Hotel Indigo Raleigh is open and taking reservations after a $36 million renovation of the round tower at 320 Hillsborough Street. The 204-room hotel arrives with a mid-century-modern interior inside a shell that downtown has known since 1969.
The Round Tower Reopens on Hillsborough Street
The property opened in 1969 as a round Holiday Inn and traded later as a Clarion Hotel before returning to the Holiday Inn flag. The tower held the title of tallest building in Raleigh until 1977.
The exterior stands as built. The interior is new. The opening brings the Hotel Indigo brand to Raleigh, the third Hotel Indigo in North Carolina after Asheville and Winston-Salem, and the first IHG Hotels and Resorts property in the downtown district.
Carlos Faz, general manager of Hotel Indigo Raleigh, said the building has been part of Raleigh's story for generations. "Our goal is for the hotel to feel like a true community gathering place," he said.
What the Renovation Kept
The structure survives intact. Lundgren and Maurer of Austin, Texas, designed it as a circular five-story base holding the lobby and a parking garage, a circular thirteen-story guestroom tower, and a cantilevered upper floor that carried a restaurant.
The city's landmark record documents the character-defining concrete work, the decorative breeze-block screens and the porte-cochere. It notes two earlier exterior changes. Owners enclosed the projecting guest-room balconies with bay windows in 2005, and a rear pool was removed.
The interiors are new. The New York firm Inc. designed them around the curved footprint, with sculptural forms, geometric patterns, polished chrome and custom built-in furnishings. Warm oak finishes reference Raleigh's "City of Oaks" identity, and cork and a commissioned art collection by North Carolina artists run through the property.
High Ground Lounge and the Upper Level
High Ground Lounge occupies the crown level of the building and pairs panoramic skyline views with Southern cooking, craft cocktails and private-event space.
The floor count is not settled across the published records. The opening announcement places High Ground on the 20th floor, and Raleigh Magazine and DTRNews read the same floor. The pre-opening announcement of 15 July 2026 puts the penthouse lounge on the 19th floor. The city's landmark application describes a nineteen-story building and records a twentieth-floor restaurant.
The Ground Floor and the Courtyard
The arrival sequence has changed. The original entrance used a driveway and a porte-cochere for guest drop-off. The renovation moved the lobby to face Hillsborough Street behind a glass entrance, and guests now hand their cars to a valet.
Inside, selective demolition joined a set of fragmented ground-floor areas into one light-filled community lounge. A vintage Airstream in the courtyard links the check-in and arrival spaces and serves as a coffee bar.
The landmark application records four conference and ballroom spaces on the first floor alongside a fitness room. The hotel carries a 1,500-square-foot fitness center with TechnoGym equipment.
The Landmark Designation
Tidal Real Estate Partners bought the hotel in 2021 and first proposed demolition for a tower with a Kimpton hotel and apartments. The company changed course in June 2025 and chose to preserve the structure.
Raleigh City Council designated the property a historic landmark on 2 December 2025. The ordinance covers the State Capitol Holiday Inn at 320 Hillsborough Street. The opening announcement dates the designation to 2015, and syndicated copies of the same text repeat that year. The city record carries 2025.
The Owner, the Manager and the Build Team
The landmark application names Hillsborough Owner LLC as the owner of record. The News and Observer reported that Tidal paid $23.8 million for the hotel and an adjacent parking lot in 2021.
Sage Hospitality Group of Denver manages the hotel. Daniel del Olmo, president and chief executive of Sage, said the project honors the building's legacy. The pre-opening announcement said Sage had begun hiring for leadership roles and expected close to 100 employees at full operation.
LODGING Magazine names ESa on the architectural renovation, Raleigh Magazine names John Moriarty & Associates on construction, and the opening announcement names Inc. on the interiors.
What the Opening Announcement Does Not Carry
The announcement states no construction start, no completion schedule and no nightly rate. It carries no square footage for the meeting space and names no outlet beyond High Ground and the courtyard coffee service.
The cost figures in circulation differ. The announcement and the general manager carry $36 million. Permit filings with the City of Raleigh, reported by Axios Raleigh in December 2025, put the work at $33.8 million, and Triangle Business Journal described a $49 million redevelopment figure in June 2025.