Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/4253
Black Meetings & Tourism October/November 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 20 THE RITZ-CARLTON, CHARLOTTE OPENS First LEED®-Built Ritz-Carlton Hotel Features Eco-Friendly Wellness Center, Travel Innovations for Road Warriors The environmentally-focused Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte will open on October 1, 2009, becoming the first LEED®-built hotel for Ritz-Carlton and the first for greater Charlotte. The contemporary 146-room hotel features a 13,000-sq. ft. Wellness Center, 12,000 sq. ft. of meeting and conference space boasting recycled aluminum conference tables and green meetings as a stan- dard, and a slate of innovations for frequent travelers. An eco-focused rarity among top-tier branded hotels, The Ritz-Carlton is located in Charlotte's thriving Uptown, within walking distance of the city's most popular sports, entertainment and business destinations. ENVIRONMENTALLY-FOCUSED OPERATION AND DESIGN: • A green roof vegetated with 18,000 plants insulating the building, slowing rain runoff and cooling the air through evaporation of water from leaves • Employee uniforms made of fabric derived from regenerated plastic bot- tles • An in-house water purification and container system that will divert 73,000 plastic bottles from landfills, save more than 104 barrels of oil, elimi- nate nearly 49 tons of CO2 emissions and save almost 605,000,000 BTUs of electricity each year • A state-of-the-art air transfer system which circulates outside air into guest rooms at 60 cubic-feet per minute • A hotel Bike Valet, featuring 150 bicycle parking spaces and complimentary Trek Bikes for guests to use • Complimentary parking for Hybrid vehicles • Complimentary weekday morning guest transportation via Hybrid vehicle FREQUENT-TRAVELER CONVENIENCES: • The Nook — complimentary private offices for guests, offering computers, printers, office supplies, teleconferencing, wireless Internet, and copy/fax access • Travel Lite, eliminating the hassle of having to pack toiletry essentials in TSA-approved plastic bags for airline carry- on purposes. With Travel Lite, hotel guests may pre-select from a menu of nominally-priced daily grooming essentials to be delivered to the room upon check-in • Desktop-on-Demand, the technology version of Room Service. Guests may have printers, disks, phone chargers, surge protectors, cables, keyboards and office supplies delivered to their rooms, which are already pre-outfitted with business essentials and electronic jack-packs • Guests who stay a minimum of four nights per month may enjoy Luggage-Less Travel, checking in their clothing and personal items and leaving them at the hotel at the end of each stay. Their items will be held for them until their next arrival or, for an optional added charge, their clothing can be cleaned and preferred personal toiletries replenished Other hotel amenities include a fully quipped Wellness Center offering an array of organic products and treatments, as well as several eateries. For reservations, visit www.ritzcarlton.com, call (800) 241-3333, or contact the hotel directly at (704) 547-2244. H O T E L H O T E L HAPPENINGS DALLAS WELCOMES FIFTH CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL After $14 Million in Renovations, Hotel Will Offer Exceptional Meeting Space, Restaurant, and Entertainment Options for Business Travelers IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, recently announced the Crowne Plaza Dallas Downtow will open shortly. The conversion hotel has undergone a $14 million renovation from the Hampton Inn Dallas-West End-Convention Center. "We're pleased to bring our fifth Crowne Plaza to the Dallas area, especially in such a convenient location for business