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Green Hotels / Eco-Friendly Hotels / Charlotte Hotels / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Stayin' Green / → All Tags

Now You Can Charge Your Electric Car At The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte

Where: 201 E Trade St. [map], Charlotte, NC, United States, 28202

Move over recycling bins and bulk shampoo dispensers: the hottest new green accessory, at least at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte, is an electric vehicle charging station, available to guests free of charge. The LEED-certified hotel unveiled the new gizmo last week in collaboration with local electric car company Li-Ion Motors, which brought out an Inizio roadster to show off.

The property is the first Ritz-Carlton to install a guests-only electric car charging station. The two power ports will fuel up cars that are completely tapped out in 10-12 hours and also top off in under an hour rides that still have some juice. There are plans to add additional, similar charging stations around Charlotte.

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Holiday Decorations / Holiday Hotels / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / → All Tags

The Giant Gingerbread House at The Ritz-Carlton is Now Open

Where: 201 E. Trade Street [map], Charlotte, NC, United States, 28202-2423

The holiday hotel decorations extravaganza is in full effect and the nearly life-sized, eco-friendly gingerbread house we reported on last week has risen!

Jaunted alerted us to The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte's TweetPhoto of the finished product and we have to say, it's not as fugly as most gingerbread candied houses are. It's actually quite sweet-looking (No pun intended! Ok, maybe a little pun intended.) Next year, we think the Ritz should make an entire gingerbread suite for hotel guests. Then upon checking out, we could eat the bed. Mmmm....

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Holiday Decorations / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Holiday Hotels / → All Tags

Let The Hotel Holiday Decorations Extravaganza Begin

Pshaw. This is child's play.

Not only do hotels like to dream up some Holiday Cocktails for lushes like us but they also like to go crazy with Holiday Decorations. So until the holidays are over, we'll be profiling some of the more outrageous ones we hear of and see. Know of an over-the-top decoration we should check out? Send it to us!

Move over John Galliano-designed Christmas Tree at Claridge's. Here's comes The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte's ginormous gingerbread house. The LEED-built hotel is creating a 10x14' environmentally-friendly, all-organic Gingerbread House that will be available for public viewing on Friday, November 27.

The structure will be overseen by Chef Jon Farace and the structure will be built by Jonathan Gellman of Skyward Builders, "using efficient framing practices, recycled nails and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified lumber and OSB panels obtained from within a 500-mile radius of the hotel." So it truly is green.

Now here's what it takes to build something this big:

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Daily Deal / Hotel Packages / Charlotte Hotels / Ritz Carlton Hotels / → All Tags

Hide from Black Friday Crowds in Style at the Ritz-Carlton Charlotte

Where: 201 E Trade St [map], Charlotte, NC, United States, 28202-2423

Are you one of those crazies who get up at the crack of dawn to haul out for Black Friday shopping? Honestly, we’re more the online shopping types — fewer black eyes, more time spent in PJs. But leave it to the new Ritz-Carlton Charlotte to make even that sound luxe.

In fact, their L3 shopping package — “Laptops, Lounging and Libations” — makes us think we’ve been doing something seriously wrong. Designed for Black Friday cyber shoppers, the package includes an extended one-night stay and a private special online shopping lounge, on the 15th floor, that offers free Internet, hand and wrist massages, holiday cocktails and champagne, and light snacks to last from 12:01 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. (Though for your bank statement’s sake, we’d have to advise you go easy on the booze.)

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Hotel Openings / Charlotte Hotels / Hotel Hype / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / → All Tags

The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte Opens Today But is Booked for the Next Week

Where: 201 East Trade Street [map], Charlotte, NC, United States, 28202

Devoted readers know just how much we like to hype new hotels — and, well, chronicle their delays and opening flubs. But what it boils down to is that we love new hotels, and we especially love new hotels that open on time.

And so with that we offer congratulations to the Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte, which successfully opened today, as planned (albeit a very long time coming)! And even better: When we called to check on availability, we found out the 146-room hotel is all sold-out tonight and through the weekend. (Just don't break out the confetti — remember, this place is all about the green scene.)

In fact, the first day the online reservation system showed availability is for next Friday, Oct. 9, with introductory rates starting at $199 for a standard room (1 king or 2 queen beds). In the meantime, you’ll have to get your Charlotte Ritz fix at the hotel’s two restaurants: BLT Steak and the Lobby Lounge, featuring organic fare and signature cocktails.

Hotel Openings / Business Hotels / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Charlotte Hotels / → All Tags

The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte's Five Business 'Firsts'

Where: 201 E Trade St [map], Charlotte, NC, United States, 28202

Earlier this month we told you about the green spa at the coming-soon Ritz-Carlton Charlotte (set to open Oct. 1!). The latest word from the North Carolina city’s first Ritz? The hotel also claims five “business travel firsts” to help stressed-out, working travelers feel at home.

1. The Nook, located on the hotel’s executive floor, will offer fully equipped, free private offices, complete with desktop computers, printers, office supplies, teleconferencing equipment, Wi-Fi, copy/fax machine access, and even tech help. This is in addition to the hotel’s full 24-hour biz center.

