NC Charlotte The Blake Hotel Downtown

[Mudslinger]

First and foremost this is the old Adams Mark which was a 3*. The Blake is only 2.5*. I read many reviews denouncing this hotel. I quickly discovered all the reviews had partial truths to them so let me explain it from my point of view.

The parking is far away and inconvenient to the hotel lobby. True, but the garge is attached to the hotel and the walk is all inside past the ballrooms. The garage itself is a bit scary and recommend that if you arrive at night pay the extra to valet.

The hotel staff was rude and/or didn't care about my concerns. Upon arrival in the late afternoon the woman at the front desk could not have been more helpful. She asked if a I wanted a king or two doubles and said that I prefered a king. Unfortunately the king would not be ready for 30 minutes and I would have to wait. Since the wireless was free, I hopped on my computer and sure enough they came and got me in less then 30 minutes. They were extemely polite and attentive. When I checked out (because the TV check out did not function) the gentleman was very cold. He spoke only when spoken to and seemed not to care how my stay was. I guess depending on who you deal with I can see why some people gave them bad reviews while others glowing.

The rooms had been remodeled nicely expect when you got to the bathroom it appears they ran out of money. 100% true. The room was gorgous. It's contemporary in style and huge. The bathroom on the other hand looked like it belonged at the Budget Inn. The good news for me is I don't spend much time in the bathroom. The shower was hot and had plenty of gusto so it was just fine by my account. My recommendation is if the bathroom is of great concern to you, stay somewhere else or lay off the bad burritos. You should be eating BBQ in NC anyway.

The beds were uncomfortable. The beds were firm. I like firm beds. They were great and I had a restful sleep.

The AC didn't work and it was very hot in the room. I stayed on the 10th floor and mine worked fine.

The flat panel TV is great, but the channels are not in HD nor is there a wide selection. The TV is nice, the channel selection is adequate 15-20 and the images are just fine because you are pretty far away from it if you're lying on the bed. The menu functions do not appear to work at all.

Overall I had a good stay. Maybe it was because I had low expectations from reading all the poor reviews. If they finish the bathrooms nicely it could easily regain it's 3* status. I would have no problems staying there again. Hope this helps.