRSM is designed to mix academic learning and real-world experience. The Lantern Hotel offers another opportunity for that, he added.
“The Lantern has a great mission that we want to support,” Wallace said. “From our point of view, the more we help to promote hospitality and tourism ... the more it grows and the more job opportunities there are for our students.”
Wallace said hands-on experience is crucial especially in hospitality.
“You come to class, and you learn the book side of this is how a hotel works and this is how you keep customers happy,” he said. “And then while you’re still a student ... you have the chance to go and work at a place like The Lantern and put it into practice ... It’s important in every industry.”
Milliron said the program is also working alongside HRSM to create a CarolinaLIFE certficate. By taking classes through HRSM and working at The Lantern Hotel, students will receive the certficate along with their CarolinaLIFE certificate.
For Hayduk, being part of the hospitality industry means having the opportunity to employ those with disabilities.
“It means a lot in the sense of I am a father who is trying to make sure that when I'm either old or gone that there is a path,” Hayduk said.