The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge

It’s a fantastic hotel, in one of Charlotte’s more upscale communities, without question. But a resort, no way! In my mind, to qualify as a resort, there should be mountains, desert, an ocean or a combination of these three just outside or at least in clear view-not a busy roadway with bumper-to-bumper traffic during rush hour or the entrance to a freeway a block away. Somehow, they seem to detract or disqualify that “resort” part of the hotel’s description. But, nonetheless, it’s an awesome property, with great staff, ambience and a wonderful restaurant and amenities that meet all of the qualifications of a luxury hotel. We loved it, highly recommend it and will always stay here when we’re in the area. The hotel is surrounded by lots of great restaurants, boutiques and stores and they offer a shuttle, which makes them convenient to visit without moving your car. Inside, the general areas throughout the property were immaculate, service was top notch (except the phone in our room didn’t work which made it difficult to order room service or contact the front desk) and the great lawn or park (as they called it!!) was a wonderful place to sit and relax.or just enjoy some time outside. The beds are comfy, shower pressure was good and the room amenities were what you’d expect (slippers, bathrobes and small toiletries) were what you’d expect. So, don’t be put off by the title of this review! It’s 5 star luxury in every respect! But, when you stand at your window and see bumper-to-bumper traffic and an interstate highway entrance within walking distance, even though the hotel is relatively quiet inside, reality causes that “resort” theme to disappear quickly.

We loved our first stay at The Ballantyne. The hotel, rooms and grounds are lovely. The staff is gracious, friendly and helpful. The restaurants are terrific. The Ballantyne is a gem!

The resort itself is lovely. Every employee I encountered was friendly and helpful. The meals we had there were excellent, particularly the burgers at the pool. Ah, the pool. They make it look like a big, beautiful oasis. It's not. We arrived at the resort at about noon on a Friday and the pool was PACKED. There were no chairs available. They have about 200 rooms and maybe, MAYBE, 80 chairs. We decided to try the 'indoor' pool. This would have been somewhat enjoyable had there been some chairs available on the deck area outside the indoor pool, but no. So we basically sat in our room all of Friday afternoon because the pools were full. We got up early on Sat and secured 2 chairs at about 830AM. Mind you, the pool was already 75% full at 830AM. There were the usual rude a-holes who put a towel down at 8 and then go back to bed. This practice needs to be policed IMO. I will say they did have 2 people taking names and trying to get guests seated at the pool. I do not consider this a 'luxury' experience. Securing a chair at the pool at a 'luxury resort' in July shouldn't feel like The Hunger Games. The music out there was great tho. 80's rock and pop. At 1PM they started the live music. It was awful. Talk about depressing. I'll never stay there again.

Booked a day at the spa. What a waste of money! I get a better pedicure at my local nail salon! Not professional and over promised under delivered. Room was a mess with electrical cords all over the place, cabinet doors open, loud conversations among employees. The facial was okay, but the provider had nothing positive to say to me. Won’t go back.

We have travelled a lot and the Ballantyne stands out from the rest. Pricey- but you get what you pay for. Plenty of parking. Extensive choices for eating and drinking. Service from all staff was impeccable. Concierge staff were at the top of their game- day & night. Perfect mattresses and attention to detail everywhere you looked. It was a perfect wedding venue befitting the celebration of marriage between two outstanding young military officers.