We would definitely stay here again as the staff were excellent—being extremely friendly and helpful. The overall vibe of the property is casual, fun, and vintage. The reservation was made by a family member as part of an event that took us to Durham and his interest was piqued at the use of the motel-esque look; we were not disappointed.
Because we travel a lot, we often take note of little things we share in the name of constructive feedback when doing reviews and do so below. The last one is a bit less “little” in import and, even though it appears to be more of a lack of consideration at the corporate Hyatt level and not the property’s decision, it is the main reason we have not signed up to be rewards members and do not choose Hyatt when making our own accommodation reservations.
1. The igloos around the pool on the third floor in front of our room were great and clearly popular as, in mid-December, we were told the earliest we could book an igloo was for February. The music was at a tasteful level, but the bass was a smidge irritating. Nevertheless, it was appreciated that service ended right at midnight.
2. We saw the same muddy tissue on the ground outside our room from about 5 pm until checkout the next day at 9.30. This was a path many staffers took, so it was a shame to see it ignored.
3. Clearer signage in the garage would be helpful. For us, it was not readily apparent that door #437 (with the same door on the next level down starting with a 2) was actually the third floor.
4. The rooms are very nice and the beds were both beautifully made and GLORIOUSLY comfortable! We also loved the bathroom for its size and lighting. Everything was clean with one exception: the wall behind one bed (covered with a wallpaper that had a very nice pattern in bold colors!) had what looked to be red wine spots with a couple of attempted clean-up areas that were smeared. In all fairness to the cleaning staff, the lighting was on the lower end of brightness and the wallpaper pattern does have some gray flecks, so it could easily camouflage the spots.
5. The door to the room has a rubber strip at the bottom and, when standing at the bathroom door, there is a gap of about a 1/4” along the bottom of the door. The rubber strip stops about an inch before the door does, so there is a pretty substantial gap there. While we were comfortable as far as temperature, that gap cannot be good for heating/cooling or letting little creatures in.
6. We had one experience where we had to listen to a staff member discuss chores with a child on FaceTime for about 20 minutes. Things were slow at the time, but maybe that could have been done via text? I DO NOT say this to get anyone in trouble. As noted above, the staff were GREAT! It just might be a good opportunity for management to remind staff about how to handle unexpected personal business around guests. Life happens, right? Plus, there are only so many counters/tables you can dust, shift reports you can pre-fill in, fingerprints you can clean from a door or window, etc., to keep busy on the clock.
6. Now the “not so little” criticism: Hyatt as a whole is not at all considerate of the variety of diets many people are required or choose to eat. If breakfast is included in a room reservation, it behooves the company to offer an accurate menu that potential guests can review before making a reservation. In our case, breakfast was included, so it should not have been the case that one person in our party had to eat leftovers from lunch the day before for breakfast. Of course, knowing there is a dietary challenge means one must be be proactive and should, where possible, bring food or find a similar solution. However, sometimes it is not feasible to travel with a refrigerator or cooler. We are in the 21st century, so Hyatt, as a multi-billion-dollar property CAN and SHOULD do better.
thestoutnomad
Dec 16, 2024
3
Paid over $300 to stay one night at this location because it's right in the middle of downtown/ makes a night out there very walkable. The man who checked me in was very nice, and the room was clean, but there were a couple things that annoyed me. I stay at Hyatt's for work often and there's always large bottles of body wash/shampoo/conditioner available. For some unfathomable reason, this location provides the tiniest bottle of body wash I've ever seen at a Hyatt, despite being the most expensive in the area. My boyfriend and I did not both have enough to shower with. I actually don't remember there being any shampoo or conditioner available either. The only other thing that irked me was that despite paying that much, parking costs an additional $20-30 for guests. I would understand charging regular non-paying guests to park in your garage, but charging your paying guests when the room already costs $300+ a night just made the place feel cheap/ skeezy. One more thing, this is the only Hyatt that doesn't allow any changes/ cancellation to your reservation at all and requires full payment at time of booking, which is incredibly annoying to me for any hotel to do. I'm not keen to stay here again for the price honestly, there are too many other options downtown.
