Globally recognized luxury lifestyle hotel brand set to anchor hospitality component of the transformative 400 South Tryon redevelopment
New York, NY – Spandrel Development Partners today announced plans for W Hotels, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of over 30 extraordinary hotel brands, to come to uptown Charlotte as the hospitality anchor of 400 South Tryon, marking a major addition to the city’s evolving hospitality landscape.
The 200-key hotel, which will feature 173 guest rooms and 27 suites, including a signature penthouse, is being developed in partnership with 7G Group, a boutique real estate investment and development firm. The hotel will span floors one through nine of the building, with a signature rooftop food and beverage venue on the 34th floor. Plans also call for 12,000 square feet of meeting space, a ground-floor restaurant and coffee bar, ballroom and pre-function space, and the brand’s signature Living Room experience. The 18,000-square-foot rooftop venue is planned as Charlotte’s highest rooftop bar, offering unobstructed skyline views and envisioned as a destination in its own right for hotel guests and locals.
Meeting Charlotte’s Growing Demand for Luxury Hospitality
Charlotte’s continued corporate growth, investment and expanding entertainment landscape made the city a natural fit for the W Hotels brand. Major employers including SMBC and Capital Group are expected to bring approximately 2,600 jobs within two blocks of the hotel, while the $1.3 billion modernization of Bank of America Stadium, including a new 4,000-person music venue, and ongoing investment in Spectrum Center continue to strengthen uptown as a year-round destination for sports, entertainment and major events.
“Charlotte’s luxury hotel market is well-established, but it is missing a true luxury lifestyle hotel built around music, culture, and curated social experiences,” said Emanuel Neuman, Co-Founder of Spandrel Development Partners. “W Hotels is a strong fit for where Charlotte is today and where it is headed, as it experiences remarkable growth while continuing to build a vibrant cultural identity. With new, impactful investments in entertainment and dining, Charlotte is evolving into the kind of dynamic destination that makes it ideal for W Hotels.”
Designed for Charlotte
Designed by Rockwell Group, the award-winning architecture and design firm founded by David Rockwell, with LS3P serving as architect of record, W Charlotte will draw from the history, culture and creative energy of the city itself. Rockwell’s design concept explores Charlotte through an “abstract collage of urban rhythms,” taking cues from the city’s music heritage, architecture, Southern character and evolution into a modern urban center. The concept also draws inspiration from Charlotte native artist Romare Bearden, whose layered collage work reflected the rhythms of jazz and urban life.
The transformation includes a complete replacement of the building’s original curtain wall with a contemporary panelized glass façade, giving the tower an entirely new presence on the Charlotte skyline. Those influences will carry throughout the guest experience, beginning with a new arched porte-cochère off Martin Luther King Jr Blvd and continuing into a dramatic double-height welcome area and distinguished Living Room. Warm woods, natural stone, brass, rich textiles, sculptural elements and a palette of earthy and jewel tones will create a warm, residential interpretation of the brand’s signature energy. Guest rooms and suites will carry the design language throughout the hotel, culminating in a signature penthouse suite.
“The opportunity at 400 South Tryon is not simply to renovate an existing building, but to completely reimagine how it contributes to uptown,” said Ian Levine, Co-Founder of Spandrel Development Partners. “Rockwell Group, LS3P and CetraRuddy, serving as conceptual design architect, are creating something that feels connected to Charlotte while delivering the energy and experience people expect from W Hotels. We want that experience to begin the moment guests arrive and carry all the way to the rooftop.”
Part of the 400 South Tryon Vision
Although today’s announcement focuses on W Charlotte, the hotel represents the hospitality component of Spandrel’s larger redevelopment of 400 South Tryon. The mixed-use project will transform the former 1970s office tower into a new destination combining the 200-key hotel with 399 unbranded studio, one-, two and three-bedroom residences. Residential amenities will include an indoor pool, wellness-focused spa and fitness center, theater room, golf simulator, resident lounges and outdoor amenities at heights unsurpassed by any other residential buildings. The re-imagined ground floor and public spaces along with updating of the existing 517-space parking garage will re-establish the building’s presence and prominence in uptown Charlotte.
Growing Spandrel’s Hospitality Platform
The Charlotte announcement represents the second project in Spandrel’s expanding hospitality platform, following the firm’s announcement in June of the $32 million, 154-key AC Hotel Research Park in Huntsville, Alabama. Together, the projects reflect the company’s strategy of developing distinctive hospitality destinations in high-growth Southeast markets.
ABOUT SPANDREL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
Spandrel Development Partners, LLC (SDP) is a New York-based real estate development and investment firm. SDP principals bring a combined 30 years and more than $4 billion of real estate and finance experience spanning multifamily, hospitality and mixed-use development across high-growth markets in the Southeast. The firm’s hospitality platform targets design-forward, institutionally located hotel opportunities in markets defined by deep and durable demand fundamentals. www.spandreldevelopment.com
ABOUT W HOTELS
Born from the social electricity of New York City, W Hotels has been at the forefront of lifestyle hospitality for over two decades. With more than 70 destinations around the world, the detail-driven design, signature Whatever/Whenever service, and buzzing Living Rooms cultivate experiences of social connectivity. Each location brings together the magnetic energy of W Hotels and the essence of local culture, creating spaces for new perspectives and a freedom of self-expression. For more information on W Hotels, visit w-hotels.com and stay connected on Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, and YouTube. W Hotels is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy®, the global travel program from Marriott International. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including complimentary nights and Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit MarriottBonvoy.marriott.com.
