Grand Bohemian Charlotte, Autograph Collection

The staff were great and attentive, and dinner at the restaurant downstairs was good. Breakfast, though, was tasteless and mid at best. I’ve had better buffets in Europe. For the price, I wouldn’t stay here again. I paid for one night in Charlotte what two nights in Dubai cost me just a few weeks earlier at two Marriott properties. The hotel was a major letdown. The lobby is tiny, there’s no check-in for status members, the elevators are strange, and lounge access wasn’t worth it, especially compared with the Sheraton in Dubai. The bathroom lighting was also just mehhh. This was the loudest hotel I’ve stayed in. Doors slammed at all hours, and Hellcats drove by full throttle all night. I could hear them clearly because the windows weren’t soundproof at all, so I got a horrible night’s sleep. If you only need a decently clean place and don’t care about sleeping well, maybe it’ll suit you.

Our room wasn’t ready even at 5:30 p.m., despite being promised for 4. We’d paid over $100 extra for executive lounge access, partly because they advertised complimentary champagne. But when we asked for a pour, Linda, the lounge hostess, reluctantly gave us a tiny amount and said that was it. Later, she was just as dismissive and said she needed to save it. Meanwhile, she was happily pouring champagne for her friends multiple times. We’d planned a lovely weekend night out for three friends, and the way Linda treated us made us feel unwelcome and like a bother. I don’t know if she thought three younger women wouldn’t tip her, but the whole thing was a joke. I won’t get into the racism issue. Friends and family have stayed here before, but after this experience I’ll tell everyone not to. It was overpriced and extremely disappointing.

A heads-up if you need a serious workout: the hotel gym is pretty limited. There’s a Planet Fitness literally a 3-minute walk away, and I already had a membership, though you can also get a short-term or 7-day pass without hassle. Street noise comes with being in a city hotel too. It didn’t ruin our stay, but if you need complete silence, bring a sound machine or something similar. What really stood out was the service. The team helped us arrange the room before arrival, including firm pillows and a bathtub, and that attention made a real difference. During the stay, breakfast was easy, valet was quick, and everyone was friendly and attentive without hovering. The room was beautiful, comfortable, and carefully put together without feeling over the top. We had a great stay at the Gran Bohemian and would absolutely come back. Highly recommend.

Ms Sondra Corey in the executive lounge was a gem and helped make the stay fun, even though we all slept terribly. Sirens, screeching tires, loud music and revving engines from the street came through on the 12th floor despite our sound machine. We also heard music from a neighboring room, though we later learned what we thought was the same noise was actually coming from the rooftop bar. The front desk understood and moved us to the 14th floor the next morning. They said some rooms up there had been renovated with a second pane of glass to make them soundproof. It didn’t help. I’m lying here hearing nothing but bass from the rooftop bar instead of sleeping. I don’t recommend this hotel if you value sleep or are a light sleeper. My husband will stay elsewhere on future work trips too. We came along for his weekend work trip in CLT, and the hotel looked beautiful when we arrived. The valet and front desk teams were great, but after that, the noise took over.