Raleigh’s Hotel Boom Is Here

Check-in time has arrived in Raleigh—but it’s about much more than high-end hotels.

By Melissa Howsam & Lauren Kruchten

We’ve been saying it for years—and for good reason. Raleigh’s hotel boom is coming. But it isn’t just a random flurry or a lust for the suite life. It’s about building an identity.

Plans for a new crop of boutique, luxury and full-service hotels have steadily stacked up across DTR, promising more rooms, more rooftop bars and, finally, the upscale stays Raleigh has long lacked.

A robust hotel inventory is part of the infrastructure a city needs to compete for the major sporting events, conventions and marquee attractions that put it on the national stage—and bring thousands of visitors along with them, Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance Director Tori Collins tells RM. And it’s a formula Raleigh has already seen pay off: The 2023 NHL Stadium Series weekend generated $20.1 million in economic impact, while this year’s Stanley Cup Final delivered another $13.4 million and more than 6,700 hotel room-nights across Wake County.

And check-in time has arrived as several of those long-awaited projects are now opening, while still more are under construction or taking very real shape. The iconic round Holiday Inn debuted its second act as Hotel Indigo. The Oberlin is nearing its reveal in the Village District. The long-planned Omni is moving forward alongside the convention center expansion. And White Lodging is preparing to transform Downtown’s Sheraton into a Westin—adding yet another major player to Raleigh’s growing hospitality roster.

And that’s just the confirmed reservations. From a planned upscale hotel at City Gateway to boutique projects and potential stays tucked into some of Raleigh’s biggest mixed-use developments, the next wave is already checking in behind them.

Because this boom isn’t only about where visitors stay—it’s about creating a city they want to stay in.

HOTEL INDIGO RALEIGH
Capital District

Now open

Downtown Raleigh’s iconic “hair curler” Holiday Inn is finally getting new life. Marking a new chapter as Hotel Indigo Raleigh, the 204-room DTR fixture just unveiled a $36 million transformation that brings it into the modern age while preserving its unmistakable circular nee-1969 exterior.

While almost no aspect of the interior has gone untouched, Tidal Real Estate Partners Principal Eyal Einik emphasizes the design intentionally harkens back to the hotel’s ’60s heyday—from new coffered ceilings referencing the building’s architecture and geometric carpeting inspired by its circular room configuration to a largely locally rooted art program.

“The location is a pillar of the brand,” he says. “The goal was to bring as much of Raleigh into the hotel and let the building speak for itself.”

Its crowning glory: 20th-floor cocktail lounge and event venue High Ground—creating a new perch for Raleighites and out-of-towners to sip, dine and gather from a vantage point unlike anywhere else in the city. Below, 204 boutique rooms, a warm contemporary lobby opening onto Hillsborough Street, and a lush courtyard designed for guests and locals to linger round out the reinvention.

Coming full circle, Hotel Indigo preserves the character that made one of Downtown’s most recognizable landmarks memorable while opening its doors to a new generation.

OBERLIN HOTEL
Village District

Opening October 2026

Delivering a dose of history—and a bolt of energy to an already booming district—the Oberlin Hotel is ready for check-in. The 153-room hotel marks Village District’s first stay and Hilton’s second Curio Collection property in NC, filling what Regency Centers GM Brooke Conn calls “a long-standing need for lodging in Raleigh’s central hub.” 

But this isn’t some could-be-anywhere hotel—or just a place to sleep. Developed by family-owned, Winston-Salem-based Quality Oil Co., the boutique stay is uniquely Raleigh. And it’s deeply rooted in city history, down to its moniker, a nod to the historic Oberlin Village—one of Raleigh’s freedmen’s communities established by Black landowners and families following emancipation. That legacy of self-determination, resilience, community and opportunity carries throughout the property, as seen in the large-scale mural by Raleigh-area artist Sean Kernick paying homage to the historic neighborhood.

The Raleigh nods continue into the well-appointed guest rooms and public spaces, but the latter are designed as much for locals as overnight guests. Street-level Grounded, an open-to-the-public boutique coffee bar and cafe, moves from breakfast and grab-and-go fare into a daytime gathering spot, while lobby lounge Proper dishes lunch, dinner and cocktails that spill out to the courtyard. Flexible meeting and event spaces, including the Magnolia ballroom and adjoining outdoor courtyard—add capacity for weddings, corporate gatherings and celebrations of 150-plus, filling another previously underserved need in the district. 

Still to come: Wren Rooftop, the hotel’s signature sixth-floor restaurant and bar, slated to bow in early 2027—bringing with it contemporary Southern fare rooted in NC ingredients backdropped by sweeping 13-foot ceilings, walls of glass and a wraparound rooftop patio serving up expansive DTR views.

All told, the long-awaited hotel delivers another piece of Village District’s evolution into an 18-hour destination—giving visitors a place to stay and locals plenty of reasons to check it out… or check in.

OMNI RALEIGH HOTEL
Fourth Ward Entertainment District 

Opening 2028

Set to become a cornerstone of Raleigh’s newly dubbed Fourth Ward Entertainment District, the long-awaited 29-story Omni Raleigh Hotel brings something the city has sorely lacked: 600 rooms and serious meeting capacity rising between the expanding Raleigh Convention Center and Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts.

Catering to those enhanced meeting and event capabilities, the transformative stay strengthens Raleigh as a premier destination for business and leisure travel via its massive ballroom, 61,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and rooftop pool—all directly supporting the Convention Center and Raleigh’s growing pursuit of larger conventions and events.

“We believe great hotels are shaped by the communities that surround them, and Omni Raleigh is designed to reflect the essence of this dynamic, fast-growing city,” says Omni Hotels & Resorts President Kurt Alexander.

And the local appeal goes beyond conventiongoers. The first-ever coffee shop from Raleigh-based Peter Millar will pour an exclusive Black & White Coffee Roasters blend, while a sports bar with golf simulator and covered outdoor patio brings another place to play. Meanwhile, NC’s first Bob’s Steak & Chop House adds another destination dining draw backed by Raleigh-inspired artwork.

WESTIN RALEIGH
Fayetteville Street District

Construction starting spring 2027

The Downtown Sheraton is getting more than a new flag on the building. Slated for spring construction, the conversion of the 353-room hotel into a Westin promises what White Lodging VP of Investments & Development Eric Stone calls a “transformative renovation.”

“I don’t think there’s any area of the hotel we won’t be touching,” he adds. Think new guest rooms, lobby, corridors, meeting and public spaces, destination restaurant and bar, plus additional meeting space and a modified facade that will transform it into an urban destination. Perhaps most consequential: The potential relocation of the hotel’s main entrance to Fayetteville Street—a move designed to inject new energy into the corridor and complement the city’s broader push to activate the area. The overhaul comes as Raleigh prepares to expand its convention center—and hotel capacity along with it.