White Lodging will break ground this month on a new Autograph Collection hotel in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood. The project is the company’s fifth Autograph Collection property and its first full-service lifestyle hotel in South End. The hotel will be located at the intersection of South Tryon Street and Bland Street, in one of Charlotte’s fastest-growing mixed-use corridors.
The 295-room hotel is expected to open in late 2028. It will include nearly 10,000 square feet of meeting space and a chef-driven, ground-floor restaurant, adding a full-service option to a neighborhood that currently has only one select-service hotel.
A Wellness-Forward Vision for South End
The hotel will anchor on a fifth-floor open-air pool deck. The deck will include a public steam sauna, a cold-plunge pool, and a hot-plunge pool, along with dedicated wellness programming and a spa. A restaurant and bar will also sit on the deck, reached by a dedicated ground-floor elevator.
White Lodging designed the amenity package to be rare for an urban hotel. The company intends the pool deck, restaurant, and bar to function as a community anchor for South End, not just a guest amenity.
Conner White, Vice Chairman and Chief Investment Officer at White Lodging, tied the project to the neighborhood’s character. “Charlotte’s South End represents exactly the kind of vibrant, experience-driven neighborhood where an Autograph Collection hotel can truly thrive,” White said. He added that the investment “will reflect the same commitment to quality and community that has defined our work in uptown Charlotte with the J.W. Marriott.”
Project Team and Timeline
White Lodging has assembled its design and construction team for the South End project. Brasfield & Gorrie will serve as general contractor. Abeyta Architecture Studio & Corgan are the architects, and Looney & Associates is the interior designer. The hotel will operate under the Autograph Collection brand, part of Marriott.
South End’s transition from an industrial district to a mixed-use neighborhood has created demand White Lodging says is currently unmet. Corporate clients, leisure visitors, and the area’s technology and creative-sector tenants currently lack a premium lodging option inside the district, according to the company.
Building on a Charlotte Success
White Lodging developed the JW Marriott Charlotte in Uptown, along with its restaurant concepts Dean’s Italian Steakhouse, Caroline’s Oyster Bar, and Aura Rooftop. The company states that the hotel and its dining venues have earned local and regional recognition since opening.
White Lodging frames the South End project as an extension of that Uptown strategy. The company says its approach favors destination experiences over simply adding hotel rooms to a market.
White Lodging, founded in 1985 by the late Bruce White, focuses heavily on urban and lifestyle properties. The company develops, owns, and operates hotels and restaurants in destination markets including Austin, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Indianapolis, and Louisville. Its portfolio includes approximately 60 premium hotels, a private collection of luxury ranches, 50 independently branded restaurants, and 10 rooftop bars. Autograph Collection Hotels includes more than 330 independent hotels across 50 countries and territories.
