Westin Charlotte [Master Thread]

Old Apr 29, 2003, 7:30 am
  #1  
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Arrow Westin Charlotte [Master Thread]

Anyone hear when this hotel will actually open? The opening date has been pushed back month after month.
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Old Apr 29, 2003, 2:11 pm
  #2  
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No word on the actual opening date, but the first date I could find open room availability was on May 9, 2003.

Sincerely,

William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

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Old Apr 30, 2003, 10:51 am
  #3  
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The Westin opened today! I have a reservation for next week, Mon-Thurs. Here's an article from the Charlotte Observer:

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlot...ss/5748426.htm
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Old May 12, 2003, 6:02 am
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New Westin Charlotte Reveiw

Well, after multiple delays and various other problems, this much anticipated new Westin in CLT has finally opened. I had been in contact with some of the senior staff members for some time, and was able to make a reservation for this past weekend--checking in yesterday and leaving tomrrow.
Overall it is a beautiful hotel, but as expected there are still some glitches to be worked out. The lobby is all marble, glass & leather with a bar (Bar 10) off to the right, and a dinning room set in the rear. My room was ready, and I was given the Platinum Amenity card, but no one offered to assist me with my bags (didn't really need it), and I did have to ask where the elevators were. My room (#1923) was ok, and except for the heavenly bed & shower didn't appear much different from a Sheraton / Hilton/ Marriott 'anywhere USA'. It was small with a king bed, chair, desk & dresser with a tv. Bath was small, but did have the curved shower rod & 'heavenly shower head'. A fluffy robe was hanging on the door with only one large bath towel and a couple of smaller hand towels. I did receive a note from the hotel manager saying they would have given me a suite, but they were not completed yet. Overall, I found this to be a small/average sized room with a view overlooking the nearby covention center garage and then ontowards UpTown Charlotte.
A bit later in the day, I received a basket with 3 bottles of juice and some cakes with a note from our 'corporate manager' at the hotel as well as a coupon for a free movie.
(PS- you should be aware there is no bottled water out, as in some Westins for Platinums).
A couple of problems I encountered were mainly due to the newness of the hotel:
#1- There was no menu or book describing the hotel & services. Nor any stationary etc.
#2- After returning from dinner, my message light was on, I checked with the operator-and there were no messages, but even after numerous calls they couldn't get the light to stop blinking (it is still doing so).
#3- Dinner at the restaurant needs some work.
First there is only a set/prix fixe $29 menu available for dinner, and even though there are lots of staffers wandering around, when I was there at 5:30 on a Sun evening with only 2 other tables occupied, service was lacking. No bread was offered until after my salad was served and eaten, then just prior to my entree arriving, flat bread was brought & almost immediately removed to make room for the potatoes/vegetables. Additionally, at the end of the meal, when I mentioned I didn't want to see the desert menu-- my check was immediately brought with no menion of coffee etc. I assume these problems will be worked out, but I feel they should offer a couple of other options on the menu aside from the Prix Fixe, given there are no other restaurant options at the hotel.
#4- I noticed a charge for $12.95 for in-room movie (which I didn't use) on my 'room review', when brought to the front desks' attention, they did promise to remove it, as well as again attempting to stop my message light from blinking. I'll see how successful on my return to my room tonight.
#4- None of the ice machines on any of the floors are working. There are no signs advising of this fact, and when I called down I was told 'when I ordered room service, they could bring up some ice then'--(but as there was no room service menu, I was unable to order, yada, yada...) Also while the phone has a 'Services' button, that pertains to everything, no specific 'room servicee'/'message'/ button on the phone.
I realize this hotel has only been open barely a week, so I know that many of these problems will be worked out before long.

[This message has been edited by mauld (edited 05-12-2003).]
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Old May 14, 2003, 5:43 am
  #5  
 
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As an ending to my review, upon checking out and waiting for a taxi the bellman asked "how did I like the Business Center"?--to which I honestly had to answer "what Business Center". Had I known about it, or seen any reference to it, I might have been able to make some use of it.
Also, for those inquiring the health club/pool/sun deck are not opened yet, but are scheduled for sometime in June.
PS-- as far as I know, my 'message light' is still flashing away -- it was when I checked out!
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Old May 14, 2003, 3:18 pm
  #6  
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I also stayed there last week (5-8 May). Check in was chaos as they had just finished the press conference for the opening of the hotel. They had two heavenly beds set up in the lobby that they removed later in the day.

Room: Ask for a room ending in 02 (and there are some on the other end of the hall but I don't remember what the room # ends in). These have large bathrooms with a glassed in 'wet' area that contains both the tub and shower. You walk through the door of the wet area and you are standing in the shower. next to that is the tub. The tub gets wet when showering. A strange set up, but I liked the big window in this area that let you look out at the city views.

The room is otherwise a standard Westin-style room with lounge chair, desk, and a 27 inch tv.

The health club was open and has all new Lifefitness equipment (eliptical trainers, treadmills, and bikes) plus a full set of Lifefitness weight machines. This was a very spacious facility and one of the best hotel health facilities I've used that wasn't part of a larger public health club. The pool wasn't open yet, but I had a peak. It's a small lap pool. Nothing special and their isn't a whirlpool. There is a nice locker facility (strange, since I would think everyone could go back to their room to shower) with a large sauna.

I ordered room service dinner one evening. The menu they have in the room is somewhat limited for such a large hotel. I ordered off of the main restaurant menu and had some type of chicken dish. It was good, but overpriced at over $30 with the service charges! I agree that they need to work on their food offerings.

Came back to my room one evening and the housekeeping staff had removed a half of bottle of wine I had left in the room! Service Express graciously offerred to replace it. I asked for free breakfast instead which they immediately agreed to. Of course, the didn't quite get the order right and the kitchen staff didn't know that it was suppossed to be complimentary.

I also had a lot of trouble with my room key. They couldn't make one that would work and for two days I had to be accompanied to my room by a person from the front desk! They did buy me a glass of wine for the trouble, but really it was just a minor annoyance. Also, the safe in my room was locked when I arrived. They set security to come and open very quickly.

Overall, I think this is a nice addition to Charlotte and will be staying there again next week. They definitely have the best beds in town and the nicest health facility.
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Old May 14, 2003, 3:25 pm
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Thanks for the tip about the '02' rooms. Unfortunately my room had been 'preassigned' by the Manager I had been corresponding with--so my assumption was this was 'the best they had--
Most of the problems I encountered, I'm chalkng up to the newness, and yes I'll be back again fairly soon given my travel patterns and hopefully will have a better experience. (Otherwise its back to Four Points on McDowell!!).
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Old May 27, 2003, 8:00 pm
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The rooms with the larger bathrooms end in 02 and 36. Suites are two adjoining rooms: one with a sitting area and a bathroom with shower and the other a bedroom with the larger bathroom with the window. The suites encompass rooms ending in 02/04 and 34/36 and are on some floors.

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Old May 28, 2003, 1:50 pm
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by cohighcountry1k:
The rooms with the larger bathrooms end in 02 and 36. Suites are two adjoining rooms: one with a sitting area and a bathroom with shower and the other a bedroom with the larger bathroom with the window. The suites encompass rooms ending in 02/04 and 34/36 and are on some floors.

</font>
I stayed at the Westin in Charlotte on May 17th. I was upgraded to a Suite with the 34/36 configuration. Overall it was a great stay. There were several issues with the room, but they were typical of a brand new hotel.

The Westin, IMHO, offers the best rooms in Charlotte by far. It is a welcome addition to Charlotte and NC overall.

------------------
AA Platinum, Delta Gold, Starwood Platinum, Fairmont President's Club Gold, Hyatt Diamond, Marriott Gold
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Old Oct 7, 2003, 1:14 pm
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I was there just last week and yes it has improved from my first stay back in May. As a Platinum, I was given a beautiful corner suite, with a large bouquet of flowers delivered, followed by a lavish fruit bowl, cheese & crackers & big bottle of Pellgrino. There is still the main dining room with its open kitchen & prix fixe dinner. The bar area is across from the check in desk and feels spacious and comfortable. The health club was open this time, and there is a nice size pool and work out room. As I do not travel with my computer, I can't tell you specifically about internet services, but did see the connections in both living & bed rooms. From what I hear from locals in CLT, it is doing well with them, and seems to be quite popular for dinner. I was there the day the Falcons were playing the Panthers, and occupancy was pretty high. There is a complimentary limo service to the financial center (Trade & Tryon)--at least for my company, but the walk isn't too bad. It is right across from the new convention center, so I imagine it will be taking some business away from the Hilton. From my standpoint, it sure beats the old Four Points on McDowell, where I use to stay to garner those *wood points
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Old Oct 7, 2003, 5:12 pm
  #11  
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I was there about a month ago and was very pleased. You can generally get it pretty cheaply through Priceline.
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Old Jun 3, 2004, 6:03 am
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Can't tell you about parking as I've only used cabs, but there is no lounge. There is a main restaurant with a prix fixe menu towards the rear of the hotel and a bar/lounge across from the main desk. Having stayed here (as a Platinum) a number of times now, I must say my feelings are mixed. Yes, I gotten great service, upgraded rooms, nice suites etc.--- but I've also (as in my last stay) been given a room below that for which I reserved/paid for. I had reserved a king, non-smoking, upper level floor at a higher rate, and was given 2 doubles, smoking on a lower floor. When I called down I was told nothing could be done as they were sold out. I did send off a note to the Manager, but heard nothing in reply. It was most likely an 'off' day, and I will continue to stay here as it is light years better than the Four Points on McDowell!
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Old Jun 3, 2004, 7:49 am
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Self parking is $10; don't know about valet.
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Old Aug 12, 2004, 1:07 pm
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Unhappy Charlotte Westin Review

Hi guys. I just stayed at the Charlotte Westin on Aug 2nd and have got to say that I was not impressed. I was on business and the purpose of my trip was two fold. 1. I had a meeting with a vendor and 2, I wanted to check out the Westin's meeting space for a kickoff meeting I am planning with a client shortly. As such, I knew I would need multiple rooms and suites, so I figured, I would check out their suites. I arrived, checked the car with the valet and checked in. When I arrived in my suite, I've got to say, I wasn't impressed at all. The toilet in the main bath was broken and didn't flush as it should, the moulding was peeling off the shower and the shower leaked! The suite was nothing like what's shown on the web. It was just two ajoining rooms one with a a sofa and some chairs in it and another normal bedroom. This was not what I had expected. I really had thought that what I was getting was represented on their web site. Had I known what I was getting, I certainly would not have shelled out the extra money for a suite! I called the front desk and told them that I was there to look at the facility for a meeting I was planning and were all of the suites like mine. I was told yes. I don't know whether this is true or they just didn't want me to ask to change. In any event, the next morning, I met with Kristen Kennedy, who showed me the meeting area. She was very pleasant and the meeting space looked great. So now I'm pretty much on the fence... I'm not sure if I'll book the Westin for my guests if the suites are all laid out like that and have maintenance problems. That simply won't fly with the clients I have coming in. However, the meeting space and food looked great and the staff members I spoke with about it were very polite and attentive. Unfortunately, I'm unaware of another hotel in Charoltte that may fit the bill for us. Got to make a decision soon though... Any suggestions?

-Excelsior
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Old Aug 12, 2004, 1:13 pm
  #15  
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I would have made this point with Kristen Kennedy and asked her if all the suites were laid out like mine.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

[email protected]
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