PointJunkie

A story in the local news this week said that the Charlotte Center City Marriott is beginning a major renovation in April 2015.

They didn't state the specific timetable, but all first floor restaurants will be closed and rooms will be renovated three floors at a time.

twa777

Thanks for the tip. I often stay at that property when I'm in Charlotte, and one of the reasons is for their weekend breakfast buffet ... more specifically, for the Krispy Kreme bread pudding on their breakfast buffet!

I mean, the rooms are nice, the staff is great, but that bread pudding with strawberry sauce is the best thing ever for breakfast. I didn't even know Krispy Kreme bread pudding was a thing before eating there. They better bring it back when the restaurant reopens.

Marcell

Will they consider having the Concierge Lounge open on weekends until renovations have completed?

awu25

Sounds like the lounge will be moved to the 1st floor and the 18th floor lounge will be replaced by rooms. They are aiming to be finished in 8 months

jlb3

If it's on the first floor, I wonder if it will be a M Club lounge? Aren't those usually on the first floor?

bajaj_ash

It seems that construction has started. There was a notice in the room about construction timings and heads up etc when I checked in today. I was put in the room which had complete smell of dampness and I couldn't stand it for even couple of minutes. I called Front Desk to request a change of room and they were not at all surprised at the request.
This was '2 Double Beds' room type while my reservation preference states King bed. I was not happy at this point and also reminded them of Ultimate Reservation Guarantee as Platinum guest. I was told during check-in that no King rooms are available.
Suddenly, they had better room with King bed available.

The smell in first room was so bad that by the time I finished the call with Front Desk (6-8 mins of total stay in the room), I had severe headache.

I have been staying in this hotel for last 5 years and platinum recognition has definitely gone downhill in last 2 years if not more. It seems that I was put in one of the worst rooms and FD was aware of the issue. The reason I always chose this hotel was location, Marriott property, excellent concierge lounge staff and breakfast spread. However, I am done with this hotel based on my last few check in experiences and rooms provided.

I am so looking forward to my Lifetime Platinum status (hopefully by end of the year) so that I can stay at hotels of my preference when Marriott is not up to the mark.

SkiAdcock

Saw this in the sticky re: rooms that no longer have desks. Hat tip to greenskin who posted the info:

"Just given a remodeled room in the Charlotte City Center Marriott. Lots of changes:

Bad:
No desk - instead, a small oval table that is too high to work on while sitting on the couch, but about right while sitting on the bed.
No chairs - replaced by a long couch against the window
No luggage rack - but a bench under the TV serves the same purpose
Smaller room? not sure, but it looks smaller to me.
Rolling glass door to the bathroom - actually, I don't care about this, but many do. I do find that due to the door, it's too bright to leave the bathroom light on at night, which I usually do to avoid midnight disorientation.
Got rid of HBO (and maybe some other channels - not sure, I'm not much of a tv watcher, but HBO is definitely gone).
No more carpet in the room - instead it's a grey substance that looks like wood flooring but feels like vinyl.
Shower head is different (square rain type) and mounted a bit lower that they were (which matters to me at 6'3", but won't to 6' and under).

Good: the tv is bigger.

Of course, I'm not a millennial, so perhaps all of these changes are actually good and I'm just not cool enough to realize it.

I'm torn, because I really like the location (5 blocks from work) and the availability of the lounge and room service. however, I use a desk a lot, and I really dislike the hard floor.

Probably move over to the Courtyard or the FI next trip and give them a chance."

Cheers.

twa777

And thanks for sharing that information here too. I haven't gotten to stay in one of their new rooms yet myself, but I saw that someone as posted pics over at Trip Advisor. I have to agree with the OP -- at least from the pictures, I don't love the new look either. I think I get the functional changes, though there will be times when I'd sorely miss the desk too.

It seems like they're following a lot of the same design styles that have invaded Crate and Barrel -- sort of a modern take on retro 70s but with muted colors. I think it's something that could have been done well, but it seems like they cut corners on design and materials and it shows.

4getofn

I just got back from a 5 day stay ... The Hotel is still in major remodel mode with checkin, restaurant, CL and fitness room on the 3rd floor. I was impressed with the new room look. The carpet is gone and replaced with a fake wood laminate thats actually quite nice. Furniture and accessories are all new and seem to "work". Bed and bedding was new and awesome. Yes, there is no desk however the couch had a couple of tables of different heights that worked as replacements. The TV was at least a 55" LG which was awesome, however most of the channels I watched were still analog and with a screen that size, the picture was a bit fuzzy. All new fixtures in the bathroom and its a world of difference from before. Over all I was really impressed. The staff was, as usual fantastic .. A couple of more notes below

Manager type gave me the following update:

1. Lobby hopes to be complete by March/April.
2. M Club will be in the location of the old Savannah Restaurant.
3. Fitness will be huge and include a "virtual trainer". It replaces the foot print of the pool which will gone. They struck a deal I believe with "Lifetime" to have the latest and greatest equipment at all times. Says the goal is to have it be like an athletic club.
4. No checkin/front desk location. It will be replaced by pod seating where front desk people will be walking around checking people in with iPads ... Not sure how that will work but who knows.
5. The look will be urban upscale.

Hope this helps.

GamecockGirl

Having seen two of the new concept/renovation rooms (one at this Marriott in Charlotte and one at the Chicago Marriott Magnificent Mile), it looks to me like the Charlotte property took the cheaper option on some of their materials. Instead of the vinyl/fake hardwood flooring, the Chicago room has new carpet in the bedroom area, which I definitely prefer. The vinyl stuff looked and felt cheap on my feet, and my feet were dirty on the bottoms after getting ready in the room, post shower. That never happens with carpet. I think the concept works better with some of these upgrades/touches. I hope the Charlotte property will rethink the flooring. I wonder if part of the reason it's being used (beside the obvious cost savings) is to help prevent bedbugs?

BSBD

Vinyl flooring won't stop bedbugs. What it will help with is pet messes in pet-friendly hotels.

SkiAdcock

Article re: renovations including the GM saying guests want rooms w/ no desks. Pictures of the rooms in the link.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte...-marriott.html

One facet of a multi-phase renovation project at the Charlotte Marriott City Center has recently wrapped.
All of the uptown hotel's 446 guest rooms are fresh off a modern facelift, which include more open space, a warmer color palate and new technology features, such as larger flat-screen TVs that are wired for streaming online content and enabled for Netflix use.

Hard-surface floor replaces carpeting, which requires less vacuuming for an energy-efficient touch. Each room has a bar and bench to store luggage. A couch and moveable table replaces the standard desk.

"Really, our guests are looking for more flexible, modern, relevant space in their guest rooms," said Crissy Wright, general manager of the property at 100 W. Trade St. "It's our role to keep up with the latest trends that we're seeing from customers."

Looking at the pics, the 'moveable desk' is a small round table. Also, no drawers on the end tables.

Cheers.