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With opening rates starting at $199, Charlotte's new Ritz-Carlton hotel begins taking reservations today for stays beginning Oct. 1.
The 18-story, environmentally friendly luxury hotel will offer 146 rooms, a 13,000-square-foot “Wellness Center with Aqua Lounge,” a saline-treated swimming pool and a streetside BLT Steak restaurant. The hotel expects to be ready to take reservations starting at 4 a.m. at www.ritzcarlton.com or 800-241-3333.
Bank of America Corp. first announced plans to build the hotel at the corner of College and Trade streets in uptown in July 2005. The project later added an adjacent office building, which also is under construction.
The Charlotte bank will own the hotel, but The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. will manage it. The bank has told regulators that it will use half of the rooms or more for employees, vendors and other bank-related guests.
When it was first announced, the hotel was to be called “The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte at Bank of America Corporate Center,” referring to the bank's headquarters across College Street. Now it's just being called “The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte.”
Ritz spokeswoman Bonnie Crail said the Bank of America name was dropped in keeping with the hotel's “brand tradition” of just using the city name for its hotels, except in metro areas where it has two properties. The final naming was determined earlier this year and was discussed with the bank, she said.
The name change comes as Bank of America and other banks that have accepted taxpayer dollars are being careful about any expenses or initiatives that could be seen as excessive or wasteful. Earlier this year, Ballantyne Resort dropped the “resort” in its name after hearing from customers who said the term carried too much of a high-dollar stigma. It's now known as The Ballantyne Hotel and Lodge.
