First Look at Hotel Indigo Raleigh

First look at Hotel Indigo Raleigh

Downtown Raleigh’s most iconic building is entering a new era. Originally slated for demolition, the affectionately dubbed “hair curler” got a chance at a second life after it was acquired by Tidal Real Estate Partners in 2021. And come October, the longtime landmark will reopen as a 204-room boutique Hotel Indigo following a $36 million renovation that honors its backstory while bringing it firmly into the present.

While the former round Holiday Inn’s exterior was preserved to a tee from its original 1969 design, every aspect of the interior will be almost unrecognizable—from the parking deck to the lobby and guest rooms to the 20th-floor bar.

“It’s quite a specific building, with a lot of idiosyncrasies,” maintains Tidal Principal Eyal Einik. “And what we tried to do is explore ways to promote them and have them come through in the design while at the same time bringing everything in the interior up to what a modern traveler would be looking for.”

Crowning the renovation is the new public-facing 20th-floor cocktail bar and gathering space managed by Denver-based Sage Hospitality Group—which will dish food, including breakfast, and local brews—plus a private dining area and flexible event space, all serving up views unlike anything else in the city. And while Tidal toyed with the idea of making the space into a larger restaurant, notes Einik, keeping the event venue was an important decision for both the hotel and the community. 

“Talking to folks that have lived in Raleigh for a long time, the story more often than not was something like ‘I had my prom up there,’ or ‘I went to a friend’s wedding up there,’” he reflects. “We just felt like we couldn’t lose that.”

But how you pull up has gotten a modern upgrade. Rather than arriving by car via the ’60s drive-up entrance, the lobby is reconfigured to open up onto Hillsborough Street, with guests entering through a striking glass entrance—while parking will now be valet only. A new lush courtyard with seating will give both guests and locals another place to linger—think local vendors slinging drinks from an Airstream in the summertime and other events.

Einik reassures that though the inside of the hotel has been dramatically transformed, it will still be very much Raleigh—bringing the icon into the modern era while still nodding to its OG flair. “The location is a pillar of the brand,” he says, also noting that it won’t just be a pastiche of what a 1960s hotel is.

You’ll see those idiosyncrasies in the furniture, which echo the original design; the new coffered ceiling referencing the building’s architecture; and geometric patterns in carpeting that speak to the organization of the rooms—in addition to a largely locally rooted art program (see sidebar) and pantry featuring local vendors. 

“The goal was to bring as much of Raleigh into the hotel and let the building speak for itself,” emphasizes Einik. “We just tried to pick out little moments that let design decisions influenced by the hotel, the city and the neighborhood float through.”

The result is a hotel that feels familiar and entirely new at the same time—preserving what Raleigh loved about the landmark while reimagining nearly everything else. And with Hotel Indigo’s primo location in one of DTR’s most rapidly changing corridors, the hotel is poised to become a destination once again.

“Every bit of that building has been reimagined,” reiterates Einik, “and we’re just really excited to share that with everyone and see how surprised everybody is going to be when they walk through those front doors.”

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House Guests 

From guest rooms to public spaces, Hotel Indigo’s art collection is almost entirely homegrown. Meet a few of the NC artists checking in.

Guest Rooms:

• Josie George (Elkin)
• Skillet Gilmore (Raleigh)
• Jeiel Shamblee (Wake Forest)

Public Spaces:

• Caitlin Cary (Raleigh)
• Darrell Dean (Winston-Salem)
• Gabe Fonorow (Kernersville)
• Katie Hatfield (Durham)
• Micah Mullen (Raleigh)

Timeline

Full Circle

• 1969: Raleigh’s iconic round Holiday Inn opens
• 2000s–early 2010s: The DTR fixture operated as a Clarion Hotel
• 2012: A Miami developer renovated the hotel and brought it back under Holiday Inn management.
• 2021: Tidal Real Estate Partners acquires the property, initially planning to demolish it.
• June 2025: Tidal pivots its plans, saving the structure and converting it into a Hotel Indigo. 
• Dec. 2025: The building is officially designated a historic landmark.
• Oct. 2026: Hotel Indigo slated to open