CTI Spotlight: Charlotte

One of the Southeast's top banking locations is growing its corporate base and expanding its airport, but an influx of new hotel supply could offer business travel buyers an opening.

By Chris Davis / July 20, 2026 / Contact Reporter

Charlotte Q1 2026 total daily cost: $370

Average daily hotel cost: $209
Average daily car rental cost: $48
Average daily dining cost: $113
Total cost change from Q4 2025: +9%

Negotiation Game: Long one of the United States premier locations outside of New York for financial firms, serving as the home of Bank of America and Truist Financial Corp., among others, Charlotte, N.C., in recent years has emerged as one of the hottest American locations for relocation of corporations of all industries and stripes, dueling with cities like Dallas and Atlanta to lure companies. In recent years, large companies like Scout Motors and Maersk North America have relocated to the city. So far in 2026, only the Dallas and Miami metropolitan areas have surpassed the seven companies that have announced moves to greater Charlotte, according to CBRE, which cited the city's "pro‑business environments, tax benefits, growing and diverse talent pools and supportive infrastructures" as relocation enticements.

Several new hotels are set to open in Charlotte to help meet the increasing corporate presence, and the city's airport is building a new runway to help increase capacity. Still, the macroeconomic uncertainty and other disruptive issues that dented travel demand in 2025 haven't spared Charlotte: The number of arriving passengers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on domestic flights in the 12 months through April 2026 declined more than 10 percent year over year, per the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

The Approach: Nevertheless, travel costs in the city have been on the rise. Total first-quarter 2026 daily corporate travel costs in BTN's Corporate Travel Index increased more than 6 percent year over year. Hotel costs, representing aggregated hotel rates booked by corporates in multiple tiers, increased 9 percent year over year. That may be in part a function of what commercial real estate firm Marcus & Millichap called " several years of minimal new supply." But that's changing. Several new hotels are scheduled to debut soon (see below), and real estate research firm CoStar counts more than 5,000 hotel rooms in the city's development pipeline.

For that reason, Marcus & Millichap projected year-over-year declines in key 2026 hotel demand metrics in Charlotte. As it projects supply to increase 3 percent—"the largest delivery slate since 2021 and meaningfully increasing available inventory"—the company forecast occupancy to decline 100 basis points to 65.1 percent, average daily rate to decline 0.7 percent and revenue per available room to drop 2.2 percent.

Still, "the [Charlotte Business District] remains exceptionally well positioned after experiencing the only increase in annual demand across submarkets last year," according to Marcus & Millichap. "Business travel tied to the metro’s expanding corporate base and to the Charlotte Convention Center anchor group demand."

Keep in Mind: Charlotte Douglas International Airport is building what it calls the only new runway currently under construction in the United States, which will be the airport's fourth upon its scheduled fall 2027 opening. The project, estimated to cost about $1 billion, is designed to increase arrival and departure capacity, reduce airplane queueing and accommodate long-term growth.

CLT is American Airlines' second-largest hub, and more than two-thirds of arriving and departing passengers in the 12 months ending in April 2026 were on that carrier, per BTS. American in recent years has continued to grow its Charlotte operations, adding new service to Athens, Greece, and a handful of Western U.S. leisure destinations as well as opening a "Provisions by Admirals Club" lounge, designed for "travelers on the go."

Etihad Airlines, notably, in May inaugurated service between Charlotte and Abu Dhabi four times weekly with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, and Delta Air Lines at the end of 2024 opened a Sky Club, its first at the airport.

What's Happening in Charlotte

Marcus & Millichap counts a projected increase of 1,100 rooms in Charlotte in 2026. The city has seen a handful of new hotels come online in recent weeks and is planning for a few more.

Among them is The Beckworth Hotel, a 240-room luxury boutique hotel slated for opening later this year, operated by Concord Hospitality and part of the Curio Collection by Hilton. The property, which is being converted from a S. Tyron St. from a 100-year-old office building, is scheduled to include a ground-floor restaurant, a 10,000-sq.-ft. meeting room, a 3,500-sq.-ft. ballroom and a rooftop bar.

The TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charlotte LoSo, a conversion from a Hyatt House property, opened in October 2025 with 136 suites. The extended-stay property features one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites, 1,140 square-feet of meeting space and an outdoor patio with a fire pit and Weber grills.

The 208-room, new-build Moxy Charlotte Uptown opened in July 2025 on South Brevard St. Part of Marriott International's upper midscale Moxy brand, the hotel includes a rooftop lounge, 6,900 square feet of event space and a Starbucks.

The extended-stay Element Charlotte Uptown opened in July 2024. Part of Marriott's upscale extended-stay brand, the new-build nine-story, 173-room property includes conference rooms and a lobby bar.

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