NDDomer86

I know this is a new property that literally just opened but have a stay coming up in a couple of days and wondering if anyone has stayed here yet. Thanks in advance.

seacloud2

It's a nice property, middle of downtown. The "whistles and bells"
opening is Wed. August 27, but the property is doing well already.
Raleigh is getting a new convention center opening in September,
about 2 blocks from the new Marriott.

NDDomer86

Answer to my own question:

Currently staying here, and while nice and new, can't say that I'm overly impressed, although I will certainly give it a second try after they get the kinks worked out.

Location: On the outskirts of downtown Raleigh conveniently walkable to restaurants, bars, etc. However, getting to the hotel can be a bit tricky as Fayetteville St doesn't connect to Fayetteville St so you cannot access the hotel via the Fayetteville St downtown (also there is a fair amount of construction in the area).

Building Upkeep: Obviously a very new property so the property is well maintained however, even being new, the windows are absolutely filthy on the outside even showing grime and markings from installment stickers.

Parking: The valet will tell you that the hotel offers self parking and valet parking, however only the valet parking includes in/out privileges ($18). Self-parking is not handled by the hotel itself and you must pay each time you leave the garage (maximum $12).

Platinum Benefits: Platinum status recognized at check-in, amenity offered, and upgraded to Concierge Level room on 16th floor. Platinum amenity delivered at time requested.

Room Quality: Nicely appointed and spacious room and bathroom. Large HD flat screen tv (with HD programming), plenty of lighting, wired and wireless internet (more on this later), large chair/ottoman, and roll out desk.

Concierge Lounge: Poor evening offerings but great desserts. Hor d'ouevres consisted of hot wings and European meats. Desserts were [delicious] brownies and an assortment of cookies.

Staff: Friendly enough but no follow up. Had major issues with the internet not connecting properly and it took two and a half hours to resolve the issue, with my speaking to numerous contacts (Front Desk Manager, AYS, Engineer, Guest-Tek [internet contractor]) and the issue is still not fully resolved. The Plug-n-Play panels are obviously not installed correctly as neither the hard-lined internet nor the power plugs on the panel work. After two and a half hours of repeating myself over and over to Guest-Tek consultants, the wireless finally works, however I received no apology, follow up, or any sort of apologetic offer from the FDM, AYS agents, or the Engineer with whom I spoke.

CMK10

I was at a show in Downtown Raleigh last night and I stopped by this hotel with some family and friends for a drink. The lobby and bar are a very nice and inviting space but the bar was really disappointing. At 11 PM on a Saturday they had no waitstaff and only three bartenders so they were horribly overwhelmed. They kept forgetting drinks we had ordered and my Dad's martini with a twist came with a lemon wedge stuck on the edge of the glass. Big

NDDomer86

Ironically, I was supposed to have a stay here last night, but cancelled and drove onward to Charlotte because of my mediocre last experience with the property...

dwcatty

Mrs. dwcatty and I have stayed here a couple of times on weekends to Raleigh. We've had positive experiences. I would recommend this property.

The room was nice; clean, comfortable bed, sufficient space in the bath for the two of us to work around the other. We did not use the internet, business center, bar or any other facilities. The location is a block from Memorial auditorium, across the street (and attached by an underground passage) from the civic center, and two blocks from the Red Hat ampitheater.

The lounge is closed on weekends but the front desk gave us breakfast certificates for the restaurant. One time we had two certificates for the full buffet and two for continental only, but our wait person treated the continental certificate as for the full. Ok. I did eat breakfast in the lounge on a business trip once and it was satisfactory.

We were able to park for free on the adjoining streets, once directly out front and other times a block away. On all occasions we have been out most of the evening returning between 9 and 11, so earlier may be different. The valet will let you leave your car out front for a few minutes while you check in.

We've had no issues, but then really all we were doing was sleeping after a long day, eating breakfast and moving on. We could have stayed at one of the Fairfields that dot Raleigh's perimeter, but the Marriott bed is just sooo much more comfortable. The property is ideal if you are doing anything at the convention center.

CMK10

Stay Report - 4/28 - 4/29

Location: The hotel is located on Fayetteville and Lenoir Streets in downtown Raleigh. The Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts is two blocks away. Nearby are the Wake County courthouses, the Raleigh Convention Center, a lot of dining and bars and several parks. RDU is a $16 Uber and about 18 miles away.

Hotel: The hotel is a massive building with 16 floors and over 400 rooms. Unfortunately, this can mean for really long waits for elevators, especially when the hotel is busy. There is no self park garage but they do have valet for $30 a day. The lobby is large and expansive with a good flow to it and it has a Starbucks inside as well as a large restaurant and bar.

Check In: A very frustrating experience. I arrived at 11:45 AM and was told by a manager that my room wasn't ready but it was being cleaned. I asked if I came back at 1:30 PM would it be ready. I was told yes, and in fact it would probably be ready earlier. I came back at 1:45 PM and was told they had no rooms by a different agent. I mentioned my earlier conversation and was told by the first agent that he had misspoken. At 2:30 PM I was finally able to get a room but it was a downgrade off the executive floor.

Room: Pretty basic. Not as nice as the newer style Marriott rooms. On the plus side the wifi worked fine, there were outlets next to the bed and there was a ton of hot water in the shower.







Lounge/Other: The lounge was open for breakfast from 6:30 AM to 10:00 PM. The lounge is not open for anything in the afternoon or evening on Fridays or Saturdays but does serve breakfast even on weekends. Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal, cereal, fruit, yogurt and breads. The lounge is fairly small and got crowded quickly. I had dinner in their restaurant, the Rye Kitchen, and it was pretty good. Service was good and while the menu is fairly inextensive, the food I did have was good.





One last note, the valet parkers spelled my name wrong despite me spelling it for them which meant they wouldn't get my car until I went back to the front desk to correct their error.

My rate here was $199/night, it's good if you need to be in downtown Raleigh but for what i paid I expected better service.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the update w/ pics. Much appreciated.

Cheers.