Westin and Hilton Center City will be top Democrats' headquarters; 6,500 conventioneers to be housed.
Larus
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State delegations to the Democratic National Convention get a key piece of information today: where they'll be staying.
Top-ranking convention and campaign players already know where they'll be in September - at the uptown Westin Charlotte and Hilton Center City hotels.
The hotels will share headquarters duties during the convention. They'll serve as the base of operations for the convention and national party staff, the Obama for America re-election campaign, and some elected officials.
They'll fill up the 700-room Westin, Charlotte's largest hotel, and part of the 400-room Hilton. The Hilton also will host some state delegations.
The 56 delegations representing the states and U.S. territories find out specifics today about where they'll stay. Typically at national conventions, delegations from the home state and influential swing states get plum hotel assignments.
In Charlotte, smaller delegations will share hotels, while large ones will be split up. All delegations will have their own ballroom or meeting-room space for their daily breakfast meetings, where they conduct business and host speakers.
Kelsey Larus, director of housing for the convention, thinks the 6,500 delegates and their accompanying parties will be happy.
"We really do have a good range to offer people," Larus said Monday. Many places in the city are brand new, she said.
Hotels will be adding jobs
Charlotte's selection last year for the convention drew criticism from national union leaders. They pointed out North Carolina's status as the nation's least-unionized state. Under North Carolina's right-to-work law, workers can't be forced to join unions or pay union dues.
Charlotte has no unionized hotels. Denver faced similar criticism in 2008, until workers unionized at one hotel prior to the convention. That hotel served as DNC headquarters during convention week.
Last fall, one national blog claimed that Charlotte's Ritz-Carlton hotel planned to furlough its staff and bring in union workers. The hotel and Democratic National Convention Committee denied the claim.
In Charlotte, Larus said, no hotel is being asked for staffing changes.
"(We need) the existing workforce to offer the best experience possible to convention attendees," Larus said.
The headquarters hotels expect they'll need more workers during the convention to handle the rush. Tom Manno, general manager at the Westin, said the hotel will supplement its staff of 350 with additional people from other hotels owned by its parent company, Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
Glenn Simon, Hilton general manager, said his site will add more employees to the staff of 175.
Security will be tight at the headquarters hotels. Simon and Manno say their staffs are ready, having already had plenty of visits and reviews from organizers.
The Westin recently renovated all its rooms. Simon expects the Hilton, last renovated in 2008, to draw rave reviews for the top-floor executive lounge.
"It's fun being on the global stage," Manno said. "Lots of challenges and lots of opportunities to create more pride."
15,000 rooms on hold
Delegates will stay in hotels within five zones: Uptown, Airport/Interstate 77, SouthPark, University and Concord.
The idea is to have delegates within 20 minutes or less of uptown. Shuttles will get them to the main venues, which include Time Warner Cable Arena on Sept. 4 and 5, and Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 6, where President Barack Obama will deliver his speech accepting the party's nomination. There's also a Labor Day event on Sept. 3 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Representatives from each state and territory delegation visited Charlotte hotels last fall and submitted their top three hotel picks. Larus said their choices were considered, as well as spending preferences, size, and meeting space. Lottery positions drawn last fall were tie-breakers if delegations wanted the same hotel.
Larus said some representatives for delegations may come back next week to talk to hotel general managers about beverage and food needs or to scout out nearby venues for events.
Overall, organizers have 15,000 hotel rooms at more than 150 hotels on hold. That includes lodgings in Salisbury, Rock Hill and Matthews. Those places are still in play to get business, Larus said. Thousands more rooms are needed for some media members, volunteers, speakers and others.
"We will be using all of our contracted rooms," she said. The entire area will see "a huge economic boost."
HEADQUARTERS HOTELS
Hilton Charlotte Center City
Where: 222 E. Third St.
Opened: 1990, originally as an Omni
Staff: 175
Floors: 22
Rooms: 400
Noteworthy: The top-floor executive lounge, with beautiful views of the city.
The Westin Charlotte
Where: 601 S. College St.
Opened: 2003
Staff: 350
Floors: 25
Rooms: 700
Noteworthy: Rooms feature the Westin's signature "Heavenly" bed and bath amenities.CELESTE SMITH
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