Looks great. If only they could have given the outside a paint job as well…
Here’s a story on the renovation: First Interior Renderings Revealed for Hotel Indigo Raleigh
It is scheduled to reopen in October 2026 and will have 204 rooms plus a bar and event space on the top floor.
It looks great, and I’m looking forward to checking it out!
Tidal getting a hold of this property ended up being a great solution. I was in favor of demolition (mainly due to the fact this place had been neglected for decades and had fallen into disrepair), but given that they seem to be (1) genuinely interested in rehabbing the interior to a high degree and (2) planning to build on the adjacent gravel lot - I’m very in favor of what they’ve done/are planning to do. An October 2026 opening date with all the work that needed to be done is an imprressive turn around time.
I really hope they will have some fun lighting schemes on the exterior of this building. I seem to remember it being lit green when I was in college. But with newer technology, it would be cool if they could change the lighting scheme (IE red for Wolfpack and/or Hurricanes wins) throughout the year.
The interior looks surprisingly nice. I’m still just very disappointed that they did virtually nothing with the exterior (the part everyone sees). Modern (non-teal) windows, an updated facade/cladding (or at least some non-beige paint), etc. would’ve gone a long way. As it is, the exterior isn’t really retro to match the interior; it’s basically just the early 90s teal/beige look that unfortunately dominated the Triangle for so long.
I would also love to see renderings of this “all new lush courtyard” entrance area and the rooms themselves, and know if they did anything to those terrifying, slow, claustrophobic elevators.
From TBJ (summary courtesy of CoPilot):
A major renovation of Raleigh’s iconic round former Holiday Inn on Hillsborough Street is nearing completion. New York-based Tidal Real Estate Partners has invested $36 million to transform the historic building into a 204-room Hotel Indigo, which is expected to open in October 2026.
Key Points
- The building’s famous circular top floor will be preserved as a public cocktail bar and event space, continuing its tradition as a gathering place for celebrations and social events.
- Contrary to a long-standing local rumor, the building’s top floor never actually rotated, according to Tidal principal Eyal Einik.
- Tidal originally planned to demolish the property and replace it with a Kimpton hotel and luxury apartments, but shifted to a preservation strategy due to economic factors and the building’s historic value.
- The hotel received historic landmark designation from the City of Raleigh in December 2025, helping support the redevelopment through potential tax credits.
- Sage Hospitality will manage the Hotel Indigo and expects to employ about 100 people.
- Renovations have focused on modernizing the interior and infrastructure, including new sanitary systems, high-speed Wi‑Fi, updated amenities, a ground-floor café, a new entrance on Hillsborough Street, and an outdoor courtyard.
- Tidal is also evaluating future development opportunities for the adjacent parking lot but has not finalized plans.
- The success of the project may lead Tidal to explore similar redevelopments of other aging round Holiday Inn properties around the country.
Oh boy!
How unique of us to have this. Still can’t believe they’re not doing anything to the exterior.
This is a good outcome for everyone. Looking forward to checking it out, but would like to see a new exterior paint job
Flamingo Pink and Kelly Green. Or possibly Nantucket Red. It wld be iconic
The top floor is a must future meet-up location! Let’s do this one for Christmas!!!
Should be no surprise that any work involving the exterior of a designated historic landmark structure would be subject to review. The local designation requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Raleigh Historic Development Commission. Have not researched what the national historic designation requires.
Even if the intent is to refresh the current appearance, the method and materials to do so are subject to review under a quasi-judicial process.
So perhaps understandable that step may be initially deferred while interior work is completed. The application and review process was even adjusted earlier this year which also might have driven an earlier “not now” decision.
It is possible to make exterior changes. But it is a Big Deal and the applicant would ideally want to get their ducks in a row and only go through that process once.
Yeah but that’s an own goal. It wasn’t historic until they asked it to be. Preserving beige stucco and teal 90s windows isn’t the same as persevering a Victorian mansion.
I agree. That building has had lots of changes and updates to the exterior since it was originally built.
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I’m pretty sure everything that is designated historic, whether it be a house or a district, had to be asked to be designated historic.
Regardless, Victorian houses were being torn down in the 40s and 50s for more modernist structures because they weren’t the style anymore. And now we wish they had been saved.
And to John’s point - I’m sure many of the Victorian homes that were designated historic also had changes to update them to make them more “modern” that folks then later regretted. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s historic.
I guess if we’re actually, seriously considering a building from the 70s historic…
My 1960s-born parents belong in a damn museum… so do a couple of y’all in this forum 
Apparently the Indigo brand is about being hyper local and storytelling. That makes keeping that gravel parking lot to its east a perfect story for downtown Raleigh.
About the same amount of time from when Victorian houses were built until they were starting to be torn down in the 40s.