We traveled to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 Race at Lowes Motor Speedway. We booked our trip with Premier Travel (a package deal), so we only had a choice of two hotels. We chose the Hampton because it was the only one of the two that allowed smoking.
When we arrived, the front desk manager and the clerk checked us into a non-smoking room. The Manager explained that there were no smoking rooms available. When we explained that we specifically chose the Hampton because we wanted a smoking room and that Premier was supposed to relay this information, the Manager immediately upgraded us to a suite at no extra charge.
We stayed in room 600, the room was beautiful. It had two rooms, one with a sitting area, TV, refrigerator, sink and microwave, the other with a king-sized bed. The room was clean and spacious, and the furnishings were lovely. The bed was very comfortable with nice, plush bedding. There were four cushy pillows and an extra blanket and pillow in the closet. There was even a second TV in the bedroom. Although the bathroom was on the small-side, the rest of the room more than made up for it. Since we were staying for 4 nights, it was important for us to be comfortable. The building was also secure, meaning you had to use a swipe card to enter the different areas of the hotel. I liked that there was a doorman and a lovely hostess in the free breakfast area (who, incidently, remembered me each day). This was not just a "continental breakfast", the hotel offered different egg dishes each day, 24 hour coffee and lots of different items to choose from. There is no restaurant in the hotel, however, the neighboring Hilton offers room service to the Hampton which we took advantage of. We also visited the restaurant for dinner one evening. Our server, Jerrylee was wonderful. We did not use the indoor pool, but were told by others we met in our group that it was very nice as well. The Business Center was very nicely furnished and had high speed Internet with a very nice printer, colored paper, and other nice additions.
Knowing that the city would be chaotic with the race in town, and having never visited the City of Charlotte, we were pleased that we were in walking distance from the street fair that took up more than 15 blocks in downtown Charlotte. We were also happy that we were able to visit Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s new bar, Whiskey River without having to take a cab. The City of Charlotte is under a great deal of construction, but we found it clean, easy to navigate, and the people were so friendly and helpful with police everywhere you looked to maintain order= you couldn't help but feel safe. The skyline is amazing with many new Art Deco buildings. The cab ride from the Airport was only $20, so that was a plus as well.
I really can't say enough about our wonderful experience. If you've never visited this beautiful city, I highly recommend putting it on your list of "must places to visit". The entire trip was enjoyable, due in no small part to the wonderful people at the Hampton Inn and in the lovely city. We will definitely return!