Charlotte Chosen To Host Democratic National Convention, Let The Hotel Packages Begin

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Feb 2nd 2011 at 3:01AM

The Democratic Party has announced that Charlotte, North Carolina will host the 2012 Democratic National Convention. The city beat out St. Louis, Minneapolis and Cleveland to be the city where President Obama will accept the Democratic nomination and begin his campaign for reelection. The convention will begin on September 3, 2012. The Republican Party will host its convention in Tampa, Florida.

The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte has launched today a Red, White, Blue and Green package to celebrate the announcement. Red, White, Blue and Green will feature overnight accommodations and a wine and cheese experience in the hotel's Urban Sip Wine and Scotch Bar. The new bar on the 15th floor provides beautiful views of Charlotte and offers Carolinas' largest selection of premium wines by the glass, as well as the city's largest menu of Scotches. Flights for two of both red and white wines and a flight of artisanal bleu cheeses will highlight the Urban Sip portion of the package. The green factor comes in both because the hotel is LEED Gold-certified and because package guests driving an electric or hybrid car will receive included overnight hotel parking. Offered Thursday through Saturday evenings from today until the Convention, and based upon availability, Red, White, Blue and Green at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte is priced from $269 per couple per night. Reservations may be made at 800-241-3333, at http://www.ritzcarlton.com, or through a travel professional.

The Charlotte Observer reports that after the announcement was made hotel managers sprung into action as they fielded calls looking for rooms. Some hotels are already running out of space. There are approximately 15,000 hotel rooms in or within 30 minutes of uptown and access to at least another 15,000. The Republican National Committee is expecting similar action in Tampa, planning on filling 15,000 hotel rooms. Rooms and houses for rent have also popped up on Craigslist and through other residential listing sites, a phenomenon that will only increase as the event draws closer.

Tags: Democratic National Convention, dna, dnc, hotel packages, north carolina, ritz-carlton, ritz-carlton charlotte