The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge Awarded 2011 Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Rating

Nov. 18, 2010 - PRLog -- The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge has been honored again by Forbes Travel Guide with several Forbes Four-Star Awards for 2011, including The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge, Gallery Restaurant and The Spa at Ballantyne. Defining the industry’s highest standard for excellence in hospitality for more than fifty years, Forbes Travel Guide is the originator of the prestigious star rating system and provider of one of the most comprehensive evaluation systems of hotels, restaurants and spas in the world. Charlotte’s only hotel to be awarded, The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge’s complete review can be found online at www.forbestravelguide.com.  

Continuing to meet Forbes’ bar-setting service standards, The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge is one of 167 Four-Star hotels in North America. Gallery Restaurant is one of 152 Four-Star restaurants in North America. The Spa at Ballantyne is one of 108 Four-Star spas in North America.

“We are honored to be recognized again by Forbes Travel Guide for our continuous efforts to provide exceptional service. Our team is dedicated to delivering the best overall experience to our guests each and every day,” said Adriaan Radder, General Manager of The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge.

“We are delighted to announce this year’s Four- and Five-Star winners, demonstrating the rich diversity among outstanding experiences that define the best of the best hotels, restaurants and spas worldwide,” said Shane O’Flaherty, President and CEO of Forbes Travel Guide. “As in years past, the 2011 Star Rated properties share an uncompromising commitment to the highest standards of guest service, luxurious accommodations and unique, memorable experiences; as the Forbes Travel Guide brand grows worldwide, we are pleased to include a geographically broader, yet ever more selective, group of properties to the list.”

About The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge
The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge, part of Starwood’s The Luxury Collection, is a Forbes Four-Star and AAA Four-Diamond award-wining hotel located in Charlotte, NC. Featuring 214 elegant guest rooms, The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge also offers a four-bedroom Cottage and a Lodge group retreat with 36 spacious guest rooms. Guests can enjoy meeting and event facilities, spa, fitness, indoor and outdoor pools, golf, Dana Rader Golf School, tennis and dining at Gallery Restaurant.  For the past two years, The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge has received the Tiffany Trophy, an annual award presented by The Luxury Collection to the hotel or resort with the highest overall guest satisfaction score in North America. The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge ranked among the top business hotels in the U.S. and Canada in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Business Hotels 2007 readers’ survey. The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge is owned by The Bissell Companies. For information and reservations, please contact The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge toll-free at (866) 248-4824, or visit the website at www.theballantynehotel.com. Become a fan of The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge at www.facebook.com/ballantynehotel or follow The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge at www.twitter.com/ballantynehotel.

About The Luxury Collection
The Luxury Collection® brand, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Inc., is an elite group of distinctive properties ranging from imperial palaces to romantic hideaways, from historical landmarks to tropical resorts, recognized as some of the finest hotels in the world. To sophisticated travelers worldwide, The Luxury Collection delivers the finest hotel experiences through their unparalleled attention to their guests’ needs and preferences, their exceptional and distinctive properties and seamless integration of the customs, culture and environment of each property’s locale. There are over 50 The Luxury Collection hotels and resorts in more than 25 countries, each reflecting the true essence of the destination.

About Forbes Travel Guide
Forbes Travel Guide, formerly Mobil Travel Guide, originator of the prestigious Mobil Star ratings and certifications, has provided the most comprehensive ratings and review of hotels, restaurants and spas since 1958. In October 2009, Mobil Travel Guide announced a strategic partnership with Forbes Media LLC. This exclusive licensing agreement between two industry leaders with more than 140 years of combined experience transfers the hospitality industry’s premier star rating and travel guide brand from ExxonMobil to Forbes. Forbes Travel Guide has a team of expert inspectors who anonymously evaluate properties against rigorous and objective proprietary standards, providing consumers the insight to make better-informed travel and leisure decisions.

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The Bissell Companies, located in Charlotte, NC, is a collection of organizations that engage in development of office, medical, flex and hotel product, office leasing and management, hotel management, golf management and instruction, and spa services.