Hotel resorts to wordplay to de-luxe its ritzy image.

• Position: Charlotte

With so many people and businesses struggling, the appearance of opulence often seems out of place. So what better time for Ballantyne Resort in south Charlotte to change its name to the less luxurious-sounding Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge? "We want to convey that the only thing that we have modified is our name," says Joe Hallow, president of Bissell Hotels Inc., which owns the, uh, lodging. Indeed, prices didn't change. Nightly...