The Best Hotels in the Triangle, North Carolina

Color your stay more than comfortable in 21c Museum Hotel in Durham. This artsy space in downtown Durham transformed the former Hill Building into a living gallery. Sandwiched between the foyer’s silver-leaf ceiling and terrazzo floors, contemporary art exhibitions rotate through the year. You’ll also find a menu full of bourbon, pasta and sweet desserts tucked securely in the building’s original bank vault, now the buzzy lounge of the Counting House.

The next best thing to eating barbecue in the Triangle? Becoming the barbecue at the Umstead Hotel and Spa. Forgive us for slathering on the silliness but there’s truly no better feeling than getting rubbed down with a cherry blossom treatment, and flushing out your pores with an afternoon in the steam room. You’ll leave feeling so tender and loose that you’ll fall straight to sleep when you saunter over to your spa-level suite.

Need a Chapel Hill hotel that receives high grades? The Graduate will take your stay to the top of the class. Tailor-made for Tar Heels – so be sure you’re sporting the right shade of blue – your queen or king suite has a comfy bed, cozy sitting area, desk, and sofa without a couch surfer – a far cry from the digs in the dorms. Want a meal that tastes like coming home? The Frito pie in the Trophy Room will warm your soul.

Downtown Durham is your playground at the Durham Hotel. You’ll get a taste of the city as soon as you arrive, with a snack tray of North Carolina goodies in your room. A taste of the city can also be had during photography exhibits, live music and other special events on the rooftop. Your first drink? Make it a Durham with cognac, tawny port and Durham city views.

DoubleTree might as well be called the TripleTree since it keeps you close to all three Triangle cities. A free shuttle scoops you up from the Raleigh-Durham Airport and the rest is up to you. Munch on a warm cookie in the lobby and ask them where the best Chapel Hill barbecue joint is. Grab a brew at the Lobby Bar while waiting for your cab to the Canes game or spend the night dining in at Vintage Carolina Restaurant.

Get business done the Durham way at Marriott. This hi-tech hotel in Research Triangle Park has fast wifi, AV equipment and ergonomic workstations in each room. No need to lose valuable work hours hunting for food; Newton’s and the Corner Pantry downstairs will keep you fueled with delicious food. When you’re ready to loosen that tie, grab a job on the outdoor fitness trail before cooling off in the indoor pool.

Millennium Hotel in Durham will keep you comfortable while the nationally acclaimed healthcare workers at Duke University Hospital keep your loved ones cared for. The business center comes in clutch for last-minute work emergencies, though there’s plenty of space to set up a remote workspace in your room. Need a few minutes to collect your thoughts? Quiet walking trails are just across the street.

If you don’t mind bunking with a few Blue Devils, then you’re always welcome at JB Duke Hotel in the Triangle. Right on Duke’s campus and a hail mary away from Wallace Wade Stadium, this stylishly slick hotel runs deep with blue, from the accents in each suite to the Fight, Blue Devils song hummed by the staff. No need to come ready with a campus meal plan; just bring your appetite for comfort food in the MarketPlace.