Calling The Aloft Hotel at the Charlotte International Airport (CLT) an “airport hotel” is a bit of a stretch. It takes a 15-minute ride on a shuttle bus to reach. You’re definitely not going to be able to walk to it (unless you’re a total badass).
That said, it is one of the closest hotels to CLT that you’re going to find. And it’s a pretty nice one too. I didn’t mind the 15-minute drive all that much once I realized just how good of a value it really is.
My full review of the Aloft Charlotte Airport
This was my fourth stay at an Aloft hotel. The Aloft PHX was pretty nice. The Aloft PDX was even nicer. The Aloft at SFO? It was okay. Long story short: The one at CLT is the best of them all so far.
Location
So yeah. It’s not exactly close to the airport (3928 Memorial Parkway). The only way to reach it from the airport is via a shuttle bus, a taxi, or an Uber.
Fair warning about the shuttle bus: you have to call the hotel if you want them to pick you up. The shuttle buses don’t run on a regular pickup schedule.
The lobby (and checking in)
Checking in at any Aloft is an experience. Let me rephrase that: checking in might suck, but the lobby will likely blow you away with its hip and social vibe.
There was only one person working the front desk when I arrived. That person was also responsible for answering the phone when it rang. Long story short, people on the phone have priority over guests waiting to check in (in person). I felt ignored. But what else is new?
Getting to my room
I somehow managed to score a top floor room for this one night stay. Getting to it was fairly uneventful, as the hotel didn’t seem all that busy that evening. That phone at the front desk sure was ringing off the hook though.
Room overview
If you’ve stayed at any Aloft hotel anywhere in the world, you’ve essentially stayed at them all. The decor is nearly the same from property to property. The layout of the rooms is fairly similar as well. This was one of the largest rooms that I’ve ever had at an Aloft.
As basic as the room was, I liked it quite a bit. It was simple. Extremely well designed. And very clean. There were neat little trinkets and design details all over the place:
The view
You’re not going to see the airport, that’s for sure. You might see an airplane taking off in the distance, but the view is pretty benign other than that.
Depending on which direction your room is facing, you’re either going to be looking directly into someone’s backyard, or at the back of a shopping center.
The bathroom
Even though the room was fairly similar to what I’ve experienced at other Aloft properties, the bathroom was a lot different. It was broken into two individual rooms. My favorite was the huge ‘poop ‘n wash’ room.
All the pros and cons of the Aloft CLT experience
The TLDR of this entire review is that I’ve yet to find an Aloft property that is better than this one. And if it’ll help, imagine me standing directly in front of you holding two thumbs up (with an ear to ear grin on my face). That’s how much I liked it.
Pros
- It’s an extremely clean property. Spotless!
- I liked how quiet it is. It’s located away from the main road (and adjacent to residential property), so you’re not going to hear all that much.
- I liked the ginormous bathroom (at least the part where the toilet and shower were).
Cons
- It’s so far away from the airport that it’s right on the borderline of being able to call it a legitimate airport hotel.
- They seemed a bit understaffed while I was there. It took a while to check in, and the on-site Cafe closed very early.
- Catching a ride on the shuttle bus from the airport is a bit of a chore (because you have to call).
