Must be better options in beautiful downtown Charlotte
This hotel is in the city center of Charlotte, a beautiful city with a vibrant and exciting downtown scene. The only downside is that things are pretty expensive overall downtown, including this hotel. I am quite sure it is comparable to the other options, the Omni, Courtyard Marriott, etc. Our company tried to get the Courtyard, which we had experience with before - and really enjoyable as well - but unfortunately they were fully booked for our 13-member team.
The greeting we got from the staff was very nice, but the parking rate for the hotel was a real downer. If you are visiting from out of town, take the advice to get a taxi, as the daily rate is very high and you can do nearly everything by walking the area.
Upon entering my room, it was an odd corner room layout, but everything seemed OK. It was a bit dated and a little bit worn, which was a slight disappointment given the location. The location of the hotel is perfect, with only a slight walk to the restaurants and shops around.
Major problem: the toilet did not work properly. It turns out their toilets are a bit weird anyway, in that you have to hold the handle down for a little delay to get the proper flush (found this out when I got to my new room). But, no matter what I did, the toilet did not flush properly and nearly overflowed ... which is terribly frustrating and gross! Oddly enough, after anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, I would hear this gurgling sound and when I went back in, the thing had finally drained - not flushed - because there was still "stuff" in the bowl.
When I called for maintenance help at 11:00 pm or so, the woman told me she would send up someone with a plunger. I paused, then thought she must have meant she would send up a maintenance person with the plunger. Nope. Literally, a maid came up with a plunger and handed it to me, then left. Can you believe that? I was so stunned, I didn't even say anything.
The next morning, I requested a room change and after some arguing, was able to get that accomplished. The next room was fine.
The conference room facilities were decently appointed, but the room we were assigned for our team was inadequate. We were crammed in like sardines around the conference room table. The facilities provided were good - projector and screen. The food they provided was very plentiful - crazy plentiful actually - but the quality on the first day, sandwiches and rolls, were boring and somewhat tasteless. The second day of hot options were very good.
The bar was good, with decent service and bartenders, but one colleague complained his Manhattan was not well done at all.
Overall, for a Hilton property, I was disappointed. The cost to value ratio was not that good, and I am quite sure that other properties around the Hilton would be a better choice overall.