Here’s the buzz and official news on the eco-friendly Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte. Great job, Bank of America, for going green.
Bank of America this fall’s slated to open a new hotel across the street from its corporate headquarters — and it’s not a Holiday Inn. Instead, the nation’s largest bank and TARP recipient is opening a new,co-friendly Ritz-Carlton in a sleek 18-story building. The luxury hotel will have bi-level, penthouse “wellness center” (in other words, a spa). – from USAtoday
Discover the first luxury hotel in Charlotte. Urbane and sophisticated yet warm and friendly, The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte at Bank of America Center offers guests an unforgettable experience just steps from the city’s cultural heart. With impeccable service, exceptional amenities and seamlessly-integrated eco-friendly advances built for LEED Gold certification, this Charlotte luxury hotel features gourmet dining, dramatic skyline views, a penthouse wellness center/spa and a commitment to sustainable luxury travel rarely seen in a contemporary urban hotel.
For additional information about this Charlotte, NC, luxury hotel, please contact a representative at the pre-opening office at (704) 547-2244.
Hotel is scheduled to open October 2009. The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte at Bank of America Center, located in the heart of Uptown at College and Trade Streets, is scheduled for completion in October 2009.
The 147-room, 18-story environmentally-friendly hotel, planned as the first LEED-designed new hotel in Charlotte, NC, features over 12,000 square feet of function space, a bi-level penthouse spa and Wellness Center and a streetside BLT Steak restaurant.
The new Ritz-Carlton hotel in Charlotte is being built to achieve LEED® Gold certification. This attainment will distinguish The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte at Bank of America Center as the first green hotel within the greater Charlotte area and the first within The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.
Situated in the heart of North Carolina’s fast growing metropolitan center, the
Uptown Charlotte Ritz-Carlton hotel features:
• Casual dining options
• Dramatic skylines and Uptown Charlotte views
• Penthouse bi-level Wellness Center, spa services, pool, sauna, and fitness
Guest Room Features & Amenities
Each of our uptown Charlotte hotel’s spacious guest rooms and suites measure from 506 to 1,086 square feet, making them the largest guest rooms in Charlotte. Lavishly furnished they include:
* Furnishings with rich, warm woods and textured fabrics reflecting a contemporary flair
* King bed or two queen beds
* 10’ ceilings
* Floor-to-ceiling windows
* 400-thread count Frette linens
* Built-in floor-to-ceiling armoire with safe
* Fully-stocked honor bar featuring Dean & Deluca products
* In-room gourmet coffee and tea presentations
* Five-fixture bathrooms
* Dual vanities
* Bulgari bath essentials
* Flat screen television built within bathroom mirror
* Two Ritz-Carlton signature terry bathrobes
* Lighted make-up mirror, hair dryer and scale
* 42” LCD Flat Panel Television in guestroom
* DVD player
* iPod docking station
* Wireless Internet
* Work desk with dual-line phone; pre-wired jackpack
* Voicemail
* Iron/ironing board
* 24-hour in-room dining
* Complimentary daily newspaper
* Twice-daily housekeeping attention
* Complimentary overnight shoeshine
Property Features & Amenities
Meeting space:
Over 12,000 square feet of state-of-the-art indoor function space, 7,000 square foot Ballroom, and smaller function rooms ranging from 464 to 3,842 square feet.
Wellness Center:
Hotel will feature a 13,000 square foot Wellness Center…a true urban retreat. The penthouse, bi-level facility includes an indoor pool and whirlpool, spa services including four treatment rooms, relaxation areas, movement studios and state-of-the-art workout equipment.
Additional Features:
* Valet parking
* In-room dining
* Twice-daily housekeeping service
* BLT Steak Restaurant
* The Lounge
* Multi-lingual staff
* Overnight laundry and dry cleaning services
* 24-hour concierge services
* Complimentary transportation within the I-277 loop
LEED® and Sustainability
The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte at Bank of America Center’s green sustainable design and construction follows the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
Sustainable practices at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte at Bank of America Center:
* The building uses 30% less energy than a conventional hotel by using ultra efficient materials and the latest construction technology.
* Water usage has been reduced by 33% by instilling high-efficiency Kohler plumbing fixtures, saving two million gallons of water the first year.
* Air quality improved by circulating large amounts of outside air into guestrooms (60) cubic feet per minute) and doing so in an energy-efficient way by employing energy recovery technology where the outside air is tempered by the air being exhausted.
* Regional vendors and artists were used for materials to reduce transportation and packaging.
* Low-emitting volatile organic compound (VOC) paints, adhesives, carpets, etc reduces indoor air contamination.
* A green, vegetated rooftop will be planted on the hotel to reduce the urban heat island effect. In other words, the green roof reflects heat, thus reducing the amount of energy needed for air conditioning. It also slows rain runoff and insulates the rooftop, keeping the building cooler overall.
* Procured Sapele logs that are FSC certified, which is rare for the United States. This wood is utilized in multiple places throughout the hotel.
* All leather products utilized throughout the hotel were created with recycled leather.
* 87% of construction waste was recycled, diverting 1,535 tons of debris from landfills.
* The hotel will contract with a Green power supplier to buy 35% of the building’s electricity use for two years.
* 150 Bicycle parking spaces with changing room located on-property.
* Bicycles are available for guests to ride in Uptown Charlotte.
* Local complimentary transportation will be provided by hybrid vehicles.
* To encourage the use of hybrid and electric vehicles by guests, their valet parking will be complimentary.
* All dining and beverage menus incorporate organic, local, and 100% natural products.
* The Wellness Center incorporates Eco-Luxe treatments utilizing 100% organic and vegan products.
* The Living Essentials Boutique offers a selection of organic clothing, accessories, products and educational materials.
* A comprehensive recycling program will be visible throughout the hotel.
* Environmentally-sensitive cleaning products will be used in the hotel.
* The hotel will donate unused food to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.
* The Regeneration Suiting product line (suits made out of recycled two-liter plastic bottles) will be used in uniform selection in various departments.
* Collateral utilized in the hotel will be printer on 100% post-consumer-waste recycled paper.
* Banquet meeting room tables were designed using recycled aluminum.
* Green Meetings will be the standard in the hotel.
* A Natura Water Purification System will be utilized in the hotel, therefore diverting 73,000 plastic bottles from landfills on a yearly basis, saving 104.2 barrels of oil, 48.7 tons of CO2 emissions eliminated and 604,528,714 BTUs of electricity saved in one year.
* All irrigation for hotel plants will utilize the captured rainwater from 1 Bank of America Center storage tanks.
* The Education Center for sustainable practices includes tours of this green hotel for guests, a weekend guest speaker series, and outreach programs for students of all ages.
* An Environmental Conservation activity will take place once per quarter within the local City Center Community