Published by Christina. Last Updated on April 24, 2024.
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The Durham hotel originally housed a bank in Downtown Durham (315 E. Chapel Hill St.) and reopened in 2015. It’s quickly become not just one of the best places to stay in Bull City, but throughout North Carolina.
At this hotel, you’ll find fabulous designs inside and outside, amazing service, and a focus on “local” for everything. That’s why a night at The Durham Hotel feels like you’re taking in a giant gulp of the Tar Heel State.
And those are just a few things we love about the Durham Hotel. Our guide focuses on them and more, starting with its awesome location in Downtown Durham!
Read More: 50+ Great Things to Do in Durham NC (The Durham Bucket List)
Where is The Durham Hotel?
Address: 315 E Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC
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The hotel is in downtown Durham, North Carolina, in the North Carolina Research Triangle in Central NC. The Durham Hotel and the city of Durham are near some of NC’s best places, including:
- Hillsborough (20 Minutes Away)
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport (20 Minutes Away)
- Cary (25 Minutes Away)
- Chapel Hill (30 Minutes Away)
- Raleigh (35 Minutes Away)
- Greensboro (1 Hour Away)
You can visually plan your stay at the Durham Hotel in Durham with the following maps:
Meanwhile, here are some more things we love about the Durham Hotel!
The Historic Building
The Durham was originally designed and completed as Home Savings Bank by Perry C. Langston in 1968. The building was ahead of its time when it was finished, but it still catches eyes today.
Its angled tower, geometric siding, and retro interior design have stood the aesthetic test of time. And that’s a tough task as newer buildings spring up around Durham.
Read More: 100+ Unique Things to Do In North Carolina (Your NC Bucket List)
The Interior
The Durham features 53 guest rooms, a meeting space, and breathtaking 360-degree city views from the Roof. The lobby has a geometric patterned carpet, a sleekly swooping mezzanine, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
There’s also a coffee shop, raw bar, and a American/Regional-style restaurant open throughout the day.
Mustard yellows, bright reds, and deep navy blues make up the hotel’s color palette, steeping The Durham in mid-century design while paying homage to the local community.
The Rooms
No room at The Durham Hotel is better than another unless you’re going for the Suite or Penthouse. Each comes packed with amenities and local selections that help guests feel at home. More info about them can be found here.
My favorite example is their wooden platform beds that are dressed in Raleigh Denim bedding.
Beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows and soft lighting will allow relaxing city views from your room. You’ll want plenty of time to sip your morning coffee or evening glass of wine.
Local Collaborations
Locally roasted Counter Culture coffee is ground each morning and placed at your doorstep, waiting for you when you wake up.
It’s also really enjoyable to look around the room (and the hotel) and see products that I recognize as being North Carolinian.
More Durham Hotel local collaborations include:
- Selman Contemporary: A Durham-based advisory firm selected the artwork for the hotel to promote emerging artists working and living in North Carolina.
- Raleigh Denim: Known for their handcrafted jeans, Raleigh Denim designed one-of-a-kind blankets for the guest rooms. They do all this while remaining to materials and maintaining the hotel’s colorful midcentury design.
- HAAND: A small company sources the beautiful decorative items located around the hotel in Graham, Alamance County. HAAND is devoted to creating unique modern items through traditional methods.
- Burt’s Bees: Not many people realize Burt’s Bees moved their headquarters to Durham’s American Tobacco Campus, which you can walk around. At The Durham Hotel, Guests can enjoy their natural award-winning products, such as the Beeswax Lip Balm and Hand Salve.
- NC MADE: The mini bar snacks are curated by Durham-based NC MADE and are all locally sourced delicious tastes of North Carolina.
Read More: 40+ North Carolina Gifts from Amazing Local Businesses
The Food
The Durham features locally sourced food that represents North Carolina throughout breakfast, lunch, and dinner, The Durham also touts a coffee shop, rooftop raw bar, and exquisite craft cocktail list.
- Breakfast: In the lobby, Hotel guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast with various pastries, house-made yogurt, artisan-baked bread, and Durham’s own Counter Culture roasted coffee beans. If you want to adventure through your cup, we recommend trying The Durham’s own Coffee Soda. It mixes a delicious coffee flavor with a hint of orange to create an uplifting and refreshing drink!
- Lunch: Lunch is no exception to the deliciousness coming from The Durham Hotel’s kitchen. The menu changes seasonally to highlight North Carolina-grown produce and products.
Read More: 30+ Delicious Restaurants in Durham (Causal + Date Night ideas!)
The Roof
The Roof is a signature of The Durham that everyone from hotel guests to locals enjoy. It’s enclosed, heated, and adorned with soft cozy wool blankets during the winter months.
That way, guests can still enjoy views of the city. Whether you are dining on delicious North Carolina oysters or just enjoying a cocktail, the Roof is a must when staying at The Durham Hotel.
Read More: How to Explore the NC Oyster Trail (10+ Adventurous Ways!)
Cocktails
The craft cocktails are the worst-kept secret among Durham locals as a must-do for date nights. Couples and friends flock to the sixth floor right before sunset.
That’s where they grab a drink and watch as the entire city is bathed in yellows, pinks, and purples. Some of the Roof’s delicious drinks include the Airmail (rum, lime, honey, prosecco) and Undeniable Truth (gin, dolin dry vermouth, orange bitters, EVOO, salt).
Read More: The Best Breakfast in Durham and 15+ Essential Restaurants to Start Your Day!
Great for a Stay or a Durham Staycation
One night, I stayed at The Durham for a “Momcation.” I left the husband and the then-toddler at home and took the night to recharge and get a solid night’s sleep. The Durham was the perfect spot for me actually to relax.
I could easily walk around Downtown, order room service, and pop up to the roof for a cocktail. I leisurely woke up in the morning (at, you know, 6:00 a.m.), brewed my freshly ground coffee, and drank it while it was still hot.
I know that many visitors from other parts of North Carolina and beyond are coming to stay at The Durham. But if you’re feeling a night away and live in Bull City, why not make it a Durham staycation here?
Our Go-To Durham NC Hotel
The Durham Hotel has been a place that we’ve enjoyed on many occasions. We’ve dined and sipped cocktails throughout the year, attended Story Time on the Roof with my toddler, and co-worked in the coffee shop.
But checking in to The Durham showed me just how unique and special this hotel is and how much I want to come back with my husband for our next getaway.
If you know about The Durham, we’d love to hear from you. Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to share your Durham adventures in our North Carolina Travel Facebook Group!
More Things to Do Near The Durham (NC Travel Guides)
We’ve featured The Durham Hotel in Durham in many of our NC Travel Guides. Here are a few of them.
