This luxury hotel brand is still interested in opening more properties in Charlotte

Kimpton is still interested in opening more hotels in Charlotte, its CEO said Thursday, as the company finishes rolling out its new uptown hotel.

Mike DeFrino was in Charlotte for the grand opening of 300 South Tryon, the adjoining office tower to which the Kimpton Tryon Park is connected. The 217-room luxury hotel features several large meeting spaces, a rooftop bar and restaurant and an Italian eatery on the ground floor.

Kimpton had originally planned to build a second Charlotte hotel in Dilworth, but those plans fell through and the developer pulled out. The Dilworth hotel had been designed as a six-story, 128-room property.

DeFrino said the company is still seeking sites in Charlotte to open another hotel. But he said the next Charlotte Kimpton will be very different from the ultra-luxe tower uptown.

“We anticipate different neighborhoods and styles, price points, size and offerings,” said DeFrino. “It would be perfectly acceptable for us to go into a different neighborhood in Charlotte and do a 100-room hotel that has a bohemian feel.

“We’ll propose something completely different,” he said. “That’s how we can develop more in markets without cannibalizing ourselves.”

As of now, DeFrino said they’re focused on working out the last kinks at the uptown Charlotte hotel. The rooftop venue, Merchant & Trade, has performed exceptionally well, he said.

“People gravitate to those, especially if there’s not a lot of that product in town already,” said DeFrino.

This story was originally published November 17, 2017 at 7:18 AM with the headline "This luxury hotel brand is still interested in opening more properties in Charlotte."