The Westin site is located on the corner of Stonewall St. and South College St., directly across from the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte�s vibrant Uptown district.  The full-service hotel will include 700 rooms, a 1,650-space parking garage, 1,245 square feet of retail space and 46,050 square feet of pre-function and meeting space.  Amenities will include a business center, a health spa, an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor cafe and a trolley stop.  Hotel completion is projected for late 2002.

�Congratulations to all the public and private partners who helped bring the Westin to Charlotte,� said Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.  �The City of Charlotte has once again demonstrated that public and private interests can partner to turn the vision of our city into reality.�

�The Westin will greatly enhance the Charlotte Convention Center�s ability to host groups planning large meetings and conventions,� said Melvin Tennant, CAE, President and CEO of the Charlotte Convention & Visitors Bureau.  �These groups are important to Charlotte, as they help promote tourism while infusing a significant amount of revenue in our local economy.�  According to Tennant, the travel and tourism industry brought $2.45 billion to Mecklenburg County last year.

Private entities involved in the design, development and operation of the hotel include:
 

The Charlotte Westin is considered one of the largest hotels to obtain financing in the past 10 years.  Of the $143,650,000 total cost, $75 million is in the form of construction loans by Wachovia Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, BB&T and First Union Bank.  The City of Charlotte made a major commitment to the future of the hotel by contributing $16 million towards development and a $25 million credit enhancement.   The City is also providing $650,000 towards the trolley station portion of the project.
 

Portman projects are known for their  innovative design and economic success. Portman's first hotel, the Hyatt Regency Atlanta (1967), revolutionized the  hotel industry with its 22-story atrium, glass-cabbed elevators and revolving rooftop restaurant. Its success was overwhelming and brought international acclaim. To  this day Portman is credited with the popularity of the contemporary atrium design.

In addition to the Westin convention-style hotel, four more hotels are
currently under development in the Uptown district: a 181-room Hilton Garden,
a 149-room Hampton Inn complex, a 150-room Residence Inn and a 180-room
Courtyard by Marriott.  Over the next two years, the number of hotel rooms
within walking distance to the Charlotte Convention Center will increase from
2,757 to 4,117; and the number of committable convention rooms will increase
by 38 percent.

The movement to bring a convention-style hotel began in 1997 when the City of Charlotte formed a committee to explore how best to maximize its investment on the Charlotte Convention Center.  In January 1998, the Convention Center Maximization Committee recommended that the City issue a request for proposals to develop a convention hotel and parking deck through a public/private partnership.  The City then appointed the Convention Center Hotel Committee to oversee the process of selecting a private developer.  In October of 1998, the City Council chose the team of Portman Holdings, L.P. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.