Starwood Opens 300-Key Le Méridien Charlotte in Former Blake Hotel

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

Downtown Charlotte Skyline

Charlotte has welcomed the city’s first Le Méridien, with the opening of the 300-key Le Méridien Charlotte.

The property is located at 555 South McDowell Street, in the North Tower of the former Blake Hotel.

Similar to the recently-opened New Orleans Le Méridien, Le Méridien Charlotte is coming off of a multimillion dollar renovation.  The updated and converted hotel now features a modern, new façade; the brand’s signature Le Méridien Hub arrival area; the Evoke restaurant, Longitude Bar; and a state-of-the-art fitness center.

The downtown hotel features additional amenities which it shares with the 305-key Sheraton Charlotte Hotel, located in the South Tower of the former Blake Hotel. The shared amenities include over 55,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 16,000-square-foot Symphony Ballroom and the 8,000 square-foot Carolina Ballroom, an indoor pool and hot tub, and an outdoor seasonal pool.

The Sheraton Charlotte Hotel

Both Le Méridien Charlotte and the Sheraton Charlotte Hotel are franchised through Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and managed by Wischermann Partners, according to The Charlotte Observer. Starwood announced it intended to renovate and reposition The Blake Hotel in mid-2013. The hospitality giant announced it would open a Sheraton Charlotte Hotel and a Le Méridien location as part of a $20 million conversion project. The Sheraton Charlotte opened a month later, in August 2013.

Le Méridien Charlotte features 300 guestrooms with 18 suites, including three executive suites.

The Blake Hotel had been struggling for a while by the time Starwood announced its plan. During the 2012 Democratic National Convention, the downtown hotel faced complaints from convention delegates and had become somewhat of a punchline among DNC 2012 attendees, as reported by Charlotte Magazine.

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Image courtesy of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide