Le Meridien Charlotte

The room seemed decent at first, but I found the carpet beside the bed was wet when I took my shoes off. Later, my phone fell and I spotted a straw under the bed, so the area clearly hadn’t been cleaned properly. We were visiting North Carolina for the first time and were excited about a little family vacation, but the stay was disappointing. The hotel initially looked nice and clean, and we paid over $600 for three nights plus $25 a night for parking. The bed was okay and smelled neutral. In the bathroom there was no trash can, and the tub and sink both drained very slowly. The TV remote didn’t work right either. There’s no room service, so on the second night we called for clean towels and trash pickup. Someone came, but didn’t make the bed. The housekeeper still left a tip card, which felt inappropriate given the service. At checkout, the front desk woman was rude and unprofessional, leaving us with a bad final impression. The cleanliness, upkeep, and customer service don’t justify the price, despite how nice it may look at first glance. I’d suggest staying somewhere else if you want to enjoy your trip.

We stayed five nights, and the way the water issue was handled left a poor impression. The hotel includes two complimentary bottles a day with room service, but on several days housekeeping didn’t service the room and we didn’t get them. When I asked the front desk for water, the staff member was rude and refused, saying I’d have to buy it instead. Pushing a $6 bottle instead of providing the two complimentary ones under those circumstances felt penny-pinching and dismissive. I expected more reasonable customer service.

The welcome felt rushed and tense. The keys were handed over abruptly, nobody explained the hotel’s amenities or layout, and we got no apology or courtesy drink token, unlike the guests before us. For what we paid, the service should have been much better. The hotel also advertises “free breakfast,” which is misleading because everything costs extra. I won’t return unless front desk training and customer service improve significantly. At check-in, the attendant was sarcastic with the guest ahead of us, rolling his eyes, interrupting her, and speaking dismissively. He gave her and another nearby guest a complimentary drink token, which seemed more like damage control than genuine hospitality. Then we were told about a $100 deposit that hadn’t been mentioned beforehand. I also got a hard time because my credit card still had my maiden name. I explained that we were there for our anniversary and I’d recently changed my last name, but the new card hadn’t arrived yet. I offered to show proof through my account and ID. The process was still unnecessarily difficult, and I had to use a business card to check in. It was a disappointing stay at Le Méridien Charlotte.

My wife was treated in a condescending, rude, and demeaning way by the check-in staff member, Brian, and the manager, Ron Shuker. They belittled her until she cried, then had the audacity to say they’d help if she said please. It was horrible and borderline abusive. We lodged a formal complaint. These two shouldn’t be in hospitality and don’t represent Marriott’s values. We’ve stayed at well over 200 Marriott properties over the years and have never been so upset or disappointed. This was literally the most despicable experience my wife has ever had.