NC Travel Guide
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The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte Gives Guests A Full 24-Hour Stay
Not long ago we reported on the Capella Georgetown which has no check-in or check-out hours. The concept has even made its way all the way to Australia and its Art Series hotels where Serena Williams tweeted about the hotel's policy of not kicking you out if there isn't a guest scheduled for your room. We thought this kind of perk would be limited to small, quirky hotels, but imagine our surprise when we received a news bit letting us know that The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte (apparently a favorite of Lenny Kravitz!) is now offering a guaranteed 24-hour stay for guests who check in on Saturdays.
That's right, with the new "Stay and Play 24" package, the hotel will accept check-ins at any hour on Saturday and allow departure a full 24 hours later – even if that means a Sunday evening check-out. For guests who check-in early on Saturday, check-out will be after 24 hours have passed or at noon on Sunday – whichever is later and offers more convenience for the guest. Let's hear it for a lovely leisurely weekend!
And, to top it off, the "Stay and Play 24" includes a $100 food and beverage credit that can be redeemed in the hotel's Bar Cocoa, lobby lounge, room service, or the Urban Sip restaurant. We're told that Bar Cocoa has a banging Sunday Brunch, so keep that in mind.
The "Stay and Play 24" package costs $379 a night and regular Saturday rates are $299 a night, so we're thinking with the $100 F&B credit and extra hours, this is a pretty decent deal.
[Photo: Ritz-Carlton Hotels]
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Bedbugs and Crack Dealers: What DNC Reporters Are Complaining About In Charlotte
Forget, for a minute, the glowing reviews of Michelle Obama's and Bill Clinton's speeches at the DNC. It turns out another thing reporters' minds were the rotten hotels they were assigned for the event, which took place this past week in Charlotte, NC. But cramped rooms and bad service were the least of it—we're talking drug dealers, prostitutes, and bed bugs.
The bed bugs in particular were an issue, as the Washington Times reported that several of the DNC media-hosting hotels have dealt with bedbug infestation complaints in the past year.
The scene was enough to make radio talk show host David Webb comment:
"It comes down to organizing a good event, and frankly, that says something about how they do things here."
Hotel Openings / Hotel News / Airport Hotels / San Francisco Hotels / Asheville Hotels / Aloft Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Hotel Art / → All Tags
Aloft Asheville And Aloft SFO Both Get Ready For Takeoff
Ready or not, Aloft is slowly infiltrating every corner of the world—India, China, and the US are all in line for multiple openings this year. And it was announced last week that South Korea is even set to get its first Aloft by 2014.
But in the more immediate future, we're looking at two US openings this month: Aloft Asheville on Aug 23 and Aloft SFO on Aug 30. One will be a place to retreat from (or invite back to your hotel room) all the ukulele-strumming Blue Ridge Mountain hippies. The other will be a place to lament your delayed flight. Both will spoil you with free WiFi.
Guess The Hotel / Lenny Kravitz / Celebrity Scoop / Charlotte Hotels / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Movie Set Hotels / → All Tags
Can You Guess Lenny Kravitz's Hotel Hangout in Charlotte?
We know, we know. What a random acting role for musician/hotel designer Lenny Kravitz! Just in case you haven't been up and up on the "Hunger Games" madness, Lenny stars as Capitol stylist, Cinna, in the movie which premieres this weekend.
Yet what befuddles us hotel geeks more than this role for Lenny is rather where he and the cast were staying during filming.
According to the NY Post, Lenny's "ritzy" hotel digs became the "unofficial hangout" for his co-stars.
“My hotel room became the after-hours joint,” Kravitz tells The Post. “Any given night there you’d see me, Stanley [Tucci], Gary [Ross], Woody [Harrelson], Elizabeth [Banks], Josh [Hutcherson], Jennifer [Lawrence.] It was fun.”
You know what this means--it's time to Guess the Hotel!!
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Now You Can Charge Your Electric Car At The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte
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.
Hotel Openings / Home2 Suites / Hotel Opening Rates / Extended Stay Hotels / Hilton Hotels / → All Tags
It'll Be Home Sweet Home2 Suites Today in North Carolina
Fayetteville, North Carolina, may not be high on your travel list, but what may be is Hilton's new hip, extended-stay brand, Home2 Suites, which opens there today.
If you need somewhere to bunk up for a longer period of time, you won't have to worry about emptying out your checking account. The budget-friendly hotel's rooms are going for $116 a night.
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Hilton's New Home2 Suites Brand to Open First Location on February 3
The last time we checked in with Hilton's new extended stay brand, Home2 Suites, they were just breaking ground in Fayetteville, North Carolina back in December 2009.
But now it looks like the hotel will be opening on February 3. (Yes, we've already added it to The List.) That's the official word we got from Home2 Suites but online, we couldn't find rates until February 25.
So, what do you get at a Home2 Suites? For $129 a night, you can get a studio suite with a king bed, a full kitchen, a sitting area, 42" flat-screen TVs and free WiFi. (If you book in advance, you can even get that sweet suite for just $116 a night.)
We're also excited about Home2 Suite's promise of a "working wall" that runs the full length of the suite and provides extra room for personal storage and place to work. You can even print documents wirelessly from your room which can then be retrieved from the lobby's Oasis area, a common hangout space/modern business center.
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Would You Like A Hotel Room With Your Steak?
Cooking classes at hotels? So yesterday! The latest spin on hotel restaurants educating guests is happening at North Carolina's Sanderling Resort and Spa: artisanal butchering workshops.
Oh, yes. Vegetarians look away now. The resort is offering guests to "meet their meat", under the guidance of German Master Butcher Frank Meusel and executive chef Joshua Hollinger. The classes will show guests how to break down cuts of a whole animal and prepare primal cuts.
Reader Reviews / Hotel Indigo / Asheville Hotels / → All Tags
Hotel Indigo is a Modern Oasis in Asheville
Every so often we feature a hotel review from our readers that we feel should be shared with the rest of you dear hotel guests. These reviews are highlighted because they are timely, about cool hotels in cool places and are relatively level-headed. Think you can submit one just like this? Send it in.
A modern boutique hotel in Asheville? Such a thing didn't exist until the Hotel Indigo (part of the ICH group) opened its doors last fall. On my recent trip to what I learned is considered the "San Francisco of the east" my partner and I stayed there to check things out.
While the property is located smack against the interstate, which initially turned me off, that all changed once we walked inside. The lobby is modern, sleek, and inviting, during the day, with a large reception desk. Check-in was a breeze after they realized we weren't with the woman who walked in before us.
Hotel Hype / Home2 Suites / Hilton Hotels / YouTube / Hotel News / → All Tags
Home2 Suites Breaks Ground in North Carolina
The first Home2 Suites from Hilton has broken ground in in Fayetteville, North Carolina and we were recently tipped off to a YouTube video of the ceremony.
Last time we checked in on Home2Suites, Hilton's new extended-stay brand, things were looking a bit quiet. But it looks like now 50 Home2 Suites will be opening before 2012 is out. This one here will open in late 2010.
As for the brand concept, it's nothing earth-shattering but it is a good addition to the Hilton brand. The target audience is "the savvy, value-wise extended-stay guest." The hotel rooms will start at 323-sq.ft. and a large emphasis will be placed on community space called The Oasis, which will include an activity room, fitness centers, outdoor living rooms and even, barbecue grills.
Holiday Decorations / Holiday Hotels / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / → All Tags
The Giant Gingerbread House at The Ritz-Carlton is Now Open
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....
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:
