Undoubtedly, a lot of thought and money was put into designing the rooms at the Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte. I stayed in a deluxe king room that was not only luxurious and spacious but extremely functional. The bathroom was supurb: double sinks, a large shower and a separate water chamber. To top it off, a hidden TV was embedded into the mirror behind the double sinks. The room featured two closets, lots of storage space and a large screen TV. The office desk/area and was more like a small office with office supplies to boot. Another nice touch was not only the single cup coffee maker but in addition a separate expresso machine. There are other fine touches provided in the room; too numerous to mention.

My only regret is that my trip to Charlotte involved a quick one night stay.

The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte was the hotel my wife and I have ever experienced. From valet and check-in to check-out was fantastic. The best service we have ever experience in a hotel. The bar was cozy and the entire staff was accommodation, pleasant, knowledgeable and always available for all our needs. We will definitely stay there again!

This place makes an impression. Beautiful lobby and bar area, incredible design and woodwork. Outstanding service at every level. Rooms are spacious and full of modern amenities. Close to numerous attractions and great restaurants, and a short walk to a Panthers' game.

I visited this hotel with a group for the Belk Bowl, here are my thoughts:

1. Decor was very nice and tasteful. When you walk in it is clear you are at a Ritz Carlton. This hotel is LEED Gold, but the only visible hint of this would be the electric car charging station at the entrance. The rooms were clean, but my only concern with this hotel is that my room seems to have had quite a bit of wear and tear considering the hotel is only a year old. This hotel apparently gets a lot of business from people in town for sporting events, etc, and they may wear a room down faster than business travelers. This may be something to watch but it's not much of an issue now.

2. Location is excellent if you are looking for a downtown (they call it uptown here) spot. The hotel is right next door to the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats arena as well as the light rail system. We were able to walk to the stadium comfortably for the bowl game.

3. Food was great. We had breakfast at the hotel as well as dinner at BLT. When I have been to BLT in New York I wasn't that impressed, but I was very pleased with this one.

4. Amenities that we checked out were a large and well equipped exercise room (smart considering the number of NBA players that stay here) and a very nice indoor pool. I heard the spa was nice but we did not visit.

5. Service, as mentioned above, was fantastic. The staff went way beyond the call of duty to make sure that our needs were accommodated. When you stay in a Ritz Carlton (especially when you pay a higher than usual rate because of an event) you expect excellent service, but what we received was better than excellent.