I stayed at this hotel in July, 2012 and I'm VERY sorry that I made this choice. When one walks into the lobby, the impression is that of a very nice property, attractively appointed and well-kept. In my experience, that is where it ends. I actually made a few brief notes before checking out after a three-day stay, so that I could be sure to capture a few of the difficulties we encountered. To make it worse, I had my mother with me, and she also found the hotel to be less than optimal. We had two separate rooms, so our complaints are not based on the experience in only one room of the hotel. Some of the complaints we had are quite minor, but when grouped together over a short stay, they leave a very distasteful imprint:
1. Ants in the nightstand area in my room on each of the three days.
2. Dirty elevator, where someone had spilled a drink, and it remained there for more than 5 hours
3. Had to call housekeeping for wastebaskets, since there were none in my mother's room.
4. On two of the days, my room was not cleaned by the housekeeping staff until after 4:00 pm.
5. Vending machine on the second floor out of order during our stay.
6. Cold water in both the bathroom and kitchen ran warm, no matter how long the tap remained open.
7. What appeared to be an ATM was broken during the entire period of our stay.
8. Dirty trays from room service in some rooms (not ours) were left in the hallway for ages.
9. Trash and debris (cigarette butts, beer cans, paper cups, paper, etc., etc.,) under the bushes outside the balcony in one of our rooms.
10. My mother had a room designated for the handicapped, and there was no telephone in the bedroom, only in the living room area of the suite!! Who ever heard of a bedroom designed for use by disabled person......with no telephone next to the bed in case of emergencies!!??
BUT BY FAR, THE MOST UNFORTUNATE EXPERIENCE WAS THE OPERATION OF THE AIR CONDITIONING UNITS IN BOTH ROOMS. THE COMPRESSORS WERE SO LOUD IN BOTH OUR ROOMS THAT SLEEPING WAS DIFFICULT!! WE CALLED ENGINEERING, AND WERE TOLD THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE. Also, in my room, a loud knocking noise occurred after the air conditioning cycled off, and I found it VERY annoying.
I must say that the staff we encountered at the hotel was very pleasant and accommodating, but despite that, I would still never recommend this hotel to anyone, and I would be cautious about some of the positive reviews found on this site for this particular property. I have traveled to more than 20 countries around the world, and to 34 states in the U.S., and stayed at many EXCELLENT properties. However, the Doubletree in Charlotte was one of my most disappointing experiences. This hotel appears to be independently operated and not directly run by the Hilton chain. I would suggest that the Hilton company disavow themselves! This property will give them a bad name! We discussed the hotel with a colleague we were visiting in Charlotte, and she indicated that many others with whom she works have had complaints about this hotel when they visit the area as well.
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