Charlotte Marriott City Center: Charlotte, North Carolina
First Impression
Three years ago, when I was pregnant on my Birthday, my parents wanted me to have a staycation in order to pamper myself before the baby arrived. They booked me a night sans husband at the Charlotte Marriott City Center and in all honesty I was not impressed. In the recent years, Charlotte, North Carolina has had a boom in the luxury hotel industry and compared to these other hotels I had stayed in locally, this property just did not live up to expectations. Imagine my surprise, when the Charlotte Marriott City Center invited Lucas and I to experience another staycation at their newly remodeled hotel and immediately after our arrival we both completely fell in love.
The Charlotte Marriott City Center was recently featured in Fast Company as the “innovation lab” that will help Marriott International’s flagship brand, Marriott Hotels, reimagine its design and services, paving the way for an elevated hotel experience of the future. The change that has taken place at the hotel over the last year is beyond a simple renovation, it is a massive transformation! To simply put it, it is a reinvented hotel.
One of my favorite things that they have added are beta buttons, which are located throughout the hotel. Guests are offered the opportunity to give feedback by simply pressing a beta button to vote and then become part of a live-tally of consumer feedback. The tally will be accumulated and displayed online on Travelbrilliantly.com, as well as on a large screen in the hotel. This is such a smart idea to make sure that the property continues to change in a way that is best for guests. I think every single hotel in the world should adapt this concept!
Location
Charlotte, North Carolina was selected to house this project due to the rapid growth of the city in both population and industry, as well as its ranking in the “top 15 best places to live” according to U.S. News & Report. The hotel is located in the very heart of the city center in the Uptown area. With more than half of the population of the United States being within a one hour flight of the city these innovations are the future of Charlotte travel.
The Room
Whether you choose to arrive with self-serve via a mobile key and app, go the more traditional way with curb-to-room host service, or connect with a self-serve key kiosk — the Charlotte Marriott City Center believes it is “your stay, your way”.
Guest rooms and suites are designed to be spacious and flexible with locally-inspired accents providing a sense of place. Technology takes guests further with the ability to “tap-to-order” room service, along with live-stream personal content on Netflix, Pandora, and more. Rooms are both modern and inviting. We stayed in a corner King and really enjoyed our view. Even though the hotel attracts a business crowd, you can still expect luxury accommodations and amenities. Our room featured a King sized bed, flat screen TV, and huge sitting area. The plush mattresses, comforter, and pillows made way for a perfect night’s sleep.
The Bathroom
I am always nervous about business hotels having small bathrooms, but our ensuite bathroom was incredibly spacious. Do not worry about forgetting any of your bath products, because you will find everything you need already there. We also loved the shower pressure, which is something important to us when traveling.
The Extras
State-of-the-art, flexible meeting spaces are available in the Event Hub. They feature: pivotable walls and moveable partitions, soft seating and modular furniture, rewritable surfaces, magnetic panels, and shared-screen technology. This space also features a full LG kitchen to provide an elevated and interactive food and beverage experience that can be tailored to any type of gathering.
Charlotte Marriott City Center breaks the hotel restaurant mold with a fresh take on food and beverage outlets that will delight guests, while serving up dynamic design and locally-inspired culinary experiences. The hotel’s offerings will quickly become the new social hub for guests and locals alike.
Fitness is fun with FLEX — exercise how, when, and where you want with more than 600 on-demand workouts in a state-of-the-art studio, access to local boutique fitness offerings, local running and biking routes, along with cutting-edge equipment featuring Bluetooth-enabled connectivity with multiple fitness apps.
Why It Is Andi’s Pick
As previously mentioned, you can live-stream anything on your room’s TV. We had plans for the evening, however, once we signed into our Netflix account we found it impossible to leave our room. This is the first time I had ever experienced something like this at a hotel. Also, I highly recommend splurging and getting a pass to the Concierge Lounge, unless you already have access with your Marriott status. We were blown away with what was offered and especially loved the candy bar. Breakfast was unlike anything we had tasted before in a Concierge Lounge, plus the service was outstanding to say the least!
Social Media
So cool that you can log into your Netflix account on the TV. We often don’t rent movies at hotels because they are too expensive. And don’t you love finding the perfect hotel as a home away from home? This one looks like a perfect choice.
Isn’t it sooo awesome!?! I can’t tell you how awesome it was to finish Narcos Season 2 during our staycation. Made it very memorable. And I agree, movies in hotels are OUTRAGEOUS. I watched one a couple of months ago and it was $20!!! And to make matters worse, the movie sucked. Boo! And yes, finding the perfect hotel in your hometown is AWESOME.