The Eastern — Local services in Raleigh

I have lived at The Eastern since it first opened 2 years ago in 2022. To me, the hallmarks of what separate The Eastern from many other apartments are:

The professionalism and courteousness of the staff. Proactive and fast issue resolution and communication. Consistency in experience and the level of service. Innovation and partnership with the local community.

While the staff has changed, the level of professionalism and courtesy has remained at the highest levels. To give just a few examples of my experience so far:

The community amenities and spaces are cleaned and mopped with diligence every morning, and broken features are replaced as necessary. Because the staff is always on-site and checks on the community daily, they are often already aware of (and have a solution for) any problems before being reported on by a resident. Maintenance requests are responded to and completed within 24 hours. Communications for external window washings, parking deck pressure washings, power outages due to severe weather, filter replacements, Life and Safety Inspections, etc. are all communicated with detail and expected impacts for residents. The coffee machine is cleaned and maintained daily. Recently, the machine was malfunctioning, and a new coffee machine was installed within a week. The Steinway grand piano on the 36th floor while beautiful, had a few keys broken and was constantly out of tune. (I can imagine however, that keeping a piano constantly in-tune in a room full of floor-to-ceiling windows can be challenging.) The Eastern Team has addressed this, and has since even hosted several Live Jazz evening sessions. A small communal library of books was made available for residents to share and borrow, where you can take advantage of the indoor/outdoor rooftop lounge to discover a new read. One of the Peloton bikes in the gym became damaged with over-use, where the saddle height could no longer be adjusted and one of the clip-in pedals could not be removed. The Team at The Eastern quickly ordered new replacement parts from Peloton, and kept residents up-to-date on the progress of repairs.

I remember a conversation that I happened upon where someone was interviewing for a position at The Eastern, and I was amazed at the level of professionalism that the interviewer said was expected for the staff: "Every morning, the expectation is that even the stools and chairs in the pool and lounge areas are arranged and set in the same direction, and pushed in to the table. Everything must be picture perfect, not just for visitors who are touring the space, but also for the residents who use the space every day."

And indeed, every day for the past 2 years that I have lived at The Eastern, the lounge chairs by the pool deck, the furniture and pillows, and the chairs and desk in the Business Center are always returned and set in the same manner, regardless of their use the day before. This speaks to the level of pride, professionalism, and consistency that the staff and team at The Eastern have for the property and community.

Finally, the Team at The Eastern regularly partners with other stores and vendors in the neighborhood to create events and experiences that are available only to residents.

Here are just a few examples of past events that the team has hosted for residents:

Private VIP Party Tent at North Hills Nights concert series. Bourbon Tasting with Che Ramos. Rooftop Hibachi dinner. Pet Social with Amanda's Best Friend.. Smoothie Happy Hour and Yoga class with Dose Yoga. Donuts from Tepuy Donuts. Kilwins Ice Cream Social. Wine Down Wednesday at Vita Vite. Charcuterie 101 with Raleigh Cheesy. Orangetheory VIP class with Orangetheory Studio. Networking opportunities with other Eastern residents. Grab & Go breakfast and treats from Yellow Dog Bakery. Hot chocolate cart with Sweetwater Ice. Free smoothies from Happy + Hale. Holiday Jazz sessions.

I am not surprised that The Eastern was the 2023 High-Rise Grand Winner in the Multifamily...

I recently moved to The Eastern and have really enjoyed it so far! I've lived in a few different complexes in Raleigh, and The Eastern is by far the nicest. The property is always kept so clean which means a lot to me personally. The view is unbeatable and unlike anything else you can get in Raleigh. When I toured, each side of the building had great views! The rooftop deck on the 36th floor is really something else. There's lots of indoor space with an outdoor area that faces West if you happen not to have a West-facing apartment to enjoy the sunsets. There's too many amenities to mention, but they're all top-notch, and again, everything is kept so clean and in order.

Maintenance is also fantastic! I had an emergency work order that I needed to submit shortly after moving in. Bill from maintenance was more than happy to come over and address the problem the day before a holiday and in the evening. The staff is next level here as well. When I was touring units, they were very patient with me and genuinely seemed interested in making sure I chose the right apartment. There are 3 concierge members on staff, and they're all so nice and always willing to help with whatever you need.

The Eastern has this high-end hotel vibe that's really unlike any other place I've been. All of the residents that I've come into contact with are very friendly and there seems to be a wide range of ages and stages of life people are in which I like.

Last, a big deal for myself is all of the EV charging that's available here and in North Hills in general. There are 6 chargers that are dedicated to residents of The Eastern, along with 6 that belong to the Advance Auto Parts tower, however, residents are still welcome to charge there for 4 hours at a time, all free.

All in all, if The Eastern is within your price range, you can't go wrong here; there's truly nothing else like it in Raleigh. I think it speaks volumes when you have people who are willing to rent that could very well be able to afford to purchase a home instead, but would rather have the experience of living here given all of the top-notch amenities and views that The Eastern...

UPDATE: adding a few stars back as the team reached out after making some changes to elevator routing / amenity access. I understand bumps happen when opening a new building but proactive communication is extremely helpful at this price point. The staff were kind and professional, and I can appreciate their sincere effort to make our experience better.

I appreciate Raleigh / North Hills making an attempt to enter the luxury high rise market, but this building has some room to improve if they expect to be comparable to similar apartments in other large cities. At surface level the units and building itself are nice, but we’ve had our share of problems since moving in. The amenity rules are also really strict…. actually to the point that it’s a bit ridiculous and makes it feel like you’re a bunch of supervised kids rather than grown adults paying some of the highest rent in the area. We were informed of “quiet hours” before moving in, but we’ve been kicked out the amenity spaces multiple times promptly at 10pm while QUIETLY spending time with friends. The rooftop space and attached/designated “work from home” area are great…. Unless you work later than 10pm (which my husband and I do frequently working for west coast companies). ALSO if you plan on accessing the rooftop often, make sure you ask about the route directly from your unit to the roof. We live on the 10th floor and have to take an elevator down to 7 to go up to 36, but I’m pretty sure there’s at least one elevator actually on our floor that does go all the way up???? It’s bizarre and drives us crazy. Hoping the management team is willing to work with us a bit and make some...