The 'Fake' Hotel
Where do I start. I come to the Charlotte area every year for CIAA weekend and I decided to give the Blake a try because its so close to the events Uptown. Don't be fooled by the pretty pictures of the sleek and sophisticated decor on the site. Imagine this, one of your oldest relatives wearing your best going out club outfit. Uhhh no. They are literally trying to put a band-aid on a bullet wound. The Blake used to be the Adams Mark hotel which is very old and needs a tremendous overhall. Hotel management blocked off the entire front of the hotel so you could not drive up and drop off your luggage. You had to walk very far to get to the front and they were doing construction on the sidewalks leading up to the front door. The hotel gave me the wrong room. I was promised 2 double beds and received 1 king size bed and was told that due to fire code, I could not get a pull out bed. Sigh. It literally took 20 minutes for an elevator to come and then they would be dirty, with trash, bar glasses, and spit on the floor. The room carpet was terribly stained, the ceiling was cracking, it smelled weird, it was dark and gloomy, the furniture was damaged and worn out and the TV wasn't working. Sigh again. The biggest complaint was the temperature of the room. It was over 80 degrees because the A/C wasn't working. It wasn't just an issue with my room, there were complaints from other guests about the temperature. I was on the 11th floor and the elevator lobby was over 80 degrees as well. So I decide to take a shower and the bathroom sink drains very slowly, the shower set up was strange. It was difficult to get in without being a contortionist. The only thing that was good about the bathroom was the lighted mirror. The housekeeping staff did a good job and whenI called for extra linens on the first night, they were responsive. However the second night when we needed more towels, they smelled of mildew. The temperature issue was fixed temporarily but went back to being the tropics after awhile. The bar food was disgusting, but the bartender was cool. Shout out to Kat. The front desk staff was sub-par and overall the hotel was just a big disappointment. For what they were charging per night (over $300), I expect cleanliness and comfort and got everything but. Don't stay here. Ever.