HVS Sage: Resort Investment within the Blue Ridge Mountains & By Courtney Vris

Within the past year, a surge of hotel consulting work within the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern North Carolina and northwestern Georgia has known as attention to this market’s development. The concentration of investment and development on this space indicates a possibility hotspot, as the hotel offer is customized to the increasing request from vacationers in search of excessive-quality properties.

Ask Shifts

Markets within the Blue Ridge Mountains, reminiscent of Boone, Banner Elk, Highlands, Clayton, and their neighbors, are internal a two-hour pressure of Asheville and a straight shot from Charlotte or Atlanta. Abundant outdoors sport draws vacationers and seasonal residents to the space, with basic attractions alongside side golf clubs, hiking trails alongside the Appalachian Path, and the Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain Ski Motels (the latter of which provides mountain-biking terrain within the warmer months). Typhoon Helene affected the space in September 2024, with ruin that is estimated by NOAA to rob months or years to restore; nonetheless, most hiking trails and leisure attractions get reopened, with request likewise returning.

While the space’s hotel request is seasonal, the energy of the highs and lows has spread out to shoulder months. In a composite prognosis of four submarkets within the Blue Ridge space, RevPAR development from 2016 to 2024 used to be stronger (on a compounded-annual-development-price foundation) one day of the low and shoulder months than within the end months, indicating a smoothing out of historical seasonality. This development used to be a little skewed by longer lengths of protect one day of the pandemic years. Alternatively, efforts are being made by local municipalities to originate lasting year-spherical allure both for company and residents, alongside side loads of rezoning initiatives and proposed master plans for cities reminiscent of Sky Valley, Georgia.

New Supply to Meet Market Needs

Resort occupancy levels are influenced by the aforementioned seasonality of the market, short-term leases, and novel or repositioned hotel offer. While short-term leases and timeshares abound, the lodging wishes of wedding teams and social events, alongside with predominantly leisure transient company, get now no longer been met by the exiguous preference of passe resorts historically accessible.

Aptly figuring out this scenario, developers contained out there were energetic in latest years. New resorts that opened in 2024 and 2025 comprise The Embers (Blowing Rock, NC), a Home2 Suites by Hilton (Boone, NC), and The Horton Resort (Boone, NC, expanded in 2025). Varied properties are aloof below construction, reminiscent of the SpringHill Suites by Marriott (Boone, NC), Courtyard by Marriott (Banner Elk, NC), and Homewood Suites by Hilton (Banner Elk, NC).
 

Procedure more appealing, perhaps, is that traders are making a wager on vacationers’ willingness to pay increased nightly charges for upgraded properties with more upscale products and services and facilities. Hundreds of the market’s independent lodges or accommodations were renovated and repositioned to a increased chain scale in latest years, alongside side the properties listed below.

• Skyline Resort (Highlands, NC), accomplished 2021/22
• Bridge Creek Inn (Clayton, GA), accomplished 2023
• Resort Sylva (Sylva, NC), accomplished 2024
• Trailborn Highlands (Highlands, NC), accomplished 2024/25
• The Resort at Banner Elk (Banner Elk, NC), accomplished 2025

As well to, the Dillard House in Dillard, Georgia, is currently being renovated, expanded, and repositioned as a paunchy-carrier resort, with completion scheduled for early 2027.

Whether or now no longer newly built or repositioned, the novel merchandise design more than a couple of out there’s upscale/luxury section.

Market Outlook

Correct as the vistas from atop the Blue Ridge Mountains repeat pleasing contrasts, the outlook for hotel efficiency varies across submarkets. Investment has been flowing in direction of this better market, which is likely favorable for of us which get already entered or are in early development. The newly weird investor, nonetheless, wishes to be responsive to the novel offer and get in tips conducting a submarket-specific survey to define the outlook. While each and every submarket is quite a lot of, the upper market will wish to demonstrate its ability to soak up the novel offer, which wishes to be supported by the diversification of request and longer top and shoulder seasons.

Originate you hear the call of the mountains? Learn more about the market dynamics on this rising space by contacting Courtney Vris, primarily based mostly within the HVS Atlanta workplace.

At HVS, we flip recordsdata into extremely effective insights that pressure your success. Our weird methodology, which involves conducting major interviews internal local markets, permits us to accumulate actual-time insights and contemporary recordsdata. This skill ensures an in-depth realizing of each and every market we purpose in, providing you with a determined competitive edge.

Sources

https://www.climate.gov/media/gsp/TropicalEventSummary/PSHGSP_2024AL09_Helene_ImpactNarratives.docx.pdf
https://skyvalleyga.com/wp-disclose/uploads/2025/07/2025-Articulate-of-the-Metropolis-Presentation.pdf
https://www.averyjournal.com/news/morlin-hospitality-secures-approval-for-first-branded-hotel-in-sugar-mountain/article_9d8e0c12-dd14-11ef-ba47-e7fc51bb3054.html
https://hotelsylvanc.com/
https://lvmgt.com/portfolio/dillard-home/

About Courtney Vris

Courtney Vris is the Director and Chief of the HVS Atlanta workplace. She holds her MSc in International Hospitality Management from L’Institut Paul Bocuse and EMLYON Change College in France, from which she graduated as valedictorian. Furthering her worldwide skills, Courtney conducted market compare in France and China to give a enhance to the repositioning of two global hospitality brands. She used to be knowledgeable in Guest Kin on the Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, and in 2017, she established a Guest Kin program on the Resort Hugo in New York Metropolis. Prior to joining HVS, Courtney held operations management roles in front workplace, spa & wellness, and overall management within the plush section. Contact Courtney at +1 (203) 243-0545 or cvris@hvs.com.