Umstead Hotel, Cary, NC: An outstanding stay with a few check-in/out hiccups

100   Recommended
Room 233 , Premier Room (entry level...
October 20, 2016 by EXPERT

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The Umstead Hotel and Spa
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Room 233

Premier Room (entry level...

Liked:
Location
Service
Food
Amenities
Room
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Room
Premier Room (entry level)

I had always wanted to stay at the Umstead, and finally got my chance earlier this week with a 2 night stay for meetings in nearby Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh. 

My stay was brilliant. The property is comparable to a very good city/suburban Four Seasons in terms of decor, amenities, service, and food/beverage. Aside from 2 minor hiccups with check-in and check-out, I was mightily impressed and had an almost flawless stay.

Check In

Check in and check out clearly are the weak points for this property. On arrival, I walked in and waited 10 minutes for anyone to appear at reception. I tried to get the bellman's help, but he was occupied, and there was no one in the vicinity of reception to assist. 

Finally, a receptionist appeared and took care of my check-in. She could tell I was annoyed by waiting and perhaps was a bit haughty to me in defensiveness for her or someone else not being where they were supposed to be. Otherwise, check-in was fine. I was told I'd have to call the last morning for a late check-out request.

Room

My Premier Room (#233) was towards the end of the 2nd floor hallway. It was a great room. Spacious for 1 person, pretty spacious even had there been 2 (though I might have liked a bigger room were I with my husband). 

The entry was nice and well lit:

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The room really was spacious and comfortable and very well appointed:

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View outside:

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Bath area was spacious and with plenty of closet space (not shown):

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All in all, I really found the room very comfortable and appealing. The bed was great, soft and plush. The air con worked very well, holding a pretty constant temp of 66 F even though it was quite hot (80+ F) outside. The room was completely blacked out for sleeping with great heavy shades. The shower pressure was great. Not a single complaint, really!

 

Service

Aside from the hiccups with check-in and check-out, service was exemplary. Everyone was incredibly warm, welcoming, and eager to assist, from the bellmen, housekeeping, room service attendant, room service delivery, bar, etc. 

The in room dining service really was extraordinary. They got it right--100%--both mornings. That's a rarity for me. I asked for extra Splenda, extra heated syrup, a side of salsa for my scrambled egg whites, warmed butter, and they delivered EXACTLY that. The first deliverer even apologized because she sightly spilled a tiny bit of my juice. It was incredible room service, the equal I've not had often outside an Aman or Peninsula or top StR/FS hotel, to be honest.

Service at the bar was equally outstanding. 

And housekeeping service was so detail oriented, they even wrapped up my charger cord--this was adorable and memorable:

 

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Dining

My room service was wonderful. The banana pancakes were so good, I ordered them both mornings, even though I rarely eat so heavy. The homemade salsa they "whipped up" per my request was also delicious. Not a single complaint about room service, which is the only dining I did at the hotel.

 

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Location

The location for me was perfect, just a short 5 min drive to my client location (I could have walked in 20 min but it was too hot!), 10 min drive from my close friends, about 20-25 min drive into Chapel Hill, 15 min drive into Durham, and 15 min into Raleigh. It also was just 5-10 min drive to the RDU airport!

Overall

What a wonderful hotel stay! This was a surprising highlight of my business trip. I am a UNC grad, so I almost always stay in Chapel Hill (at the Carolina Inn or the Frankling Hotel). But the Umstead was so amazing that I might have to reconsider for the future!

Highly recommended!

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