Raleigh isn't a huge city, so I was surprised by how many hotels were around, but then I realized it's because of the big exhibition center nearby. The Marriott has a dedicated internal walkway to the exhibition center, which is a huge plus, especially in the summer when it's scorching outside – no need to bake in the sun! The hotel lobby has a Starbucks, and there are plenty of fast-food options nearby, including McDonald's, so grabbing a bite is convenient. The room decor felt a bit dated, and while it had the standard two queen-size beds, the bathroom was really old, definitely from decades ago. Overall, it's still a good choice, especially if you're visiting the exhibition center.
Across the road is a cinema, and there are target and marshall shopping malls next to it. There are several restaurants within 10 minutes of walking, Chinese food, Japanese food and Greek food.
The hotel is too stingy! The water flow is deliberately adjusted to be very small, as thin as a pencil, and it takes half a day to rub the towel. The water tank in the toilet was also working intermittently, and the sliding door of the shower room would slide open automatically when closed, so I had no choice but to use something to hold it up. I don’t even know how the four stars came about? Maybe it's just that the external environment of the hotel is good, but it's just fake! Will never stay at this hotel again.
We booked out stay with friends for the Carolina Hurricanes Game. Great location, close enough to the arena but also surrounded by many great restaurants. The hotel had a nice bar, that stayed open pretty late after we got back from the game. we will be going back if the price is right for our next hockey game. The service and cleanliness was great.