Round Holiday Inn to Return as Hotel Indigo Raleigh
One of the Capital City's most recognizable hotels makes a dramatic return in October with the opening of the Hotel Indigo Raleigh, a 204-room boutique hotel that reinvents a round Holiday Inn from 1969. With a $36 million renovation, the downtown property is designed to serve business and leisure travelers with redesigned rooms, a ground-floor cafe and gathering space, and modern meeting and hospitality amenities. As its crown jewel, a 19th-floor penthouse cocktail lounge and event venue will offer panoramic views of the downtown Raleigh skyline. The hotel, owned by Tidal Real Estate Partners and managed by Sage Hospitality Group, joins Hotel Indigos in Asheville and Winston-Salem as the brand's third North Carolina property. In May, the cylindrical structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places. At 186 feet, it reigned for as Raleigh's tallest building until 538-foot PNC Plaza arrived in 1977.
Catawba Two Kings Casino Targets 2027 Hotel Opening
After opening the first phase of a $1.25 billion complex in May, Catawba Two Kings Casino is proceeding with a 24-story, 385-room hotel at the Kings Mountain resort. The project's first phase replaced temporary gaming facilities with a permanent casino with 1,350 slots, 36 electronic table games, 22 traditional table games, a 68-seat restaurant and 18-seat bar, and sports betting kiosks. The stand-alone hotel is part of the next phase, which will take the operation to 2 million square feet and include 4,300 slot machines and 100 table games, 11 dining options, a sports bar and other beverage spots, and a players lounge. The target completion date is spring 2027.
1920s Motor Court to Return With Stylish Remake
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Tift Merritt partners with the Early Bird Night Owl hotel-restaurant management group on The Gables. The project reinvents a 1928 boarding house as an 18-room bohemian-style boutique hotel near downtown Raleigh. The new inn, which will include a coffee and cocktail bar, is booking stays starting in September.
Hotel to Give Minor League Stadium an Instant Claim to Fame
The Wilson Warbirds made their debut in April as a Single A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers in a stadium with forthcoming claim to fame: It will be the only US ballpark with a hotel within the stadium. The five-story, 116-room Home2 Suites by Hilton is rising on the third-base line at the Wilson Sports + Entertainment Complex, which is adjacent to downtown's reigning attraction: the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park. The property will feature a stadium-view beverage venue and a conference room overlooking the field with additional meeting and event space available. For fans, ballpark amenities include a 360-degree concourse, suites, a pair of party decks, a beer garden, and views of the towering whirligig sculptures, whose colorful components dance in the breeze. The hotel opens in December. The only other North American hotel inside a ballpark is the Toronto Marriott City Centre Hotel at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays play.
Historic Raleigh Shopping District Adds Destination Lodging
The Oberlin Raleigh, opening in late December, extends a welcome in option in a downtown-adjacent neighborhood known for shopping and dining. Amenities include a high-end restaurant and cocktail bar with city views, a large courtyard and soundstage for live music, a market-style café with breakfast service, and meeting and event space. Guests can cross the street to the Village District, the Southeast’s first shopping center, which remains a retail hub with destination shops. The 153-room Oberlin Raleigh will be the second North Carolina property in Hilton’s-upscale Curio Collection of indie hotels.
Century-Old Charlotte Tower to Find New Life as Hotel
A 17-story office building in the heart of Uptown Charlotte will find new life as The Beckworth Hotel, a 245-room luxury property. The hotel will feature a ground-floor restaurant and coffee shop, a 35,000-square-foot ballroom, and a rooftop bar with views of Romare Bearden Park. The Neoclassical steel-framed Johnston Building dates to 1924, when it was the Queen City’s tallest building. A 2027 opening is targeted.
Cary Complex Adds Staying Power With The Pagemore Hotel
Fenton, the stylish shopping-dining-entertainment development in Cary, will add a 186-room hotel with an Eastern Mediterranean restaurant to its offerings with fall 2027 targeted for the opening. The seven-story Pagemore Hotel at Fenton, part of Marriott's Tribute Portfolio, will be home to the signature Barouk restaurant featuring Levantine cuisine and terrace dining; The Lobby Bar; Frankie’s Daily Grind; and the Culinary Theatre for chef-led workshops and experiences. The Pagemore will also offer more than 6,000 square feet of event space. A partnership led by Florida-based Mainsail Lodging & Development, the hotel joins Crawford Brothers Steakhouse, M Sushi, Brewery Bhavana and other dining spots as well as a seven-screen movie house, social spaces and specialty shops.
