Dive Brief:
- Hive House, a 45-suite boutique hotel in Cary, North Carolina, will convert under the upscale Unscripted by Hyatt brand portfolio, Hyatt announced.
- Cary-based hotel development and management company CMC Hotels developed Hive House as “a different take on the traditional extended-stay experience,” per a release. The hotel features oversized guest rooms with designated living spaces and fully equipped kitchens, as well as colorful interiors and curated artwork that give the property “the personality and character of a boutique hotel.”
- Hive House expands Hyatt’s Unscripted collection brand, which was created to bring independent properties and small portfolios under Hyatt’s Essentials portfolio. Hyatt is among hotel competitors focusing on collection brand growth to meet shifting owner and guest demand.
Dive Insight:
Hive House “captures what Unscripted by Hyatt hotels are all about — a distinctive personality, a strong local point of view and an experience that is truly its own,” Jason Ballard, senior vice president and global brand leader for Hyatt’s Essentials Portfolio, said in a statement. Ballard was appointed to the role in December 2025 to oversee strategy, performance and brand evolution for Unscripted as well as other Essentials brands.
The pet-friendly hotel features a fitness center, a 24-hour market and a multifunctional lobby designed for guests to socialize, work or relax. CMC Hotels is also adding the Hive House Cafe, which will offer fresh bakery items and offerings from other North Carolina makers, per the release.
“If someone is visiting us from another part of the country, we want them to discover Cary and North Carolina while they’re here,” Sheri Erhart, chief operating officer and principal of CMC Hotels, said in a statement. “Maybe it’s a beer they’ve never tried, a North Carolina-made treat or something they end up taking home. Those little discoveries help connect guests to the place they’re visiting.”
The hotel represents the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Cary and the latest addition to Hyatt’s Unscripted portfolio. When the collection brand first launched in May 2025, Hyatt said it was in talks with more than 40 hotels globally to join the brand portfolio. In the U.S., Unscripted has four other properties in Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The brand was created to offer independent hotels a way to “maintain their identity and positioning while benefiting from Hyatt’s global scale,” including leveraging World of Hyatt’s loyalty program of more than 66 million members, per Hyatt.
Marriott International, Hilton and IHG Hotels & Resorts have similarly launched and expanded collection brands over the past year because of their compelling value proposition.
At the start of the year, Kevin Osterhaus, president of lifestyle brands at Hilton, told Hotel Dive that “collection brands are appealing because they offer the best of both worlds: Owners keep the unique DNA of their property, while unlocking global distribution, revenue management, loyalty and support. Guests get one-of-a-kind stays with the reassurance of a trusted brand.”
