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Marriott International has raised $1.25 billion through a two-tranche debt offering. The hotel group issued $250 million of 4.875% Series NN Notes due 2029 and $1 billion of 5.650% Series YY Notes due 2036. The company entered into the underwriting agreement on 11 August 2026 and issued the notes on 13 August 2026. Net proceeds total approximately $1.233 billion after underwriting discounts and expenses. Marriott will use the proceeds for general corporate purposes, including working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, stock repurchases, or debt repayment. Both tranches are rated Baa2 by Moody's and BBB by S&P Global Ratings. The notes are unsecured and not listed on any exchange. Both series are redeemable at Marriott's option.

New Marriott Autograph hotel breaks ground in Charlotte's South End. Key Takeaway: White Lodging's new 295-room Autograph Collection hotel adds another major investment to Charlotte's South End. For homeowners and buyers, the project matters less as a direct housing catalyst and more as another sign that South End is evolving into a mature, mixed-use district with hospitality, dining, offices, apartments and entertainment. White Lodging has broken ground on a 14-story, 295-room hotel at South Tryon and Bland streets. The property will join Marriott's Autograph Collection and is expected to open in late 2028. What's coming to South Tryon Street? The hotel is being built on roughly 0.6 acres at 1320 S. Tryon St., near the Bland Street light rail station and The RailYard. Plans include nearly 10,000 square feet of meeting space, a ground-floor restaurant and a fifth-floor open-air pool deck with wellness amenities. White Lodging also operates the JW Marriott in Uptown Charlotte. Charlotte Center City Partners has tracked the site as part of the broader development pipeline along South Tryon Street. Why a hotel matters to South End real estate. A hotel groundbreaking does not affect Charlotte home values in the same direct way that a major employer relocation or thousands of new jobs might. The more useful signal is what the investment says about South End itself. South End has spent years adding apartments, office towers, restaurants and entertainment destinations along the LYNX Blue Line. Full-service hotel development has been comparatively limited. A 295-room upscale hotel suggests developers now see enough business travel, dining, events and visitor demand to support another layer of the neighborhood's growth. That continued diversification can reinforce the qualities that already attract buyers to South End and nearby areas such as Dilworth, Wilmore and Sedgefield: walkability, proximity to Uptown, light rail access and a growing concentration of places to work and spend time. What buyers and sellers should watch. For nearby homeowners, the hotel itself is unlikely to be a reason to make a real estate decision. The bigger story is the continued buildout of the South Tryon corridor. Buyers considering Charlotte real estate should pay attention to how new projects affect walkability, traffic, retail options and the character of individual blocks. Sellers should understand that proximity to South End's amenities can be an important part of positioning a property, particularly in surrounding neighborhoods where buyers can access the district without necessarily living in its most urban core. Questions buyers ask. Where will the new Marriott Autograph Collection hotel be located? The hotel is under construction at South Tryon and Bland streets in Charlotte's South End, close to the Bland Street LYNX station and within walking distance of Uptown-facing portions of the neighborhood. When is the South End hotel expected to open? The current target is late 2028. As with any large construction project, the schedule can change as work progresses. Will the hotel increase nearby home values? No single hotel project guarantees higher property values. It is better viewed as one piece of South End's broader transition into a denser mixed-use district, alongside transit, restaurants, offices, apartments and other major developments. More South End News & Insights Following South End's continued growth? Explore more from Stone Realty Group on the neighborhood's development, lifestyle and real estate market: Thinking about buying or selling near South End? Stone Realty Group can help you evaluate how location, development activity and neighborhood-specific demand affect your options. Connect with Stone Realty Group for a local perspective on your next move in Charlotte. Check out this article next. Key Takeaway: When Mike decided to sell his home in Matthews, NC, Josh Stone helped position the property for a strong launch. The result was...

Therme Group, Marriott team up on next-gen wellness travel. August 13, 2026 The companies will explore wellness-focused hotel concepts, Marriott Bonvoy packages and potential global development opportunities. Therme Group and Marriott International are joining forces to explore how wellness can play a larger role across the travel and hospitality experience. Under the strategic alliance, Therme will collaborate with the Marriott Design Lab on initiatives spanning customer experience, hotel design, wellness research and potential development opportunities. The first phase is expected to introduce Therme's large-scale wellbeing destinations to Marriott Bonvoy members, including potential travel and lodging packages. The companies will also examine how wellness could be integrated throughout the guest journey. "Today's guests are looking for experiences that help them slow down, recharge and reconnect, making wellbeing an increasingly important part of the journey," said Peggy Roe, executive vice president and chief customer officer at Marriott International. Therme will bring its experience developing urban wellness destinations to the collaboration, helping Marriott explore new approaches to spas, fitness facilities and guestroom design. The work is intended to produce near-term concepts while informing longer-term opportunities involving products, services and destination planning. Marriott's Design Lab, located at the company's Bethesda, Maryland, headquarters, is used to prototype hotel rooms and test operational and design concepts with guests. Its facilities include full-scale room models and dedicated food-and-beverage development space. Marriott has also described its innovation facilities as places where prototype rooms can be tested by actual hotel guests. "Wellbeing has become a defining dimension of the travel and hospitality experience," said Dr. Robert Hanea, founder and CEO of Therme Group. "This partnership with Marriott is an exciting opportunity to bring our complementary strengths together as we explore new ways to shape the intersection of hospitality and wellbeing." The alliance comes as Therme expands its international pipeline. The company says it is advancing 10 projects across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In June, it broke ground on a 720,000-square-foot destination in Singapore scheduled to open in 2030.