New Pinehurst Lodging Arrives Along with New Course
With its new No. 11 course from Coore & Crenshaw set to debut in fall 2027, Pinehurst Resort will offer guests new accommodations beyond the fairways. The Cabin, an eight-bedroom option, is set to open in the summer with The Lodge, a 16-room addition, following around the time the new course swings into action. Surrounded by the Sandhills' rolling landscape and towering longleaf pines, the rustic and refined accommodations will be rooted in comfort, connection and the spirit of Pinehurst. The resort's current lodging options include the Carolina Hotel, the Holly Inn, the Magnolia Inn and The Manor plus villas, condos and cottages.
Winston-Salem School Charts a New Future With Hotel
The nation’s oldest educational institution for girls and women will transform a 1930 building into The Academy Hotel, an 86-room boutique property with a restaurant and bar, conference and meeting space, and 250-seat auditorium. Salem Academy and College’s partner for the conversion is Mayfair Hospitality Group, whose work includes remaking a 1928 Art Deco building as the Hotel Indigo Downtown Winston-Salem. Founded in 1772 as part of the Moravian town of Salem, the Academy and College is a neighbor of the Old Salem Museum & Gardens living history complex within the Old Salem Historic District. A 2027 opening is targeted for the hotel.
Omni to Rise in Raleigh as Convention Center Expands
Omni Hotels & Resorts plans to build a 27-story, 550-room hotel that will serve the expanding Raleigh Convention Center. The luxury hotel, targeted for a 2028 opening, will include a rooftop pool, Mokara spa, fitness center and multiple food and beverage outlets. In February, the city announced plans for a $425 million Convention Center expansion that will add 500,000 square feet of meeting space and double the center’s capacity. The Convention Center’s timeline is consistent with that of the Omni, a partnership with Preston Hollow Community Capital and Provident Resources Group.
Recent Openings Add Options for Stays
Here's a look at new accommodations and consummate restorations from recent months.
- The Balladeer Hotel, Mount Airy: Musical heritage is woven into the experience this 70-room boutique property downtown. The Marriott's Tribute Portfolio hotel, which opened in April, is part of the redevelopment of the historic Spencer's Mill industrial site in the city best known as Andy Griffith's hometown and the inspiration for Mayberry. Amenities include on-site dining at soon-to-open Fablewood restaurant, a self-serve wine bar, and event space in a property that references Mount Airy's musical heritage. Plans for the Spencer's Mill complex also include a convention center.
- Compass Hotel Beaufort. Margaritaville Resorts & Hotels has added the 103-room Compass Hotel Beaufort to the lodging options in this historic Intracoastal Waterway town. With its 103 rooms and marina, the hotel caters to boaters traveling along the nearby Cape Lookout National Seashore. Food and drink options include Sunrise at Compass and 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill plus snacks and beverages at the Welcome Cabana throughout the day. The Compass brand is designed to bring the flavor of Margaritaville's full-scale resorts to a more boutique concept.
- Lodge at Mount Mitchell, Burnsville. Albert's Lodge, a treasured landmark off the Blue Ridge Parkway, has returned. Originally known as Albert's Motel, the 10-room property dates to the late 1970s and for decades welcomed hikers and other travelers along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Burnsville. Sold weeks before Hurricane Helene hit in fall 2024, the Lodge at Mount Mitchell has undergone repairs plus a makeover to blend modern comfort with timeless mountain spirit in the midst of Pisgah National Forest. The rechristened lodge, which features kitchenettes, a fire pit and other amenities, is about 25 minutes from Mount Mitchell State Park, home of the highest peak in the East.
- The Jarrett House, Dillsboro. The stately 23-room inn is once again the talk of a town known for its artistic leanings and mountain setting. Its new owner has undertaken a meticulous restoration that honors a history dating to 1884 and the heyday of railroad hotels. In addition to individually appointed rooms with prized antiques, Jarrett House brings back a restaurant loved by locals as well as travelers for family-style meals with a true Southern focus. Also at the property: Hartbarger Hall, an event space with bar; the Bakery Cafe; and the 1884 Gallery, featuring handmade works that could have been made in the inn's early days.