Home2 Suites by Hilton Raleigh North I-540 — Hotel in Raleigh

This is a relatively new facility and as such, is well-constructed. modern and lavish and lovely. The location seems a little weird (a mall parking lot? Really?) - but is so convenient to food and necessities, the interstate and the highway, that it's hard to argue with. The pricing is a great value (for the region) - and the longer you stay, the better the rates get, since this intended to be a mid to long-term hotel option. I understand that this is primarily a business and corporate hotel, but unfortunately, the desk agents are either too new or too poorly trained to actually be capable. The worst part is that it appears that lack of staffing (or training) has permeated every level of the hotel and all the little details that go into making the hospitality industry successful. Our room, while very welcoming and mostly clean and well-appointed, had lots of tiny details that were missed and made being there just a smidge uncomfortable (toothpaste smeared on an otherwise clean vanity counter, not enough toilet paper for a multi-day stay, a shower that didn't really drain correctly, a toilet paper holder that was too far away for a short person to reach when using the commode - a million little details that added up). My family stayed here for a family funeral and drove about 1600 miles to get there. It was very late when we got there, and we had booked (and prepaid) for two rooms for four nights directly through the hotel's website. Staff, when encountered, were friendly and warm - but felt a little... oblivious. Chatty and friendly enough, yes, but unable to point us towards local establishments (we wound up relying on online recommendations), ignorant of standard procedures (like verifying room rates, breakfast hours, or communicating clearly when it came to hotel policies). Sadly, there was a rate discrepancy between what we booked online and what we were actually expected to pay the hotel. However, despite booking and prepaying our rooms in advance, no one, in our entire four-day stay - or before our arrival - actually communicated this odd 'difference' in the rate as quoted, and booked, and paid - and the amount owed. Nobody told us or checked the rate or discussed the variance , no - they just charged us extra fees on our checkout with no explanation as to why. Imagine being 1600 miles from home for a funeral and trying to get back home, only to discover some hotel has just helped themselves to your bank account. It left a really, REALLY bad taste in all of our mouths and we were not impressed with Hilton's failure to communicate their...

I stayed for over a month at Home2, and loved every minute. The rooms, facilities and staff are amazing. The area is centrally located and safe.

Rooms: The rooms are very spacious. They have high ceilings, one large window, and an open layout.

The furnishings are modern and clean. There's a desk and a large flat screen TV. Beds are comfortable -- not sure about the pullout bed in the couch. There's lots of cabinet space. But the closest is rather small.

The bathroom has some shelving and 2 cabinets. It's very well lit and has a large mirror. The shower is glass and very large. The only issue is the toilet paper is a bit tough to reach.

The kitchen has a large refrigerator/freezer, a dishwasher, microwave, and lots of dishes and silverware. **You can request a small frying pan and induction burner from the lobby. The room doesn't have a cutting board or a large knife to cut with.

Room service: Room service did an excellent job and came by consistently. They even cleaned the dishes. My one complaint was that they forgot to refill the soap, so leave them a note.

Facilities: The gym is excellent. Very modern equipment and they even have a cable machine. It never saw more than 2 people in there at once.

There are 2 washers/dryers that are fairly priced and locked in the gym.

The pool was "clean." But every day there were at least 5 kids in there, and it was often occupied. I would not want to swim there.

The lobby has coffee/tea at all hours. They provide food for purchase. And there's an outdoor fire pit. Free computers. Lots of seating.

Outside there are charging plug-ins for electric cars.

Breakfast: Breakfast is free!.. but it's not the best. The eggs and sandwiches aren't amazing. They have yogurt, waffles, bread, fruit, and juice. They do spice things up a bit on the weekends, which is nice.

Staff: The staff was friendly and helpful -- couldn't ask for better!

Location: The hotel is across the parking lot from a mall, and 2 minutes from a Target+ and a Walmart. There are some nice restaurants in the area and a vape shop across the street.

The parking lot is safe, well lit, and there are cameras. There are card locks on all doors and the elevator.

However, there are homeless in the mall parking lot. I also definitely saw 1-2 homeless people using the lobby facilities late at night several times. They were well-behaved and decently clean, but you could still tell. I wouldn't walk outside the hotel...

UPDATE 5/5/23: Wanted to share an update after being contacted by the GM, Terry. Terry took the time to listen to my concerns and offer an excellent solution to this overnight stay. It was a great conversation that made me want to go back and stay again (perhaps when I’m not injured, lol.) Therefore, I’m updating my review to 4/5 stars for their customer service in this situation. I genuinely appreciated the care they took with my original post and concerns.

Original 5/3: Unfortunately, this was a disappointing overnight stay. I booked an accessible room due to a back injury I sustained while moving. Upon arrival, the guest services associate asked if the accessible room was needed. I’m not sure if this was prompted because of me booking the room through the Hilton Honors app or because I was standing upright and my injury/disability wasn’t visible. As a former event manager I found the ADA question to be slightly off-putting, but politely explained my situation. This hotel seemed to be the only one in the area that had an accessible room with a tub, which was necessary due to my inability to stand for long periods of time.

The room itself was spacious and the bed was comfortable, however I don’t think the bathroom was up to Hilton standards. While the tub was useable, it looked like it needed a deep cleaning and fresh coat of sealant. The tub did not have a drain stopper which made using the tub nearly impossible. Had I not been completely exhausted and in pain, I definitely would’ve said something that night. For this room to be deemed accessible, I am concerned about the lack of care demonstrated and what this could mean for other guests who have accessible needs.

The kitchen cutlery seemed to be unbalanced. Multiple spoons, but not nearly the same amount of forks. The knives that were available seemed to be either dirty or rusting.

Prior to checkout I shared my experience with the guest services team, along with the photos that are attached to this review. I was also told to email these photos to a gmail account. I’ve since done so and was told that I would receive points for this unpleasant experience, however I have yet to have any follow up from this location or the Hilton team. I am unsure whether or not I would stay at this...