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Wake Forest · Hotel shortlist

Wake Forest hotels with a hot tub

Stefan Bauer

Stefan Bauer The American west

Updated 1 September 2026 · 11 Wake Forest hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Wake Forest, out of the 11 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.6 down to 4.1.

The Umstead Hotel and Spa is the one I would book myself.

The Umstead Hotel and Spa

Highest rated of the five

The Umstead Hotel and Spa

★★★★★4.6 from 2,097 reviews

The Umstead Hotel and Spa comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.6 from 2,097 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 and found under the airport.

11 hotels in Wake Forest qualified for this list and five made it. Holiday Inn Express & Suites Raleigh SW NC State by IHG is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Bara drink without going back out

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. The Umstead Hotel and Spa1

    The Umstead Hotel and Spa

    ★★★★★4.6 from 2,097 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

  2. Holiday Inn Express & Suites Raleigh SW NC State by IHG2

    Holiday Inn Express & Suites Raleigh SW NC State by IHG

    ★★★★★4.5 from 940 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  3. Holiday Inn Raleigh-Durham Airport by IHG3

    Holiday Inn Raleigh-Durham Airport by IHG

    ★★★★★4.4 from 1,028 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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  4. Residence Inn by Marriott Raleigh Crabtree Valley4

    Residence Inn by Marriott Raleigh Crabtree Valley

    ★★★★★4.4 from 587 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kitchen

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  5. Comfort Inn Raleigh Midtown5

    Comfort Inn Raleigh Midtown

    ★★★★★4.1 from 796 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

How this list was put together

11 Wake Forest 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.

Stefan Bauer

Stefan Bauer The American west

Chases total solar eclipses. Seven of them on four continents, from Wyoming to a fishing town in Chile. Banks days off through the on-call rota and books the trips years ahead, because eclipse dates do not move.

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.