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Hotel Spas / Green Hotels / Hotel Openings / Hotel Opening Rates / Charlotte Hotels / → All Tags

Ritz-Carlton Charlotte to Open Oct. 1 with Green Spa

Where: 201 East Trade Street [map], Charlotte, NC, United States, 28202

Not only is the long-awaited Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte opening Oct. 1 with $199 rates, but the place seems genuinely committed to the environment in an “it’s easy to be green” sort of way. A first for both the city and the brand, the hotel has been built using LEED practices and also features an eco-friendly new spa called the Wellness Center.

The 13,000-square-foot, bi-level penthouse spa will use all-organic products and services and four oversize treatment rooms, complete with Tempur-Pedic memory foam bed-tops, a complete Fitness Center with personal TVs (hmm…not sure how green that is!), a sunlit movement studio with floor-to-ceiling windows, and an Aqua Lounge with saline-treated swimming pool and whirlpool.

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Hotel Opening Rates / Charlotte Hotels / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags

Ritz-Carlton Charlotte Will Open at $199 a Night

Where: 201 East Trade Street [map], Charlotte, NC, United States, 28202

Woohoo! The much-hyped upcoming Ritz-Carlton Charlotte hotel is on its way. Finally. Like, the plans to build this thing were announced in 2005. And it is so on its way, in fact, that it begins taking reservations today for stays beginning October first!

According to the Charlotte Observer:

The 18-story, environmentally friendly luxury hotel will offer 146 rooms, a 13,000-square-foot “Wellness Center with Aqua Lounge,” a saline-treated swimming pool and a streetside BLT Steak restaurant.

For a while, the hotel was going to be called "Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte at Bank of America Corporate Center" — Bank of America owns the actual property — but, uh, someone did the right thing and got B of A to drop that weirdo corporate insertion there.

Opening rates start at $199.

Anti-View / North Carolina Hotel Reviews / Drury Hotels / → All Tags

Room With an Anti-View: Dreary Drury Inn in Charlotte

Where: 415 WEST W T HARRIS BLVD [map], CHARLOTTE, NC, United States, 28262

You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.

Here's what you'd see if you checked into Room 234 at the Drury Inn and Suites in Charlotte, North Carolina. When leinsterman stayed there a couple of weeks ago, they took the liberty of renaming the Drury to be the "dreary", thanks to the very uninspiring nature of the view and of the room trimmings around it, too, we guess.

Interestingly, the Drury Inn of Charlotte scores 4th place out of 155 hotels ranked in TripAdvisor, so dreary views don't ruin a hotel. Average room rates are $118 and they're keen on advertising their free hot breakfast with eggs cooked however you want them, so we're keen to test them out for the perfect soft-boiled egg. If they get the egg right, we don't care so much about the view.

[Photo: leinsterman]

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Feel the Need for Speed

Where: 10000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway [map], Charlotte, NC, United States, 28277

Gearheads, if you somehow unexplicably find yourself in Charlotte, North Carolina then you can satisfy your speed demons with the Ballantyne Resort & Spa's Speed and Luxury Package.

Guests get the VIP treatment with a chauffeured Maserati Quattroporte for the duration of their stay, accommodations in the luxurious Presidential suite, an in-room four-course dinner, spa treatments, a round of golf and breakfast in bed.

But as always a package like this doesn't grow on trees. If you can shell out $3,000 a night, you better make that chauffeur drive fast.

Image via CoffeeBucket/Flickr

Related Stories:
· Speed and Luxury Package [Ballantyne Resort]
· Ballantyne Resort reviews [TripAdvisor]

Hotel Heaven / → All Tags

The Ballantyne Resort: Golf, Relax, Sweat...

Where: 10000 Ballantyne Parkway [map], Charlotte, NC, United States, 28277

[Editor's Note: Hotel Maven aaffair12 writes in to let us know if you are looking for a place to golf and relax, you might want to consider the Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte.]

The oasis of a hotel within minutes of the Charlotte International Airport is a best kept secret. A Conde Nast Johanson Spa, a pristine golf course, just the most beautiful rooms I have seen in a long time, and a very friendly staff make it a wonderful place to stay!

My experience involved the General manager of the hotel "Steve" (had a long last name) who just happened to be walking by, said hello and just seemed to be everywhere during our stay! Many of his employees are just like him.

Related Stories:
·   Ballantyne Resort Reviews [TripAdvisor]

Hotels / → All Tags

Good Charlotte

Where: 895 West Trade Street [map], Charlotte, NC, United States, 28202

What does it take for a truly average hotel experience to become a memorable one? Good service.

Ostensibly, the Double Tree Charlotte Gateway Village is what it is. A clean, decent hotel in the middle of downtown Charlotte. However, business travel manager Byron Gittens went out of his way to get us anything and everything we needed, leaving us feeling good about the Double Tree and Charlotte.

Byron poured us lemonade, offered us extra cookies, and willingly gave us directions. He even refused a tip--not sure why, maybe he was demonstrating Southern hospitality.

In any event, at the Double Tree Charlotte you will have to pay $9.99 for the Internet, $9.00 for parking, and the room temperature will go from tropical to polar all in a matter of minutes. On the contrary, you will get a clean room in a great location, and if you are as lucky as us, top notch service.

Related Stories:
·   Get Royal Treatment In The 'Queen City' [USA Today]
·   Double Tree Hotel Charlotte Reviews [TripAdvisor]