Mohammad Jenatian, President & CEO, Greater Charlotte Hospitality & Tourism Alliance

Invest: sat down with Mohammad Jenatian, president and CEO of the Greater Charlotte Hospitality & Tourism Alliance, to discuss how Charlotte’s hospitality sector has evolved into a powerful economic engine for the region. “Charlotte has truly become a city of events,” Jenatian said.

What changes or trends over the past year have had the biggest impact on Charlotte’s hospitality and tourism industry?

Charlotte has truly become a city of events. Between Bank of America Stadium, the Spectrum Center, and the convention center, the number of major events we host has driven significant growth across the hospitality sector.

But the single most important catalyst, not only for hospitality but for overall economic development, has been the massive growth and prosperity of Charlotte Douglas International Airport. As our airport grows and prospers, so does the Charlotte region.

Corporate travel has also returned in a meaningful way. That segment was largely gone during the pandemic, but over the past year, it started coming back. As a result, our industry has become more diverse and stronger. We used to have too many eggs in one basket, and today we have multiple demand drivers.

I’ve been around a long time, more than 40 years in hospitality. I’ve seen recessions, 9/11, the 2008 economic meltdown, and the pandemic. In each case, people wrote our industry off, and in each case, we ended up having some of our best times. That resilience is something I’m proud of.

What makes Charlotte such a strong hospitality, tourism, and events market compared with others?

For starters, we are one of the most accessible cities in the nation. When you look at our airport and our airlines, the accessibility they offer through direct flights to practically anywhere in this country, and to Europe and other places, it’s a major competitive advantage.

It also comes down to venues and the experience we deliver. Over the past two to three years, we’ve been focused on growth, and a lot of that has been because of our convention center, our arena, and Bank of America Stadium. We also realized the impact these assets have not only on our industry but on the overall economy, so we didn’t want to take any of it for granted.

Our focus has been on doing everything we can to maintain, enhance, and retain the hospitality assets we have. That includes major renovations at the convention center and the Spectrum Center, and we’re preparing for an almost billion-dollar upgrade to our football stadium.

Beyond that, it’s the hospitality itself. Southern hospitality, growth in first-class hotels, and growth in our dining scene all matter. We take pride in letting everyone know that when we have an event in Charlotte, our goal is to make sure it’s successful enough for them to immediately think about coming back.

What role does the Alliance play in helping secure and retain major events for the city?

The Greater Charlotte Hospitality & Tourism Alliance is a private membership organization, fully funded by our members. We don’t receive any hospitality taxes or any taxes whatsoever, so we are totally private.

That allows us to be a great source and tool for the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which is in charge of attracting events and managing publicly owned facilities. Our job has been to do the work they cannot do.

We are in charge of the political work and building relationships. Our relationships with elected officials and educating them about the value of travel and tourism have been essential to the growth of the hospitality industry here. A lot of other communities don’t have that.

Where are you seeing the most momentum right now, and where do you see the biggest opportunities over the next few years?

Our approach is maintaining, enhancing, and retaining the assets that have a significant impact on our industry and our general economy, and building other venues we need.

The upgraded Spectrum Center is a good example. We invested existing hospitality dollars to upgrade that arena, and in return, we’re getting a ton of events, such as basketball, concerts, and more. Charlotte is becoming a music city, and music has become a major draw.

We’ve put ourselves in a position to potentially secure a future NBA All-Star event. On the stadium side, investment in Bank of America Stadium has helped us secure a Major League Soccer All-Star event for 2026. Soccer is becoming a major attraction here. We will have the U.S. men’s national team playing in Charlotte before FIFA games, and we have a professional women’s soccer team that is doing great.

Ultimately, the goal is to secure an NFL Draft and, eventually, a Super Bowl. Upon completion of the major stadium renovation, we’re going to be in a stronger position.

NASCAR has long been a big part of our business, and we focus on making sure NASCAR events remain successful. We’re preparing upgrades to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Bojangles Coliseum. Golf is also huge. We had the PGA, and the Truist Championship is coming in May, which is another major boost.

We also secured the 2027 World Military Games last year, which will bring military athletes from 140 countries to Charlotte. That’s a huge event, and we’re working on it now.

Another area gaining momentum is medical tourism. Our goal has been to make Charlotte an international medical tourism destination. We opened our first medical school last year, and the growth of the medical industry here has been tremendous. Atrium and Novant have built a healthcare offering that is bringing people from across the country and from other countries to Charlotte.

How is the local workforce adapting to rising demand, and how is the Alliance helping members tackle hiring and retention?

Labor issues were intensified by the pandemic. My advice to our members has been consistent: finding labor is not easy, it will not get easier, and it’s not going away.

So the question becomes: What do you have to do to make your business less labor-intensive? Many hospitality businesses realized they were hiring more people than they truly needed if they used outsourcing strategically.

A lot of companies were created to satisfy those needs. Instead of maintaining large internal teams for cleaning or maintenance, businesses can hire specialized firms and focus their own staff where it matters most.

Technology is the other piece. The pandemic forced people to adopt more technology across operations. In many cases, that shift made businesses less labor-intensive, and that’s the name of the game.

Workforce development also remains essential. We work with colleges and universities across the region that offer hospitality programs. One thing we’re proud of is securing approval from the state of North Carolina for Johnson & Wales University to start a hotel management program in Charlotte.

Building a stronger pipeline is a long-term effort, but we see it as a critical part of sustaining growth and keeping the industry healthy.

How do you strengthen collaboration between hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, and public partners to support growth?

We have more than 1,000 members from all different businesses, and our simple job is to help them grow their businesses and address their challenges.

We are in the business of building relationships. Our members understand that the most important service we provide is helping them connect. We do a lot of networking events, and every meeting includes networking and relationship-building.

Ultimately, we help hotels, restaurants, and other businesses work with each other, because that’s what’s needed for everyone to benefit. Charlotte is a city of relationships. At the end of the day, the secret to being successful here is relationships, and that’s what we focus on: building relationships, getting members more involved in the community, helping them give back, and dealing with community challenges together.

Looking back, how do you view Charlotte’s transformation over the past two decades?

Twenty-some years ago, Charlotte was one of the most boring places in the nation. Today, we’re proud of the work that has made Charlotte one of the most vibrant and lively cities in the country.

That matters for economic development. It has become one of the most important assets for corporations that stay here and new ones we attract, because Charlotte is a place young professionals want to live and move to.

I think our industry helped make that happen, through nightlife, entertainment, and the kind of visitor experience that turns a business city into a destination. We have a great story, and I’m proud of how far the industry and the region have come.