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The recession has hit the corporate world. But as long as some professionals live out of suitcases, they'll need accommodations.
That's what Bissell Companies' newest Ballantyne hotel is counting on.
The aloft Charlotte Ballantyne (yes, that's a lowercase "a" on aloft) opened Oct. 29 at Ballantyne Corporate Place, adjacent to The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge. Charlotte's second aloft hotel, this one offers 136 rooms with nine-foot ceilings, high-tech work spaces and 42-inch LCD TVs.
The Ballantyne area has been hurt by the recession like the rest of the country, said Bissell Hotels president and chief operating officer Joe Hallow. And it's been a hard year for hotels.
But Hallow says when building hotels, you have to take the long, optimistic view: "You don't...think in terms of one or two years. You think about 15, 20 years down the road.
"Ballantyne is a continuously growing area. You'll see more office space, you'll see more rooftops and you'll see more activity in the area, albeit a little slower in 2009 and 2010."
With corporate giants such as Lance, Liberty Mutual and Bank of America in the area, the 535-acre corporate park is likely to generate hotel business.
"Every time you have office complexes, you will see the need for hotels," said Mohammad Jenatian, executive director of the Greater Charlotte Hospitality & Tourism Alliance. The corporations have their own people and their own visitors." New hotels also make it more appealing to companies that might want to relocate to the area, he said.
Bissell Companies owns other hotels in the area: Courtyard by Marriott, Staybridge Suites and Ballantyne Hotel. Hallow says the aloft complements them. "Hotel travelers are like any other consumer," he said. "Some like full-service luxury, some want more of an extended-stay feel if they're traveling with their family, and then some want a more social experience."
Sales director Laura Bauer says the new hotel aims to be hip, savvy and colorful. "It's for people who are looking for something different," she said. "The new twist in travel." Although the select-service hotel doesn't have a restaurant or spa, rooms are priced lower than many that do. During the week, aloft rooms start at $149; weekends are $99.
The aloft isn't the only new hotel in the south Charlotte suburbs during this recessionary year.
A few miles down the road, a SpringHill Suites by Marriott opened March 24, with prices similar to the aloft's. Because of corporate travelers, SpringHill Suites stays at nearly 100 percent occupancy during the week, said assistant general manager Domonique Fisher. Weekend occupancy hovers at 40 percent to 50 percent. "We're getting a lot of business from the corporate market, but not so much the leisure travelers," she said.
Since September 2008, 13 hotels have opened in the greater Charlotte area. Three are currently under construction. But demand for hotels is down 12.7 percent here - slightly worse than the national average, said Michael Applegate, director of research for the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.
But Applegate said he expects hotels will see increased demand in the next two years.
Said Hallow of Bissell Hotels: "It's weird to think about it now, but we don't want to be in a position where you don't have enough hotels."
