Tru by Hilton Raleigh Durham Airport — Hotel in Cary

It all started with trying something new on a leisure weekend between business trips…

It’s only a few years old (started in 2016), and I am surprised the Tru by Hilton brand is still alive now that I have experienced it. I found it through Orbitz and overheard other guests checking in stating they had used similar sites to book their stay, I now see why, they are trying to sell these rooms because I don’t imagine Hilton loyal customers are seeking out this ‘experience’ at their standard Hilton price point. I guess their target market is wealthy millennial's or those that want to relive their school years? I’m not sure, but they did have this location listed as 2-star hotel (at almost $200/night).

I feel like the overall brand feel is warehouse meets hip yet minimalist college dormitory. If you missed that living style, this is the place for you.

There are two street entrances coming into the build, from the main and frontage roads and both enter the back of the building which was an interesting design choice.

The staff were friendly and enjoyed the leisurely experience of jeans, t-shirts and round campaign-type buttons with Sharpie writing for name tags. Think of college Resident Advisors from your dorm.

The room was overly spacious (where I got the empty warehouse feeling) with a certain sterile feeling brightened by little splashes of bright oranges and blues. The storage options in the room included under the bed, an exposed closet area and limited shelf area. There were shelves in the room and bathroom, but they were between four and six inches wide, so I could place toiletries on them individually in a row, but not amassed like I would on a standard counter area.

I’m not sure if they rushed through the painting in the bathroom as they built it out, but the overspray on the floor, and black speckles across the mirror were sloppy and could have been resolved with a little paint remover and a razor blade. The black floor tiles with white speckled paint just made them look like they had lint on them and weren’t clean. I guess attention to detail was an afterthought.

The bathrooms have highly fragrant communal soaps (bulk filled dispensers that you squeeze to dispense), so if you have chemical-sensitives plan to bring your own toiletries for soaps and shampoos, etc.

The flooring throughout is laminate hard-wood so very cold, bring your slippers or warm socks if you don’t want cold feet.

If you make it through the airline noises, the in room air-conditioning units are sure to disrupt your sleep in the loud sounds they make.

Each room is equipped with a mini-fridge and a few cups, but for a microwave you will have to use the shared on in the lobby that wasn’t the cleanest so will take you back to the same experience you had of shared appliances in your college dorm.

Breakfast was incredibly limited considering it’s a leading point in the marketing materials of ‘Build Your Own Breakfast’. What that means is there are 5-6 options, things you would expect at any 2-3 start continental hotel breakfast. They tried to spice it up with a chicken (sausage) and waffles feature with a unique shaped waffle iron that would accommodate this fun idea, but then failed to serve the second main ingredient. So, you are left with just a strangely shaped waffle, but there were lots of sugary toppings available.

One hot meat item, eggs (hot and hard boiled), bagels, muffins, cold cereal and a fruit bowl were all options. The coffee bar was in a different area of the lobby so made your breakfast dining experience more of a scavenger hunt.

The lobby area was complete with holiday lights, chairs hanging from the ceiling, study pods, a pool table and a colorful mural that listed local cities and college names from the region. There was a small gym and a bulletin board area so you could stay connected with what the 'Kool Kids' were doing.

There is a character limit so I will wrap-up, but now you know what you are getting into and can choose...

My wife and I stayed here before and were pleased with our visit. I came home after that stay and wrote a review about how much I enjoyed the new look and feel of the TRU brand of Hilton hotels. We decided to stay again and I must admit, the staff member that we encountered this stay exceeded our already great expectations. My wife and I were taking a break from the kids to celebrate our anniversary this weekend. We were running a little behind schedule so I called the hotel before we left home to inform them. Stacy Williams, the front desk receptionist, reassured me that even though the hotel was fully booked she had already reserved our room, and made sure all the preferences we requested during reservations had been met. She told us to have a safe trip, not to rush, and that everything would be ready when we arrived. When we got to the hotel she greeted us with a smile and remembered the phone conversation we had previously. I told her how impressed I was with her customer service and how important it was for me to make sure we got those preferences for our room because it was our anniversary. Since it was our anniversary she asked if we would like an alcoholic beverage to help us celebrate. We declined because we had other reservations for the evening. Stacy then asked if it was okay if she arranged something special for us when we returned back to our room and we obliged. When we returned we were blown away by the most thoughtful arrangement of a glass with a wine bottle in it and a beer with a note attached. My wife and I are grateful for the hospitality we received from the staff our entire stay. We will stay again and tell others about the cleanliness and great staff this hotel has. Stacy W. is worth her weight in gold, and is a rare find. I really hope the right person see's this and gives her the proper gratitude she deserves. She has enhanced the brand in the eyes of a long time Hilton supporter. ...

Ask me to describe the Tru by Hilton Raleigh Durham Airport in a few words-colorful and vibrant. The outside of the building is all business. Inside it’s very bright and playful. The hotel is situated about 1.5 miles from RDU airport in a quiet location and I can see a line of trees outside my window-so peaceful.

The Tru “reinvented” everything from the check in desk not being the standard check-in type area. You can almost miss it when you enter the hotel lobby. To the left of the check-in area there’s a pool table that commands the attention of the area with a large white background graffiti type artwork using local names and graphics. And lots of lounging area. 24 hour coffee and tea available. Impressive and different two more words to describe the Tru.

The room has a huge flat screen TV so large and clear I didn’t even need to wear my glasses to watch it. There’s telephones in the bathroom and in the main bedroom. There’s lots of open storage space with colorful hooks to hang clothes on and an open closet to hang pants shirts suits etc. Also include is a decent chair and a table to work on and another table on top of the small refrigerator. Free WiFi and 4 USB ports to keep you charged up. Very comfortable king-size bed to sleep away the night. The room darkness was 9/10. Some light seep into the top of the pull down curtains. The HVAC was very noisy especially as the united cycled on and off. The fan blows constantly. That’s something they need to work on. The bathroom is fairly decent size and the shower is roomy enough for my 6’3” frame.

A digital key available. There is a workout room with enough equipment to do some light weightlifting and aerobics.

“Top it breakfast” is included which was unique as they have lots of toppings-hence the name. The Waffle maker made interesting oval waffles and they have a large choice of heated syrups. Plenty of Free parking round out some...