I visited Charlotte for the first time to meet up with two friends whom I don't see often. I picked up one of my friends at the Greyhound station. I drove us to SpringHill Suites in the uptown area of Charlotte. Uptown in this city means downtown to the rest of us.
This hotel is across the street from Spectrum Center. It's the home of the Charlotte Hornets, which I figured out coming back from dinner on our very first night. It is also a concert venue and where the NCAA March Madness games are played. Yes, our timing was impeccable!
I parked outside the hotel and talked to the valet guy. I asked about parking. Self-serve parking is in the lot next door. It's $20 a night. Valet parking is $25 a night. Considering that we were there for four nights, we went with valet.
The valet guy asked whether we needed a rolling trolley. I said yes, but it oddly didn't happen. That's okay. We rolled our luggage in ourselves.
We checked in. It went smoothly. I loved the welcoming lollipops. I had many during my stay there.
We had a spacious room. It had two beds and a roll-out bed to accommodate all three of us. This hotel is new and modern.
Our room had a fridge, which was perfect to store our 24 bottles of water and desserts. My friend used the microwave to heat up lukewarm tea.
I had the largest piece of luggage, so I used the luggage stand. The room had a large coatroom with a decent number of clothes hangers.
The bathroom was bright. The shower's water pressure was perfect. All was great.
The following day, we picked up our other friend. We all stayed comfortably in this room.
Then, things went downhill halfway through our stay. Before I get to all of that, I do have a tip about valet parking. When you show the valet your ticket, indicate that you're not checking out for the day. For some reason, they assume that you are by default and will throw away your ticket. Otherwise, valet staff were helpful, prompt, and kind.
On Saturday, we got a knock on the door at 10 am, asking when would be a good time to have our room made. My friend said 11 am. We vacated just before said time. We came back to the room at roughly 6 pm to freshen up before heading to the ballet. We got back and our room wasn't made.
I called the front desk to ask whether our room could be made up, as it was missed. The woman said that she would "try and see." The try didn't happen. Our room was still not made up when we returned from the ballet.
If housekeeping is going to ask us when would be a good time to come back, I would imagine that it would show up an hour later, as the earliest. Nope, nothing happened.
Housekeeping is almost nonexistent. I had called down our first night and asked for extra towels for our friend. The woman told me to come downstairs and fetch them. Um, okay. That's different, but we did it anyway.
On our third day at the hotel, I spoke to the front desk to ask whether I could check out late. My friend had booked the hotel. She doesn't have elite status at Marriott hotels. Our other friend and I did. So, I gave her my member number and all was set. Or, so I thought.
Later on that day, I was standing in the lobby with another friend, waiting for our other friend. The front desk person called me over and asked whether I was checking out now. Um, what? If I am asking for a late checkout, it's the checkout date in the reservation, which would have been the following day. Bizarre.
I normally don't ask for late checkout. I needed it on Monday, for I dropped one friend at the airport at 5 am, and the other at 9:30 am. I needed time to pack and head out the door, perhaps getting a nap in. I will say that the front desk person was accommodating to this Gold Elite member. I could check out at 4 pm, but I opted for 2 pm.
Here's what happened after I was done saying goodbye to my friends and dropping them off. I got back to the hotel room. The do-not-disturb sign was still on the doorknob. I was packing up. There was a knock on my door. I opened it. It was housekeeping. He asked when would be a good time to clean my room.
I pointed him to the sign on my door. What part of do not disturb do you not understand? I then said that I have arranged for late checkout and to contact front desk to update his records. He apologized. The damage was already done. I snapped the photo of said do-not-disturb sign moments after he left.
On the positive side, the free breakfasts and kitchen staff at this hotel are the best! You get a hot breakfast every day. We found out that there were waffles and asked. We got mini waffles and maple syrup. Nice!
This hotel accommodates folks with special dietary needs. There was soy beverage. This borderline lactose-intolerant woman was so pleased! You could also get fresh spinach. On our last day, veggie sausage was offered and it was yummy! The eating area had plenty of seats and tables.
The hotel is noisy, though. The tram runs by it. You hear horns and bells often. Bring earplugs.
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