Millennium Hotel Durham

It's a classy, incredibly quiet hotel, and our room was spacious and clean. The staff were top notch, especially Eda, who was courteous, helpful, and respectful. Duke is about a minute away. Just know ahead of time that the extra “facilities” charge covers parking, the “heated” pool and jacuzzi, Wi-Fi, and other items. The pool room and pool were freezing, and the jacuzzi wasn't operational. Breakfast wasn't included. Still, it was a nice place to stay if you know about those extra charges.

The room was private and clean, and the price was good. The location also worked great for the music event I attended on Duke campus that evening. But the heater was so loud I needed earplugs to sleep, and several things in the room and bathroom were in disrepair. General maintenance needs work. The shower's body wash dispenser was empty, too.

The birthday setup in the room for my boyfriend was a lovely surprise, and check-in went smoothly. The website said guests had to be 21, but the front desk staff kindly accommodated us. Breakfast was decent, though not worth quite what it cost. A TV that didn't work at first was fixed promptly, but the refrigerator was broken and we chose not to report it. A lot of things fell short. The pool and jacuzzi were closed, the bar had limited hours, and room service wasn't available despite being advertised. The hallways and lobby looked unclean, with visible stains and a musty smell. We also saw a cockroach near the ice machine. Having to use a communal microwave was inconvenient, since most hotels have them in the rooms. The worst part was checkout. We came back to get a speaker we'd forgotten, and the same staff member who'd been friendly at check-in was rude, fixating on our age and making us feel like we were being parented. We hadn't smoked in the room, only stepped outside, but the staff member accused us and acted unprofessionally. That left a bad impression and overshadowed the rest of the stay. The hotel had some good points, but the cleanliness, amenities, and unpleasant checkout made it less than ideal. I hope they improve.

The service was great throughout my stay at Millennium Hotel. The front desk staff helped from beginning to end. I didn't get the name of the woman with straight black hair at the desk, but she was kind and went out of her way to help. In the restaurant, Amal greeted us each morning and always asked if we wanted orange juice or another drink. Our meeting room was spacious, and my room was cleaned every day and kept clean. A great experience overall.