The Longleaf Hotel and Lounge — Hotel in Raleigh

I would like to record here my experience with this hotel... My husband and I stayed at this hotel on 05/21 and our experience began while my husband was driving and we called the hotel and were approached by the receptionist with an intimate attitude who tried to offer us, according to her, the “last room available that night” and due to the price we said no and ended the call, I understood that we wanted privacy in our contact... In 5 minutes the same receptionist called back, saying that there had been a cancellation and offered us the same room for a cheaper price, we were very tired and we drove from Michigan to Raleigh and we accepted, thinking it would be a good deal, because with Raleigh's schedule that day it seemed that all the hotels were full, anyway... Getting to the hotel is pretty difficult, especially if you follow the GPS, but the only positive point is the location once you manage to find the hotel. When we arrived at the reception we were faced with loud music coming from the bar, which is very popular. Afterwards, we were approached by the receptionist with an unprofessional and totally invasive approach, exchanging glances and comments like “you’re the best”, “honey”, “ok, sweet”… At check-in, she said that she only had 1 room available, but suddenly there were more than one option to choose from, one near the bar, which she said was noisy, and another on the second floor, and the hotel doesn’t have an elevator (we had heavy suitcases and I’m pregnant). After that, we asked where we could eat and she explained the options in the area and also sent another message to our phone with all the options without us asking, since we had already understood the explanations. Finally arriving at the room, which was relatively small, we were met with a musty smell, broken curtains and dirty sheets that, due to our mistake, we only noticed the next morning... The next morning we woke up to the cleaning ladies in the hallway talking loudly and laughing and, to our surprise, another message from the same receptionist, again telling us where we could eat, without us asking... Since the hotel does not offer breakfast, we once again wondered who authorized or asked for the contact information! In the end, we left and found another better hotel in the area. When we were leaving Raleigh 2 days later, to our surprise, we received another message from the same receptionist asking how our stay was. Seriously, totally invasive and an unprofessional attitude, combined with a hotel that I believe was recently renovated and still shows a lack of maintenance, with the internal profile of a roadside motel. For those who like to drink and do not care about comfort and cleanliness, paying $200 or more for a night at the hotel, this is the...

The Longleaf Hotel is a place that I always hoped would be an escape for me. I was recently a guest at The Longleaf Hotel at the height of an incredibly stressful situation ultimately leading to hospitalization. Through my hospitalization, I still made a priority to communicate with my loved ones that my items needed to be retrieved. My loved ones made it a priority to collect my belongings, and I paid the full local rate for the stay.

To my knowledge, the hotel had been incredibly accommodating in a terrible circumstance, so I booked The Longleaf Hotel for a 2nd stay. I invited my friends to meet me for drinks in the lobby January 5th in the evening. This morning, I reconsidered booking The Longleaf Hotel to save money and left a voicemail requesting cancellation. Little did I know that management had already cancelled my reservation. Without understanding what happened, I asked about rebooking the room to waive the cancellation fee. I was redirected to management who advised that police had contacted the property upon my hospitalization and that between that and the "abandoned room", they would not allow me to book at the property any longer. Management advised that I am welcome back at the bar and lounge but that I am too much of a liability to have as a guest at the hotel.

In the spirit of transparency, yes, I did experience an episode of psychosis when I was a guest of the hotel. Due to the state of my mental illness, I opted to not return to the hotel and made arrangements within reason to collect my belongings. And frankly, I think that if hospitalization happened for any other reason, management would not use discriminatory language to describe a room with no guest paid in full "abandoned".

In short, this is a beautiful hotel with some of the kindest people at the front desk. The beds are cozy. But management's concern for the hotel's reputation over guest safety brings up concerns for disability accommodations. When it comes down to it, a guest with mental illness is still a guest. Not a liability. And I didn't put a single person at The Longleaf Hotel in danger when I vacated the premises at the height of psychosis. So I will not return to this property. It is not a safe place for a guest like me that lives with unseen disabilities. And...

I’ve been telling everyone I know the Lounge at Longleaf is Raleigh’s best kept secret for craft cocktails. It turns out that when enough people are doing that, it’s not much of a secret anymore. :) So my wife and I wandered in after the Hopscotch outdoor shows were washed out and the Lounge was packed! We took the last table available in the corner and waited to be served. You would think it would take forever but we were barely sitting and one of the Bartenders, Britton, was at our table taking our order. You would think the place was empty, she super personable, knowledgeable about the menu, and helpful. In no time we had our drinks. Delicious! Their current riff on the old fashioned is smoky sweet and yummy. A space opened up at the bar and we moved there for our second drink and we were helped by the second bartender working, Jane. Jane was just as friendly and helpful as Britton. The bar was packed, everyone had drinks and Britton and Jane made it look easy. We also met Anna, the hotel manager(?) who was working the room helping the bartenders. Not a secret anymore but still and always a great time.

The Lounge here is consistently my favorite cocktail bar in Raleigh. Great, knowledgeable, friendly bartenders crafting delicious original house cocktails and slinging all of the classics as well. Great mid century atmosphere and great folks. And while I’ve never stayed at the hotel we recommend it to friends visiting from out of town. The rooms are comfortable and clean and it’s a great location for walking DTR, Glenwood, and near neighborhoods. I’ve kept my original review below…One of my favorite bars in Raleigh. The folks working here are making some of the best craft cocktails in the state and at better prices than Raleigh’s higher profile cocktail bars. Very casual, more hipster than divey, and definitely worth a visit. Check out their Spotify account, Longleaf Radio, it will explain the vibe...