My husband and I just returned from a wonderful stay at the Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte, North Carolina from May 22 - 26. Our goal was to golf and relax. Mission accomplished!

Our Arrival
Ballantyne Resort was the perfect place for us and the staff were superb. The location of the resort was very easy to find off a major highway. The entrance is magnficent with a beautiful waterfall and bellman at hand to greet you. Since we had our clubs in the car, the bellman offered to call to the golf shop and have the clubs put in storage for us so we wouldn't have to carry them from the parking lot. Service was always imminent. The check in was effortless and the staff were very organized.

The Room
The bellman (Frank) was very knowledgeable of the area and offered so many suggestions for dining in the area. He took us to our room that overlooked the 18th hole of the golf course. The room was more than comfortable with a king bed and comfy chair and ottoman. The bathroom was gorgeous with a soaker tub and a separate extra large shower. Marble floors and granite counter tops are gorgeous and extra towels, powerful hairdryer, nicely scented soap, shampoo/conditioner, bubble bath, and creams were ready to be used.

Closet space and hangers were ample and an iron and ironing board were very useful. A safe was also in the room.

Turn down service occurred each evening and it was nice to have the chocolates on the bed along with the next day's weather forecast.

Overall the room was immaculate and the cleaning each day was excellent.


Location
I must say that this was one of the safest areas I have been to. My husband and I enjoyed walking across the street to the various shops and dining areas. A 5 minute drive in the car takes you to additional shops and the choice of dining is extensive. We enjoyed a movie at a local theatre. Although the hotel was not in the heart of Charlotte, we preferred this. We did drive to "downtown" Charlotte and found it to be very congested. The outer areas have so much more character. The architecture of the shopping areas were so different that I enjoyed walking around there rather than the large malls.


Pool/Fitness Centre
We enjoyed the pool and hot tub each day practically in privacy. My husband enjoyed 1 of 2 lap pools that allows you to swim against a current. The location of the pool allowed you to walk directly outside with a view of a manmade lake on the 18th hole. The fitness centre was well equipped including televisions.


Golf
We enjoyed 2 days of golf at the resort with morning tee times. We were not teamed up with anyone and the pace was excellent as you really did not have anyone in front or behind for at least 2 holes. The afternoon can get busy as they had a number of golf tournaments throughout our stay. We preferred the morning so we would have the afternoon to do other activities. The 18-hole course is immaculate. Since we had a view from our room, we were able to witness the grooming of the course each day. We really enjoyed the on-site golf and clubs were cleaned after each use. The addition of a cooler on the golf cart with ice is a very nice touch.

Without a question I would recommend this hotel and resort to others - - in fact I have been telling friends and family since we returned yesterday.

Service was outstanding and the staff are to be commended. A few examples - - I went to the front desk to get directions to a movie theatre. The concierge recommended a nicer theatre close by and provided directions and printed the movie times for me. On another occasion, a gentleman was setting up for a conference and I was walking around taking pictures. He stopped and said if I was taking pictures that I may want to go outside, to which he pointed to an area, that was used frequently for weddings as the backdrop was beautiful. Regardless of where you were in the hotel, staff would drop a friendly hello.

We enjoyed our stay and we look forward to returning to the resort.

This was my first stay at the Ballantyne Resort & Hotel. Check in was fast and friendly, staff were very attentive to our needs. The hotel was immaculate. The decor is everything that is boasts and more. It is absolutely beautiful. We got a very good deal on a king suite overlooking the golf course. The entry to the rooms were marble, and the bed is AMAZING. Down comforters and pillows. Separate shower and tub. There is also a refreshment center in the rooms ( $$$) Overall, I thought that this was a lovely place to stay, and we would stay here again, on our next trip to Charlotte. It is definitely 4 stars and better. (which I rarely give)

The Ballantyne is a lovely facility with large rooms and a beautiful bathroom. The service, unfortunately, does not equal the facility. For example: my wakeup call was 30 minutes early (5:45 am); the bell staff stood around rather than assisting people moving in and out; off the 3 check-in personnel available when I arrived, 2 were busy taking messages for personal calls coming in for other staff members; the hotel allowed another group to completely block a hallway so that our group could not get to our evening reception on time; and a maid came into my room without knocking. Hotel management needs to wake up and improve training and supervision of the employees.

The staff at this hotel set it apart from other hotels. You are treated like Royality and the spa is fabulous. Food is very good. We had our ageing Mother with us and they suplied a wheel chair as well as being so very woderful to her needs. I loved staying at the Ballantyne!