Carolinas Hotel Development, Construction & Transactions

Hotel development across North Carolina and South Carolina reflects sustained investment across both states, with a pipeline weighted toward upscale and upper midscale projects complemented by a significant cluster of upper upscale developments. Lodging Development currently tracks 113 projects totaling 14,742 rooms in the Carolinas, while 46 properties representing 5,803 rooms have opened over the past 24 months. Transaction activity has also been notable, with 56 deals recorded over the most recent 18-month tracking window.

The Carolinas development pipeline is led by upscale projects, which account for 40 of the 113 developments tracked by Lodging Development, followed by 27 upper midscale and 20 upper upscale projects. Among the projects currently tracked, the 600-room Omni Hotel Raleigh Convention Center stands out as the largest, currently in construction and being developed by Omni Hotels & Resorts. Also in the pipeline is the 400-room Drury Plaza Hotel Myrtle Beach, a planning-stage upper midscale project from Drury Hotels Company. In the Raleigh area, Daly Seven is constructing a dual-branded Courtyard and Residence Inn in Cary at the Arboretum totaling 249 rooms. Capital City Urban Development has a 264-room City Gateway Hotel & Parking Facility in planning as well. Together, these projects illustrate the range of investment across North Carolina and South Carolina.

Over the past 24 months, 46 hotels totaling 5,803 rooms have opened across North Carolina and South Carolina. Among the most recent arrivals is StudioRes by Marriott Columbia Harbison, a 124-room midscale property that opened in early June 2026. The 191-room Cooper Hotel, an upper upscale addition, opened in late March 2026, followed closely by The Balladeer Hotel, Tribute Portfolio, a 70-room upper upscale property that opened in early May. Other notable openings include the 118-room Courtyard Sugar Mountain Banner Elk in late April and the 105-room Compass by Margaritaville Beaufort, which opened in late February 2026.

Over the past 18 months, Lodging Development has recorded 56 hotel transactions of $10 million and above across the Carolinas. Documented sale prices are available for 29 of those deals, totaling approximately $907.5 million. Among the individual transactions tracked, Milan Hotel Group acquired both the 78-room Courtyard Asheville and the 88-room SpringHill Suites Asheville in November 2025 for roughly $5.9 million and $6.9 million, respectively. Paragon Hotel Company purchased the 94-room Courtyard Salisbury in December 2025 for approximately $7.9 million. An additional 23 transactions lack disclosed sale prices but have recorded loan data, while four transactions have no available pricing or loan information. The deal flow across North Carolina and South Carolina underscores continued investor interest at multiple price points.