ritz-carlton charlotte

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

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

Bees In Business at The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Green

The Ritz Carlton, Charlotte in NC opened last October as the first LEED-built hotel in the area and now this summer they're taking their eco-conscious efforts even further by adding honeybees to the mix. The Ritz already has a rooftop garden, put in place to both insulate the building and provide organic herbs for the kitchen, and this summer that garden will become home to as many as 60,000 honeybees in two fully-contained hives. "Honeybees love herbs, and we're hoping they will especially enjoy the fresh lavender growing within our rooftop garden," explained Jon Farace, executive chef for The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte. "Because honey is considered the flavor of the land, it is likely that the bees' rooftop habitat and pollination of our herb garden will lend a wonderful, unique flavor to their honey." The hives will also benefit the surrounding city as the bees fly to nearby trees and hanging flowers.

The hives, once they mature later this summer, are expected to produce up to 70 lbs of honey that will be used by the hotel restaurant in special honey-based menu items.

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Tags: beekeeping, bees, eco-friendly, green, hotel, hotel beekeeping, LEED, ritz-carlton, ritz-carlton charlotte

Eco-Minded Hotel Builds Organic Gingerbread House

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Yesterday I mentioned the gingerbread White House but it's not the only impressive gingerbread house around this holiday season. The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte, a new LEED®-built hotel, is keeping up its green theme with an all-organic Gingerbread House. The architect-designed Green Gingerbread House was created by Chef Jon Farace and the culinary and engineering teams of The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte. The edible estate measures 10 feet high by 14 feet wide and is done in a Tudor architectural style. Design highlights include LED lights and a green "vegetated" moss roof inspired by the eco-minded roof of The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte. The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte's Green Gingerbread House complements the hotel's upcoming series of Holiday Teas, which will be offered within the hotel's residential-style 15th floor Living Room on December 12, 19 and 26.

Should you be inclined to make your own massive gingerbread house, the truly monumental ingredient list is after the jump.

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Tags: gingerbread house, GingerbreadHouse, organic, ritz-carlton, ritz-carlton charlotte, Ritz-carltonCharlotte

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