Holiday Inn Raleigh Downtown

My wife had made and paid for her own reservation with her own credit card, but Ali at the front desk still called me to ask permission for her to check in. My name was on the IHG rewards account, and Ali held her there without the room she'd paid for until she got her husband's approval. It took several calls before she was allowed to check in. I contacted IHG customer relations and was told this is normal procedure for IHG. Please sort these reviews by most recent.

The staff were excellent, even though they seemed worn down by angry guests, and I paid $125 a night while nearby rates were much higher because of a conference. But we won't book here for next year's conference. The 20-story hotel has just one working elevator, apparently out of service for months according to reviews, and it dates to 1969. My room had been remodeled recently, though the work was poor. The view was beautiful, but the air smelled wet, musty, and stale. The TV quit on day two, and the cable stayed out for three days. I don't need TV to enjoy a room, but I do use background noise to sleep. Calls to the desk got vague assurances it would return soon, so I wondered if the hotel no longer had cable service. Parking is a separate charge through an app, which makes submitting my work receipt harder. The public garage is expensive and has lots of chipped or missing concrete. Walking through it, I thought of the collapsing hotels in Miami.

For what you pay, it's a solid four stars. The circular building gives the rooms a fairly spacious feel, though the bathrooms don't. Staff were one of the best parts, really nice people. It's quiet and well placed for walking to everything. Breakfast is minimal, and only one elevator works.

We booked this without reading reviews because we needed a place for Animate! Raleigh, and went in skeptical after seeing them. It turned out to be a pleasant stay. The room felt comfortable and was clean, the lobby had no odor, and we had no maintenance problems, roaches, or bed bugs. Staff were very nice. At $70 a night, the good outweighed the rough spots for us. The building could use an upgrade: peeling wallpaper, dated decor, and some shabby repairs. Our shower didn't drain right, and the elevator rattled enough to make me nervous. Only one elevator works, but it moved fast, getting from the lobby to floor 12 in 6-8 seconds without stopping. Breakfast was grab-and-go with fruit, muffins, danishes, and cereal. There's also a little snack area where you can charge purchases to your room. Parking costs extra, though that didn't affect me since I don't drive. I'd recommend it if you want an inexpensive place near downtown.