In a world that seems to be less and less service oriented every day, sometimes a company goes above and beyond. Great service and five star hotels
should be synonymous, but once in a while I discover a hotel that simply "gets" excellent service in a way that is clearly genuine. That is what we encountered at
The Ballantyne Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Most of you know that I was in Charlotte for circumstances under which nobody wants to be traveling, but the bright light at the end of long difficult days was this incredibly lovely hotel. While our original
booking was for two nights, we ended up staying over two weeks and then
returned last weekend for the memorial service. Not once during both
stays did we experience anything other than top class service, all
delivered by a staff who seem to truly love what they do, exuding a
true sense of hospitality that is rare even in the best hotels in the
world.
We felt like we were returning home each day - the bellman offered cold water and welcomed us home, the waitresses offered caring hugs and delicious food, and the front desk staff smiled and listened while we extended our stay at least four or five times. Upon hearing why we were in town, a fruit plate was left in each room with a thoughtful note, and, later, a beautiful floral arrangement was delivered to my mother's room on behalf of the front desk staff.
You can see from the photos that this is a gorgeous property, with an excellent golf course and spa. It is, without question, the best hotel in Charlotte (and arguably North Carolina). Indeed, it was recently recognized as one of the best resorts in the South by CN Traveler.
What you can't see is what makes a beautiful hotel an
excellent hotel
- the staff and the service they provide. And,
The Ballantyne offers both.
My sincerest thank you to all of the staff at The Ballantyne for making us feel so at home during a difficult time.
