Tameka's Corner: HOTEL REVIEW: Our stop in Charlotte, NC

Comfort Suites University - Research Park
7735 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC, 28213

Charlotte, North Carolina (Queen City) is one of my absolute favorite American cities!! The nightlife is lively, the food is great, the neighborhoods are so cute, homes are beautiful, and life balances perfectly between fast and slow according to what you need!! They have one of the most beautiful downtown skylines of all of the places I have visited and I love that downtown doesn't exactly sit on the main highway that runs through town. Therefore, there is a work around for traffic during rush hour if you are just passing through...... not like home in Atlanta but that a blog post for another day.

I am in Charlotte about twice a month and each time, I am so very impressed by the choice of lodging accommodations at my disposal. Charlotte is a very progressive, southern city, that is not far from other major cities in North Carolina including Raleigh - Durham, Greensboro, and Wilmington.

Charlotte Center City (sometimes called Uptown) is the central area of Charlotte, North Carolina within the bounds of I-277. The area is split into four neighborhoods (Wards) by the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets.

Several Fortune 500 companies have their headquarters here, including Bank of America, Duke Energy, and the East Coast operations of Wells Fargo. Athletic and event facilities located in Center City include Bank of America Stadium – home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, Spectrum Center – home of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, BB&T Ballpark – home of the International League's Charlotte Knights, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Museums, theaters, hotels, high-density residential developments, restaurants, and bars are heavily concentrated in the Center City, with over 214 restaurants and 50 nightspots.

Charlotte's Center City (including South End) employs 113,800 people, hosts more than 18 million visitors a year, and 25,970 people call the area home.

Check out my review of the hotel below:

PARKING: Parking was a breeze! They have well lit parking including in the front and the back of the building. Although one side of the lot feel like your car is about to fall off the edge because it is on a slant, there's plenty of even level parking surrounding the hotel.

EASE OF CHECK IN/CHECK OUT: Checking in and out was easy peazy! There was no wait time on either end and the attendant was swift and efficient with the process.

CUSTOMER SERVICE: Customer service was great. The night shift gentleman answered all of my question and engaged in conversation concerning the best places to sight see and do while in Charlotte. The morning attendant checked to see if I'd gotten a chance to eat breakfast and discuss the options with me. They were both friendly and professional. And of course, the best sign of good customer service is actually getting the much anticipated "wake up" call that I request to be scheduled. I received my call on-time and as scheduled. YYIIPPEE!!

REWARDS STATUS PERKS: Although I am a Choice Diamond elite Member, I was not offered the 200 additional points or the welcome gift that you get to choose from with this most recent promotion that they are having. I guess it didn't matter much because I was going to pick the points anyway and they attach them automatically but it would have been nice to have been asked which one I wanted and been given the choice. It's likely the agent just forgot. Oh well.

CLEANLINESS: The hotel was extremely clean. There really is not much more that I can say here because it was basically impeccable. Everything from the inside of the fridge and microwave to the linens and shower was clean and acceptable. It was indeed a pleasant experience.

DECOR: The decor is the hotel was absolutely beautiful!!! There were these beautiful circular lights in the lobby and these pictures just do not do them justice. There were also large pictures of various Charlotte landmarks all throughout the hotel as well as a cute little waterfall welcoming you when you first enter the lobby!!

LOCATION: The location was fairly easy to find and near the city's IKEA store. There was a small challenge in the one-way direction of traffic on the side street because the city's rail car system. Additionally, the hotel is not located off of a major interstate but that worked out great because we were not disturbed by any highway traffic during sleep time, which is typical of our hotel stays.

BREAKFAST: Unfortunately, we didn't get to experience breakfast because I overslept in the very comfy bed but I do know that they have a hot breakfast complete with sausage and eggs, a waffle maker, and a host of other "continental styles' breakfast items. Additionally, the breakfast area appeared to be spacious and clean.

WI-FI & TECHNOLOGY: The Wi-Fi was super fast in the guest rooms and common spaces. Additionally, they had a ton of television channels, a computer business center with printer, and all of the electronics in the room worked well and appeared to be new and updated. And of course, you that I can always appreciate a hotel room that has an acceptable amount of power outlets. I was impressed.

EXTRAS: This hotel has a large conference room, as well as a well-equipped gym and business center! The doors on the business center and gm lock so that they are only accessible to guest which I like. Additionally, the business center had the printer included in the room and space to write while at the desk. it was well lit and comfortable. The gym was certainly one of the better ones that I'd ever seen. It was a nice size, clean, and quiet. It was equipped with towels, water, instructions, wall pictures, and an updated television. There was more than enough equipment and a mirror wall. I really enjoyed my time at this gym!!

Additionally, I was super impressed that the property had on-site recycling. I was able to recycle plastic and paper that had accumulated during our road trip and that always does my heart good!!

VALUE: The value of the price was just okay. While I used points to stay, the website indicated that it was over $100 a night to stay which can be a little high for a value hotel, not immediately off the highway, and in downtown city center. However, it was an amazing hotel with lots of amenities!! You get a great service for the price so I think it's very worth it.

What's your favorite North Carolina City?

Have you ever experienced Charlotte? Any recommendations on "must try" things to do while there?

Also, let me know if you've ever been to this Comfort Suites and your thoughts!

Where are you in your corner of the world today?