Weekend In Charlotte: Hyatt Summerfield Suites

• Introduction
• Embassy Suites Charlotte
• Hyatt Summerfield Suites Charlotte Airport
• Renaissance Suites Charlotte Airport

So I'm finally getting around to posting my experience from my stay at one of the few Summerfield Suites in the Country.  I've had long term assignments in many cities, and there have also been times where an extended stay hotel is just a better value than the other options from the other chains.  I've stayed months at Residence Inns, Homewood Suites, and even tried out Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, and even Home2 Suites.  Thus when I was in Charlotte at the beginning of May, I decided to try out Summerfield Suites just to get a feel for what the extended stay options were.  

Check-In

I checked in shortly after 1am.  It was a long day, and as is common for extremely late check-ins, there were issues with the reservation that took about 5 minutes to sort out and get things reset.  Fortunately after that the rest of the stay was easy, and as a benefit from the computer issues, the points ended up being returned to my Hyatt account.

The Room

The room had one of the nice couches that you find at Hyatt Place, great for lounging and perfect for if you need somebody to crash on the couch because there is not enough bed space and you are trying to do the hotel on the cheap.

The bedroom is a fairly standard extended stay bedroom (or NYC hotel room for that matter), small but enough room for the bed, closet, and a place to put your luggage.  The bed was comfortable and I got a few comfortable hours of sleep.

The kitchen is one of the most important parts of an extended stay hotel.  Unfortunately, that is one area where this property really falls short.  While the main facilities for cooking are fine, the refrigerator is a joke for an extended stay hotel.

Yes, that refrigerator is under the counter.  In a regular hotel room, that refrigerator would not be a problem, but if I was staying there for weeks on end and cooking in my room, it is a serious problem.  One of the reasons I like to stay at an extended stay hotel is that I can go stock up on items and not have to go grocery shopping during the trip, which includes multiple days where I am going to cook dinner, or even have a few nights worth of pizza.  That refrigerator struggles to hold the average medium sized pizza and will not hold a large pizza box.

Hotel Facilities

The pool is located in the central courtyard outside.  Nothing real special, I've seen better and I've seen worse.  The breakfast buffet was a wonderful experience.  Unfortunately I was in too much of a rush to get some pictures, but it is one of the best extended stay breakfast buffets, and selection wise competes with Embassy Suites, except for the fact that your eggs are not cooked to order.  Another nice thing is that unlike most hotels, they offer the local paper even on Sundays, so you can enjoy a nice read no matter what day of week it is.

The Area

The hotel is a good distance from the airport, and is not convenient to many resturaunts.  If you are needing convenient dining, the best option is the Omaha Steakhouse at the Embassy Suites, or getting in a car and making a drive into Charlotte.  

Summary

A decent property, good for stays of a few days.  I would not recommend this for any real long term stay because of the refrigerator deficiency in the kitchen area.