Hilton Charlotte University Place

or 28 guests in the Glenwaters Room. This room can hold a lot more people, but the way it was set up for our dinner buffet made perfect sense. Everything was set up at a comfortable distance so that we didn't feel crowded, nor did we feel the room size was too large. Amanda, our Event Planner, was wonderful to work with, and she can a "Can Do" attitude. Everything was set to our specifications and requests. The buffet staff efficiently removed empty plates off the guest tables. Kevin, our bartender, was especially good with the kids and even made them Shirley Temples. The Glenwater room is an irregular rather than boxy shape, which gives it more architectural interest. It also has a glass wall of windows that look out onto the manmade lake and fountain. Reserving a private banquet room at the Hilton made more sense than trying to get seating for 28 people at a restaurant. Instead, we had an intimate dining experience, just for our group. We were able to have a welcome introduction and prayer, and conversation from table to table without feeling rushed. They also piped in their "house sound" background music for us. The buffet food offerings were delicious. I especially recommend the green beans with toasted pecans, bacon, & carmelized onions (I love my veggies). The triple chocolate cake was the best chocolate cake that I have ever tasted. I have no hesitation in recommending the Hilton Charlotte University Place for your private party or event.

plated dinner/bar package The Hilton offered. We had 34 guests! To say we were very disappointed is an under statement. Maybe our affair was not big enough to be as important to The Hilton as it was to us, therefore the service was grossly lacking from the Hilton staff. These details were noted by management just a couple of weeks prior to the wedding So the notes were obviously either ignored by the staff or maybe they didn’t even get the notes. 1. No water in the lounge for the groom & best man from 2:30-4:00pm & no one from The Hilton staff even checked on them during this time to see if they needed anything! It was 90 degrees 2. Outside Ceremony. We (the entire wedding party) had to basically open the doors to get outside for the ceremony ourselves as the staff couldn’t locate any door stoppers & two people was not enough to open all 4 doors at the same time so we could get down the aisle. 3. Cocktail hour had no high top tables set up as discussed so my guests had to either stand with their plates, fork & drinks balanced with 2 hands or they located a few chairs/ sofa seats along the walls, still had to balance drinks, plates & forks. When 6 high top tables would have helped. 4. The Bartender was clearly NOT qualified to be a bartender at all! He obviously did not have any idea how to make drinks like a Long Island Iced Tea or a Cosmopolitan he could barely make the basics of drinks & it didn’t help that he did not have items to make drinks like seltzer/grenadine/triple sec. limes or cherries, so between the lack of mixers, garnishes & his lack of bartending knowledge this led to a disastrous bar. My guests could order only basic drinks, rum & coke or vodka & OJ. 1 guest ordered a Shirley Temple & he didn’t know what that was, so he gave her a Coke! Another guest asked for a vodka & Seltzer but he had no Seltzer!! We paid for a premium bar mind you and I expected a bartender with skills on how to make drinks along with the mixers available to make any drink anyone desired The bar ran out of beer an hour before the end of the reception!!! We paid for 5 full hours of a premium bar! Also we specifically told the catering manager NO TIP jar was to be placed upon the bar as my husband I would tip The Hilton staff as we did not want our guests to feel obligated to tip. However this bartender had to be told numerous times to removed the tip glass! This was after I personally told my 34 guests NOT to tip the bartender after he collected numerous tips during the cocktail hour. 5. Toast time: Upon me having to ask the captain to get the champagne out, the Champagne had to be rushed out as the best man’s toast was about to be said, as it was supposed to be pre-set for toast! 6. No water station set up in the reception area like requested. 7. The Wait staff was not attentive enough. I had to physically track down a waiter to fill my glass. The staff mostly stood around watching the dance floor & not being very attentive to water glasses. 8. Cake time: No cake plates on the cake table. I (the bride) had to ask for them to be placed out! My husband & I were extremely disappointed that we entrusted The Hilton with our small and intimate wedding as we could have chosen so many other places in Charlotte to have been wed.

appy that we decided to go with the Hilton. It was really a great experience!!

y of the wedding. Went well: - beautiful hotel (we stay there all the time) - the wedding coordinator - the food was delicious (although they took mine and my grooms meals away to quickly) -ceremony & reception back up space (it rain...moved in from the dock) -bridal suit Opportunities: -the bartender was AWFUL and rude to the guests. I had to tell her twice to remove a tip jar. Our tip was included in the overall price of the open bar. -ask a lot about the premium bar list. I was under the impression (since it was in writing), that true premium alcohol was included...NOT -they will not book other weddings during the same timeframe, but it was prom time, and the hotel did very little about keeping prom guests out of our cocktail hour space.