Are you one of those crazies who get up at the crack of dawn to haul out for Black Friday shopping? Honestly, we’re more the online shopping types — fewer black eyes, more time spent in PJs. But leave it to the new Ritz-Carlton Charlotte to make even that sound luxe.

In fact, their L3 shopping package — “Laptops, Lounging and Libations” — makes us think we’ve been doing something seriously wrong. Designed for Black Friday cyber shoppers, the package includes an extended one-night stay and a private special online shopping lounge, on the 15th floor, that offers free Internet, hand and wrist massages, holiday cocktails and champagne, and light snacks to last from 12:01 a.m.

When you think of the Fillmore the first thing that pops into your head is sparkling chandeliers, thick ruby curtains, a wooden dance floor and legendary shows. The legendary auditorium on Fillmore and Geary hosted *everyone* in the sixites, and when it was reopened in the eighties it didn't skip a beat. We have been lucky enough to see plenty of shows at the SF Fillmore, thus when we heard Charlotte was opening a new Fillmore in June of 2009 we were anxious to check it out.

Charlotte is a millennial city in every way and in the midst of a ten year boom, so it makes perfect sense that the Fillmore brand chose the Queen City as a key spot for Fillmore brand expansion.

Devoted readers know just how much we like to hype new hotels — and, well, chronicle their delays and opening flubs. But what it boils down to is that we love new hotels, and we especially love new hotels that open on time.

And so with that we offer congratulations to the Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte, which successfully opened today, as planned (albeit a very long time coming)! And even better: When we called to check on availability, we found out the 146-room hotel is all sold-out tonight and through the weekend. (Just don't break out the confetti — remember, this place is all about the green scene.)

In fact, the first day the

Earlier this month we told you about the green spa at the coming-soon Ritz-Carlton Charlotte (set to open Oct. 1!). The latest word from the North Carolina city’s first Ritz? The hotel also claims five “business travel firsts” to help stressed-out, working travelers feel at home.

1. The Nook, located on the hotel’s executive floor, will offer fully equipped, free private offices, complete with desktop computers, printers, office supplies, teleconferencing equipment, Wi-Fi, copy/fax machine access, and even tech help. This is in addition to the hotel’s full 24-hour biz center.

Not only is the long-awaited Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte opening Oct. 1 with $199 rates, but the place seems genuinely committed to the environment in an “it’s easy to be green” sort of way. A first for both the city and the brand, the hotel has been built using LEED practices and also features an eco-friendly new spa called the Wellness Center.

The 13,000-square-foot, bi-level penthouse spa will use all-organic products and services and four oversize treatment rooms, complete with Tempur-Pedic memory foam bed-tops, a complete Fitness Center with personal TVs (hmm…not sure how green that is!), a sunlit movement studio with floor-to-ceiling windows, and an Aqua Lounge with saline-treated swimming pool and whirlpool.

The Intimidator has already risen again. Just a few weeks after the announcement of a new record setting Dale Earnhardt themed coaster, another theme park in the south wants a piece of the NASCAR action. Carowinds, just outside of Charlotte, has revealed the details on their biggest and baddest roller coaster yet.

This new thriller is different than the initial Earnhardt ride, so coaster fans from across the country will have a couple new things to test out for the 2010 season. This ride will climb to 232 feet tall, and then pretty much drop you right back down, as the first drop is 211 feet towards the ground. Of course after that they’ll be plenty of twists, turns, and drops that will make anyone regret that corn dog that they had before boarding. Although not quite racecar speeds, the coaster will hit 75 MPH, which is not too shabby.

Woohoo! The much-hyped upcoming Ritz-Carlton Charlotte hotel is on its way. Finally. Like, the plans to build this thing were announced in 2005. And it is so on its way, in fact, that it begins taking reservations today for stays beginning October first!

According to the Charlotte Observer:

The 18-story, environmentally friendly luxury hotel will offer 146 rooms, a 13,000-square-foot “Wellness Center with Aqua Lounge,” a saline-treated swimming pool and a streetside BLT Steak restaurant.

For a while, the hotel was going to be called "Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte at Bank of America Corporate Center" — Bank of America owns the actual property — but, uh, someone did the right thing and got B of A

Despite the slowdown in the travel industry and flight capacity cuts, US Airways is moving forward with a new route to Honolulu. Beginning on December 17—ideal timing for Christmas vacations—the airline will be sending a Boeing 767 all the way to Hawaii from Charlotte. This will be the airline’s longest nonstop flight from its North Carolina hub, with the 10-hour flight easily beating out trips to Europe.

Tickets are available now, and if you really want to get on the very first trip, it looks like it will set you back about $964. We’d look for a better deal, since there probably won’t be too much fanfare to celebrate this inaugural voyage. At least it leaves at 9:45am, so you’ll be able to kick-off your tropical trip when you arrive at 2:59 pm Hawaii time.

Our biggest concern with this new plan is that it’s a really lengthy flight on an airline not known for their in-flight amenities. Remember that they just recently reversed their position on charging for drinks. And a quick reference check of our handy dandy in-flight entertainment guide reveals that we’ll be struggling with an overhead movie and 10 channels of rad music—if we’re lucky.

At least once the plane lands in the Aloha State, all will be well with the world—until you fly home.

Related Stories:
· US Airways To Offer A Nonstop Flight To Hawaii [Charlotte Observer]
· Sip Pre-Flight Mai Tais Upstairs In Delta's Newish 747 To Hawaii [Jaunted]
· Airline News coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: John Creasey]

When we are away from the Jaunted office, there’s a short list of things we look for in a hotel stay. We want something that’s comfortable, clean, and accessible to whatever we’re in town for. We’ll leave all the fancy pants stuff up to our sister site, Hotel Chatter; they’re way better at that than we are.

On our recent Charlotte Field Trip, we got to try out Hyatt’s new offering—Hyatt Place—and we were really digging it, so much so that we’re willing to trade in our usual love for Courtyard by Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn. From now on, when it comes to a somewhat budget friendly business lodging, we say go Hyatt or go home.

On your next layover in Charlotte, don't be afraid to check out the city if you have the time. There’s a lot more to do than to just chill out on those rocking chairs between the terminals. Here are some tips for getting around quickly.

A trip to Charlotte isn’t all about checking out different neighborhoods and fooling around on the light rail. It’s serious work that creates some serious hunger, and we knew we wanted to check out the Queen City’s pizza scene while we were in town. Obviously, the city isn’t a place know for their pizza, but we did discover a few shining stars.