Coming to Charlotte for Beyoncé? Better hurry, as hotels fill up, rates spike
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Booking a room in the Queen City for Queen Bey’s Renaissance World Tour? Better do it soon and expect to pay up.
Several Charlotte hotels already had no vacancy by mid-July for the night of the concert Aug. 9, and the days around the show, a recent review of hotel sites by The Charlotte Observer found. Beyonce’’s tour stop next week is expected to be buzzing with local and out-of-town BeyHive fans because it’s the only stop in the Carolinas.
“We know hotels, restaurants and local businesses benefit when Charlotte hosts destination-defining events like the Beyonce’ concert at Bank of America Stadium,” Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority CEO Tom Murray said.
Fans booking hotels in uptown are likely to see no rooms or limited availability within walking distance of the stadium, and higher room rates.
Charlotte hotels near the Beyonce’ concert
Residence Inn by Marriott Charlotte Uptown at 404 S. Mint St. within a block of the venue was sold out for Aug. 9 by July 20, an online search showed.
“Sorry, currently there are no rooms available at this property for the dates you selected,” the hotel website said. The hotel also was fully booked for Aug. 8 and Aug. 10.
Courtyard by Marriott Charlotte City Center at 237 S Tryon St., about a half-mile from where “Alien Superstar” will perform, was almost sold out in mid-July and fully booked by Aug. 1, according to the hotel’s website. Night of the concert room pricing for two adults started at $391 in mid-July. Rooms rates for Aug. 8, the night before the concert, are available starting at $175, according to the hotel website.
JW Marriott Charlotte at 600 S. College St. had rooms for two available in mid-June starting at $530 on Aug. 9. The hotel was sold out by Aug. 1.
The Aug. 9 rates were the highest prices listed from July 20-Aug. 31. An overnight stay the Wednesday prior on Aug. 2 and after on Aug. 16 rates started at $325 and $299, respectively.
Over at Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel at 303 S Church St., less than a half-mile from the stadium near Romare Bearden Park, has rooms for two adults starting at $702. Rates for rooms available the Wednesdays before and after the concert date start at $238, an online search showed.
And, if rooms are available, the rates could be going up.
The Westin Charlotte at 601 S.College St. had rooms for two starting at $440, in mid-July. By Aug. 1, the starting rate was $529. Typical Wednesday rates this month are in the $200s, an online search shows.
SpringHill Suites Charlotte Center City at 311 E. 5th St., is sold out, the Marriott hotel’s website shows. Room rates for two in July started at $449.
Sheraton Charlotte Hotel, a five-minute drive to the stadium from 555 S. McDowell St., is sold out. But those who filled the rooms likely paid more than double the hotel’s normal rates.
The website shows a stay on Aug. 2 cost $138 for two people, but one week later, the night of Beyonce’s performance, a one-night stay cost $316.
Rates at Le Méridien, a hotel at the same address as the Sheraton, has rooms available the night of Aug. 9 starting at $390, an Observer search in July found. One week earlier, that price would be $167.
Hotel availability outside of uptown
And it’s not just uptown hotels that are seeing the Queen Bey effect.
Refuge, a five-room boutique hotel at 1101 Central Ave. in Plaza Midwood, is sold out only one night in August — when Beyonce’ is in town.
Farther away from uptown, Hyatt Centric SouthPark Charlotte is seeing a surge in bookings, too, an example of how hotels either fill up or rate hikes cause visitors to look beyond uptown, according to CRVA.
The SouthPark hotel anticipates more reservations closer to the concert date, too. Room rates for two start at $229, according to the hotel’s website.
Efforts to reach hotel officials were unsuccessful.
CRVA officials noted that there are meetings and conventions in town that can factor in for availability and rates, too.
Big concerts are big business for hotels
The first concert at the 74,867-seat stadium, then called Ericsson Stadium, was The Rolling Stones in 1997. The second concert was 15 years later at Bank of America Stadium.
Since 2021, there have been 11 concerts at the stadium, including Beyonce’. Tepper Sports & Entertainment, which bought the Panthers in 2018, opened the stadium for more concerts. That move helped draw attention and visitors to the Charlotte region, the CRVA said.
Last year, eight concerts were held at Bank of America Stadium.
Country singer Kenny Chesney’s April concert saw the highest uptown hotel occupancy rate at 96.8%, followed by Motley Crue and Def Leppard’s June date at 96.4% and piano man Billy Joel in April at 96.1%, according to CRVA data.
The highest average daily hotel room rate of the eight concerts was $278.78 for Garth Brooks July 16 show. Close behind was $275.86 when Motley Crue and Def Leppard performed in June. Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts also played.
Overall in uptown, there was about a 40% increase in occupancy and a 26% jump in rates on nights of the eight concerts compared to the average hotel performance over the prior six months, CRVA said.
Hotels outside of uptown saw similar changes.
Occupancy rates on average across Mecklenburg County increased by 15.5% and room rates grew by 13.6% on evenings when Bank of America stadium hosted those concerts, CRVA said.
Where to stash your bags
Residence Inn by Marriott Charlotte Uptown provides bag drop off for $5 for all fans, whether you’re a hotel guest or not, said Maliek Murdock, at the hotel’s front desk.
The hotel started the program because of its proximity to Bank of America and Charlotte Knights stadiums, both of which have bag policies.
The Beyoncé business bump
Along with hotels, Beyonce’s tour is likely to give other local businesses a boost, according to a Yelp report.
“Whether it’s people looking for dining and nightlife options, getting glammed up, or booking transportation, the ‘Beyoncé Bump’ is real, and it’s helping more people connect with local businesses in their communities,” Yelp’s trend expert Tara Lewis said in the report.
Leading up to the first U.S. tour stop in Philadelphia on July 12, searches for hotels and travel rose 21% compared to the same time last year, Yelp found.
Other businesses benefiting from Beyonce’s tour stops include restaurants, beauty services, nightlife venues and local retail shops, especially Black-, women- and LGBTQ+-owned businesses.
Top searches the week of the tour in Philly, according to Yelp, are:
▪ LGBTQ+ shop searches jumped 194%
▪ Nail technicians, up 193%
▪ Dive bars, up 160%
▪ Wigs, up 81%
▪ Hair stylists, up 73%
▪ Town car services, up 69%
▪ Country dance halls, up 61%
