"I mean, hitting that sweet spot is really key," McIntyre said, "and Charlotte's done that very well."
But, by all accounts, the 'sweet spot' didn't just happen -- Charlotte had to work at it.
When the convention center wasn't generating the 500,000 annual hotel room-nights (a common industry performance measure) that the city's paid consultant had projected, city leaders convinced taxpayers to put $16 million into the creation of a 700-room headquarters hotel. The Westin opened in 2003.
"After the Westin came on board," said Mike Butts, Executive Director of Visit Charlotte, "we were able to book more business."
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