WEB EXCLUSIVE It may not be safe to travel just yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a staycation in one of Raleigh’s soon-to-be reopening boutique hotels. As Gov. Roy Cooper slowly begins to lift North Carolina’s stay at home restrictions, both Guest House and Origin Hotel are gearing up to welcome guests back into their rooms with strict social distancing guidelines and additional state recommended safety precautions.
For Origin Hotel, the coronavirus pandemic couldn’t have happened at a worse time. The hotel’s entire team was ready to open the hotel on March 19, only to decide to remain closed as restaurants were shutting their doors and the future was unknown.
“Opening a hotel in the midst of a global pandemic has been quite the undertaking,” says Karlee Tanel, Origin Hotel’s brand activation manager. “Over the past two months we’ve made a series of difficult decisions.”
Origin Hotel Raleigh
Now, Origin’s plan is to start with a soft opening and fully open both the hotel and its restaurant, Good Day Good Night, in mid-June. Both the hotel and the restaurant will operate differently than they normally would, given the circumstances, Tanel says. One of the first components of the new operation will be limiting contact from person to person. The lobby area will be limited to four guests at a time and will have logos on the floor indicating where guests can safely stand six feet apart from each other.
“At Origin Hotel, we love people and are extremely focused on person-to-person connection and connecting our guests to the community,” Tanel says. “While it may take some adjusting, we know that our person to person connection will still be a staple of the brand, only from a safe distance of 6 feet away.”
Origin is also introducing terminals that allow guests to use a self-service tablet to check in, process a credit or debit card payment, make their own room keys and check out of the hotel without any contact with a front desk agent. Guests will be able to check in and out on their mobile devices and use their phone as a key card to enter their rooms. The changes will do away with the typical person-to-person contact that comes with staying at the hotel, but it will make the experience more comfortable for both staff and guests.
Both Origin and Guest House, which reopened at the beginning of May, are practicing heightened sanitation as well, with staff continually sterilizing surfaces that guests use often, including bell carts, elevators and the front desk. Guest House owner Matt Tomasulo says they’re also using UV light baths for smaller items like remotes and pens for another layer of precaution. An eight-room hotel, Guest House is currently only allowing four of their guest rooms to be occupied at once with a minimum 48-hour window between guests staying in each room.
Photo by @guesthouseraleigh
While many will be hesitant to travel to the area in the coming months, Tomasulo says he is testing other ways Guest House can be a resource for Raleighites and other Triangle locals. He sees the boutique hotel becoming a choice spot for a relaxing staycation, where people can celebrate anniversaries or elopements or just get away from their kids for awhile.
“The world keeps turning,” reads a post on Guest House’s Instagram page. “We’re here, ready to host you and your dears, with the utmost care and hospitality that we can offer from a safe distance. It’s also a pretty perfect time of year to sit on a balcony with some tasty local take-out food and sips!”
It’s a bummer that we all won’t get to enjoy that summer vacation we’ve been looking forward to all year, but a staycation at one of Raleigh’s boutique hotels, complete with in-room coffee service and an elaborate takeout meal from a local restaurant, doesn’t sound too shabby right now.
Five years ago, Raleigh’s hotel scene was limited to chains, with standard Hiltons, Marriotts and Comfort Inns leaving little to the imaginations of visitors passing through. Since then boutique hotels, cherished for their charm and intimacy, their unique atmospheres and local vibes, began popping up all over the Triangle. The Bull City led the way with Unscripted Hotel, 21c Museum Hotel and The Durham Hotel. But Raleigh wasn’t far behind; in 2018, Guest House opened downtown, with many more to follow, including the recently opened Longleaf Hotel replacing a Days Inn that had, well, seen better days. Here’s a look at the boutique hotels Raleigh has now, and the ones that are on the way.
The Longleaf Hotel
300 N. Dawson St. Number of rooms: 56 Price range: $149-$179
Loden Properties’ Longleaf Hotel embodies everything cool about a 1960s motor lodge—neon signs, bright color schemes and hip lounge areas—but with modern-day amenities and a trendy facelift by Maurer Architecture. Retro-inspired decor pays homage to Raleigh, showcasing local artisans. Layered pine needle wallpaper is an ode to the state tree, pillows are the color of North Carolina clay and local textile makers Rise & Ramble supplies shibori-dyed robes.
Origin Hotel
603 W. Morgan St. Number of rooms: 126 Price range: Starting at $150
A large hotel with a community-oriented feel, the Origin brand is known for embracing the hyper-local in ways that seamlessly blend into the existing fabrics of cities. Origin Raleigh—developed by the Mississippi-based Thrash Group—highlights the local culture with curated retail from DECO, locally made artwork, a DIY coffee connoisseur kit including Larry’s Coffee beans, in-room yoga and an onsite bike share program. The hotel restaurant, Good Day Good Night, will feature plant based dishes incorporating ingredients sourced from North Carolina farmers.
Guest House
420 S. Bloodworth Street Number of rooms: 8 Price range: $159-$259
Guest House is lauded for its cozy common areas, including a greenery-filled dining room, sanctuary breakfast nook and parlor adorned with plush couches, not to mention serene guest rooms decorated in calming color palettes and flooded with natural light. Lovingly restored by Matt Tomasulo and Nicole Alvarez, the historic house—which originally served as the home to Arthur Gorham, Raleigh’s first African American mailman, his wife Annie, and daughter Addie—was relocated six blocks from Raleigh’s Prince Hall Historic District to its current location.
The Gables Lodge
1217 Wake Forest Road Number of rooms: 19 Price range: To be announced Projected opening: To be announced
Singer Tift Merritt and Durham hotelier Daniel Robinson bought the Gables Motor Lodge last year with plans to renovate and restore it to its original use as a hotel. The existing buildings that date back to 1925 will be saved, with changes to the existing garage—which will become a small bar—and new additions to either side. The pavement will be replaced with a native Piedmont garden.
Photo by Jim Lamb
Heights House Hotel
308 S. Boylan Ave. Number of rooms: 9 Price range: To be announced Projected opening: Early 2021
Commissioned in 1858 by William Montfort Boylan, Montfort Hall—now known as Heights House Hotel—is one of only a few remaining pre-Civil War houses in the city and it is both a National and Raleigh Historic Landmark. The beautiful Italianate-style mansion has had several owners since the Boylan family’s time and currently is being restored by husband-and-wife team Jeff and Sarah Shepherd. The crown jewel of the historic Boylan Heights neighborhood, the inn will host community nights and special events to foster a sense of shared community.
