Hotel Check: Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel Charlotte
PROPERTY HIGHLIGHTS: Some of the city’s most refined and contemporary rooms are in this relative uptown newcomer. Plus, its rooftop bar and lounge draw local crowds for incredible city skyline views and craft cocktails.
HOW MANY ROOMS? 217 rooms and suites
WHERE IS IT? Located in the heart of uptown (what Charlotte calls its downtown), this is one of the city’s newest hotels. It is located across from the city’s baseball stadium, within walking distance of the basketball arena and football stadium, and just blocks from corporate offices and fine dining or entertainment. The hotel has a house Maserati SUV that can take guests anywhere within a three-mile radius of the property free of charge. Talk about arriving to your meeting or dinner event in style!
WHAT’S IT LIKE? This is the city’s new top dog outclassing the larger Westin and older, boutique Dunhill Hotel. Kimpton is known for its big-scale amenities in cleverly designed and regionally inspired hotels. The Tryon Park property easily fits the bill. Now under the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) umbrella, Kimpton honors elite-status perks for frequent IHG guests (this usually comes in the form of a handy $10 minibar credit).
ROOM FACILITIES: Bright and modern with floor-to-ceiling windows providing entertaining and active city views, these rooms are catered to the tech-savvy and fashion-conscious. Lively and colorful artwork fills the public spaces and guest rooms. Soft carpeting underfoot leads arrivals to plush, pillowtop mattresses with thick duvets and bedside power and USB outlets. Wide desks add more work space, important in this financial hub. Marble bathrooms have Atelier Bloem toiletry products on the vanities, and dispensed via pump bottles in the large glass shower stalls. Many rooms add tubs, and the suites tack on sumptuous living areas with wet bars ideal for hosting small get-togethers.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS: Angeline’s is the main restaurant serving three meals a day. At breakfast, the menu is mostly continental, but lunch and dinner transition to hearty Italian fare with pizza from the wood-burning oven and homemade pasta dishes that attract local business folk. The rooftop bar is named Merchant & Trade and has quickly made a name for itself as one of the most hopping places for happy hour and evening cocktails. Each evening, Kimpton’s signature social hour draws guests down from their rooms for light bites and a glass of wine or craft beer on the house. Before heading out for the day, the lobby perks up early risers with complimentary coffee and tea.
LEISURE FACILITIES: As at other Kimptons, rooms stock yoga mats, and guests can borrow designer bikes from reception to get around town. A fitness center is well-stocked, but since guests can bring their pets during their stay, why not take them for a walk around town?
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES: Wireless Internet is free for all guests, and 13,000 square feet of meeting and conference space draws small-to-medium sized groups.
VERDICT: Kimpton properties seem to have it all. A plump array of included perks and benefits, design-conscious accommodations and public areas that pay homage to the local area, and partnership in a global loyalty program, IHG Rewards. In uptown Charlotte, you can’t top this boutique experience.
PRICE: Internet rates for a traditional room start at $151 on the random dates we checked.
CONTACT:Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel, 303 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28202. Phone 704-445-2626.
