Cataloochee Ranch, a well-loved retreat that borders Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will reopen March 14 as a Relais & Châteaux property. David and Annie Colquitt, who bought the Maggie Valley property in 2020, have undertaken an extensive renovation that includes redesigned interior spaces and wrap-around terraces where guests can dine and enjoy the warmth from a newly converted two-sided fireplace. Other changes are designed to enhance the views from atop mile-high Fie Top Mountain and allow more natural light to stream into the stone and timber structure, which first opened for overnight stays in 1939. Though the lodge has been closed, the Colquitts have continued to offer horseback rides, including lunch excursions to The Swag, their all-inclusive Relais & Châteaux property nearby.

Burnsville’s NuWray Hotel, North Carolina’s oldest continuously operating hotel, will begin a new chapter after a full-scale restoration of the 16,500-square-foot Colonial-style inn. In addition to the structural work, James and Amanda Keith are rescuing artifacts and collecting narratives from a history that dates to 1833. Once a stagecoach stop en route to Asheville, the hotel boasts a guest list that includes Mark Twain, Elvis Presley, Christopher Reeve and Jimmy Carter. In the meantime, overnight stays are available at the Carriage House, an adjacent property that the Keiths acquired and transformed into a dining spot/wine and cigar shop.

Omni Hotels & Resorts plans to build a 27-story, 550-room hotel that will serve the expanding Raleigh Convention Center. The luxury hotel, targeted for a 2027 opening, will include a rooftop pool, Mokara spa, fitness center and multiple food and beverage outlets. In February, the city announced plans for a $425 million Convention Center expansion that will add 500,000 square feet of meeting space and double the center’s capacity. The Convention Center’s timeline is consistent with that of the Omni, a partnership with Preston Hollow Community Capital and Provident Resources Group. The Omni is part of a wave of hotel development in downtown Raleigh. Projects include at Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites, Courtyard Marriott and Home2 + Tru Raleigh plus a 180-room Kimpton Hotel Raleigh on the site of a to-be-demolished Holiday Inn Downtown Raleigh, a cylindrical landmark built in 1969, and the 148-room Oberlin Hotel at the nearby Village District Shopping Center as part of Hilton's Curio Collection.

With a $23 million investment, the historic Cherry Hotel will return to glory as a customized Courtyard by Marriott with 101 rooms and around-the-clock dining. Plans from South Carolina-based Raines Co. call for the décor to reflect the history of a town once known as the world’s largest bright leaf tobacco market. The six-story Beaux Arts-style structure, built in 1917, originally welcomed train passengers — including Perry Como, Guy Lombardo and the Fontaine Sisters — at the midpoint between New York and Florida. After closing in 1981, the building served as senior housing until it was foreclosed in 2011. A late 2023 or early 2024 opening is expected for the hotel, which sits half a mile from the signature Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park. The Raines Co. portfolio also includes in the Foundry Hotel in Asheville and the Waynesville Inn and Golf Club in Waynesville.

Margaritaville Resorts & Hotels will add the 103-room Compass Hotel Beaufort to the lodging options in this historic Intracoastal Waterway town. It will be the brand’s third hotel, following openings in Bradenton, Fla., and Medford, Ore. The hotel will cater to boaters traveling along the nearby Cape Lookout National Seashore. Compass, the newest addition to the Margaritaville lifestyle brand, are designed “to bring the fun and flavor of their full-scale resorts to a more boutique concept.” A mid-2024 opening is planned.

The Jarrett House, a stately 16-room inn, will again become the talk of a town known for its artistic leanings and Great Smoky Mountains setting. The new owner has undertaken a meticulous restoration to honor a history dating to the 1880s and the heyday of railroad hotels. In addition to accommodations, the property will see the return of a restaurant loved by locals as well as travelers for its family-style meals with a true Southern focus. Also in the plans: a bakery-café and retail centering on local craftsmanship. A 2023 reopening is targeted.