Claire Stansky
Dec 15, 2024
3
Pros: downtown, walking distance to many places near by, Ubers are easy to get to. It’s boutique hotel so it was painted and decorated nicely.
Cons: rooms are not as advertised; the rooms are extremely small, bathrooms could potentially be a fall risk. The walls are also very thin.
The downstairs lobby is also a club in the evening? Rooftop bar also played music pretty loudly until 11pm when they stopped seating. Husband and I had drinks the first night in the igloo area. I had 1 of the worst cocktails I’ve ever had, unfortunately. I couldn’t drink the second one I ordered so I had sent it back.
If you’re looking for a fun experience hotel, this could be a nice option, but if you’re looking for a relaxing and private experience, this isn’t it.
Tayah Lin Butler
Nov 15, 2024
5
Fun place that is true to the Downtown Durham vibe. We got a corner room which was wonderful although some street noise did last late into the night as bars shut down. Restaurant on rooftop is delightful!
Alistair Kershaw (Akku)
Nov 1, 2024
4
This place is great! Its got some real character. It is an older 1960s motel which has integrated parking garage, but it has been totally refusrbished in a fresh and interesting way. Its got some style.
We were able to get rooms on arrival, we hadn't prebooked, and the check in was great, the guy had some system problems but worked hard to sort out our requirements.
The rooms are nice, mine was on the front of the hotel so there was a little noise outside when the local bars and restaurants were closing and there were people out in the street. This was not for long and was not disturbing.
Inside the hotel there is a comedy night, and they have bands on and other entertainments in the bar.
Its a really cool hotel and something a little different so definitely gets my recommendation, I would stay here again if I were in this area.
Chris Woodward
Oct 9, 2024
4
Overall good stay, convenient location to downtown. As a couple, we could tell this was tuned for a younger generation. It was a bit loud in the evening (street noise and college kids around 3am etc). Some room cleanliness issues that we made sure to mention on follow up survey. Otherwise it was fine.
FatLuckyPotato
Aug 17, 2024
5
Very nice hotel the staff was very friendly and helpful. They make some very good food here if you don't feel like going out, and the make some very good mixed drinks at the bar. The pool isn't huge, but is certainly enough to cool off and there's plenty of room to relax. The hotel is positioned in a great spot plenty of good restaurants, bars, and other shops in a very close vicinity, a 5-10 minute walk can get you to most of them. All around a very nice hotel and great location, I'd recommend it to anyone who's staying in Durham.
Kim Walker
Jun 25, 2024
5
We stayed for a long weekend and really loved it. I love that the hotel is retro style, and the building was renovated and not demolished. The location is very walkable to DPAC, Brightleaf, the Farmer's Market on Wednesday and Saturday, and great restaurants. Our room was very clean, and the bed was super comfortable. Housekeeping came as expected. We were above the pool, and yes, on Friday and Saturday night there was a lot of music, dancing, fun and cheerful noise until 10P, when they move inside. The view from the pool at sunset is so nice. I am from a large urban city, so I may be used to noise at night, but it didn't seem extreme. The staff were very helpful, especially Hannah, who is exceptional at her job. I did have some issues with the parking code on my way out. The QR code didn't work for me. Reached out to the staff and they said they would take care of it on the bill end. I'll definitely stay again.
Kevin Cestero
Jun 15, 2024
4
My wife and I stayed here this past week from 06/11-06/14 for her birthday! Before even checking in, I had a great experience with the hotel's manager, Hannah. She was accommodating to my particular requests in setting up a surprise for my wife upon entering our studio hotel room. Once checked in, the room was extremely clean. We had a corner room. The views were fantastic, especially during the sunrise and sunset. The bed was super comfortable, not too firm but not too soft. The bathroom was modern and pleasing to the eye. There was noise from the outside but that was expected due to being in the center of downtown Durham. However, the noise was not obscene nor did it prevent us from getting some great sleep. The ONLY downside I can honestly say was the breakfast. It was not up to par. If The Studio, the name of the hotel's restaurant, cooked everything fresh, from scratch, it would be serious standout in the hospitality industry in downtown Durham. Overall, our stay was great! I would recommend this hotel to any of my friends looking to travel and stay in downtown Durham.
