Raleigh · Hotel shortlist
The best hotels downtown in Raleigh
Ellie Brandt Southeast Asia
These are my five favourites in Raleigh, out of the 98 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 5 down to 4.5.
THE STORE is the one I would book myself.
Highest rated of the five
THE STORE
★★★★★5 from 290 reviews
THE STORE comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 5 from 290 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.
It is a 5 star property, found under downtown and around $181 a night on the dates we checked.
98 hotels in Raleigh qualified for this list and five made it. Heights House Hotel is the one I would book if the first is full.
Why it works for this trip
- Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
- Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in
All five, ranked
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1
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2Heights House Hotel
★★★★★4.9 from 399 reviews
- Parking
- Air conditioning
- Accessible
- Airport shuttle
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3Brand New 4bd | Modern | Prime Location | Spacious
★★★★★4.9969177 from 146 reviews
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4DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Raleigh - Cary
★★★★★4.5 from 936 reviews
- Pool
- Gym
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Parking
- Kid friendly
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5Great 4 Bedroom Bungalow- 1.5 miles to Downtown Raleigh
★★★★★5 from 114 reviews
How this list was put together
98 Raleigh hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.
Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.
The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.
What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.
Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.
Ellie Brandt Southeast Asia
Works weekends at an animal shelter and saves the pay for off-season flights. Hostels, night buses, and volunteering at animal sanctuaries for a bunk. Six countries in three years.
Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.