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ACRF/Charlotte hotels


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#11 pennyk

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Posted 07 June 2013 - 06:20 AM

I checked the availability of the uptown Hampton Inn this morning (hoping to get a better rate), but it is still "sold out" according to the website. I will continue to look periodically.

#12 KevinKorell

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Posted 07 June 2013 - 09:08 PM

Looking tonight at Hilton family properties, the HGI has some availability, albeit at $229 (best available rate). But the Hilton, Hampton Inn, and Doubletree show no rooms available.


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#13 KevinKorell

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Posted 21 June 2013 - 12:05 PM

If anyone is looking to lower the rates they got, or join us last minute, it's not appearing to be too good. The only HGI room(s) left have whirlpool & extra sofabed, for $249. Hilton has some rooms over 300 bucks, but one can be had for $271 at the non-refundable advance rate. Marriott has some availability but the AAA rate is $313. Residence Inn by Marriott has a 2-room suite for $232. Even better, the Ritz Carlton has a Presidential Suite available for only $999. Best bet downtown at this point may be the independent Blake Hotel, which has rooms at a comparatively reasonable $159. There is still more abundance and some much cheaper rooms in the Woodlawn Road area, but again it may be more difficult to get yourself to Amtrak by the 7 AM departure.


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#14 pennyk

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Posted 09 July 2013 - 05:49 AM

I just noticed that the Hampton Inn Uptown, now has availability at $189.

#15 KevinKorell

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Posted 10 July 2013 - 01:41 PM

OK I just spoke with the front desk at the HGI in Charlotte. They do indeed still run the shuttle on behalf of their guests, and the shuttle is still shared between them and the Hampton Inn next door. They run by request only, so we should call either hotel as we are on approach into Charlotte Tuesday to have the van pick us up. It can accommodate our 7 or 8 people in a single trip... though I didn't ask about how many people it holds should there be others to transport. For Wednesday morning, the van is available starting at 6 AM, so I told them we need it at exactly that time, in order to ensure we all get to the station in advance of the boarding of the Carolinian, which surely begins well before 7 AM if the train is to depart on time. I'll remind them upon check-in that we will plan to depart at that time. Not an early riser? You are one that day. But you have about 7 hours travel time once on the train to catch up.


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#16 steve4031

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Posted 10 July 2013 - 01:44 PM

About how far is the hgi from Amtrak? Breakfast starts at 6 am and I was sure hoping for it before going to the station.

#17 KevinKorell

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Posted 10 July 2013 - 01:48 PM

The Amtrak station is about 1 mile northeast of the Uptown area. And you have to get out of Uptown first. Unfortunately I think starting breakfast at 6 AM at the hotel with the 7 AM departure may be a bit risky. It's not a quick walking distance. For the reason that I usually do have to leave hotels before I can enjoy a leisurely breakfast, my HH profiles are set to favor extra points instead of the meal. It's 1000 points for Doubletree and Hilton, 250 for Hampton, and in this case for HGI, it's 750 points.


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#18 BillMagee

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Posted 10 July 2013 - 03:39 PM

About how far is the hgi from Amtrak? Breakfast starts at 6 am and I was sure hoping for it before going to the station.

If you don't mind spending $10 or $15 for a cab, then you should be able to have a quick breakfast at the hotel and still get to Amtrak in plenty of time for a 7am departure. There's no check-in and no security check. Leaving the hotel at 6:30 should get you to the station at 6:40. I would certainly rather do that than have an AmCafe breakfast. You won't make the cab driver happy with such a short trip, but that's life.

#19 steve4031

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Posted 10 July 2013 - 05:53 PM

The big issue is that Charlotte might not have cabs lined up at the hgi and one has to be called. I'll skip it.

#20 pennyk

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Posted 10 July 2013 - 06:02 PM

About how far is the hgi from Amtrak? Breakfast starts at 6 am and I was sure hoping for it before going to the station.

Anyone know what time breakfast starts at the Hampton Inn? Likely the same time. However, when I stayed at the HI in Portland, ME, we were given a "bagged breakfast" since we left prior to breakfast hours. After looking in the bag, I decided to skip it.




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