The Durham (Mt. Moriah Rd.) Homewood property is showing its age and was a letdown for this regular Homewood patron. That said, I like the Homewood brand and think it is above average and an excellent value so that's not a scorching criticism. I've given 5 stars to other Homewood properties, but this one could benefit from some constructive criticism.

Let's start out with the positives. The room was functional and practical, with an open kitchen area with an open-bottom counter that allows many to gather around it. I like the suite configuration in general because it allows for family travel, with privacy when dressing/sleeping and the kids are able to turn in for the night earlier than adults. On business, the configuration works because it's nice to have people stop in without them being in your bedroom.

In Durham, the TV sets have full RCA jacks to hook up other devices (laptop, portable DVD, gaming system) -- a feature some hotel TVs don't allow you to access, forcing you to consume video fare from their proprietary services.

The bedroom has a full closet with double sliding door -- with a pair of suitcase racks inside for those who prefer not to unpack into drawers. And I like the vanity shelves at the bathroom sink, so toothbrushes, etc. don't get splashed on.

The living area has a pull-out love seat and a high back cushioned chair and coffee table with floor based console TV. (The bedroom TV isn't in an armoire -- it sits atop a small dresser.)

Other room amenities include a full fridge, microwave, cooktop, some basic kitchen supplies, an iron, and your basic hotel-sized bath supplies.

Hotel amenities include a nice pool. About average size for a hotel, well kept, configured for enjoyment of all age levels. The lounge area is relaxing and conducive to sitting with visitors, watching news or reading the paper. The hotel says it has Wi-Fi service but I never tried it out...however, the good news is I didn't see any notices indicating a charge for it or a registration process that I've encountered in some hotels.

The hot breakfast includes eggs, bacon or sausage, a hot starch (such as potatoes), cereals, make-your-own waffles, assorted juices, and toast and muffins or danishes. Even at the end of the breakfast they were rolling out hot food for the stragglers. That was refreshing to see. However, they ran out of creamer pretty early during a Sunday breakfast -- and the person who ran to the Kroger for some more got powder, making the wait a waste of time.

It's details like that that were disappointing -- with no complaints of great significance that should make anyone cancel an existing reservation or feel warned away from this property. Other annoyances included peeling wallpaper in the toilet/shower area of the bath, with mildew/moldy spots here and there; an A/C unit in the bedroom that was deafening each time it kicked on (about 45 seconds every 10 minutes...so most people would be likely to get used to it, except when trying to watch television); a light switch for the toilet area located outside the door; a bed (my room had a King-sized bed) with an AWOL bedpost that had been forcibly broken off of the headboard; a bedroom phone that only worked on speakerphone; a phone connection that always seemed to be shared with a barely audible Spanish-speaking conversation; and no working treadmill in the fitness room. These things may seem picky, but when it comes to hotel visits, I'm of the mind that the devil is in the details and here there were a few gremlins.

Location-wise, the property is right off of Hwy. 15-501, practically equidistant (10 minutes in traffic) from the UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke campuses. It's also right at the I-40 exit for 15-501. But it's tucked away from the noise and the heat of the vehicles. The parking area feels that it would generally be safer than most for solo female travelers and for those concerned about belongings left in the car. The hotel overlooks a large shopping center with a Home Depot immediately in front and a Kroger's (grocery) at the very far end, with Kohl's (clothing -- good to pick up a bathing suit or the belt you didn't pack, etc.) and other stores inbetween. You'll still want to drive to Kroger's if you've got more than a handful of groceries you're bringing back. The shopping center also includes some places to grab lunch or quick dinner for the solo traveler, with other chain restaurants nearby on 15-501 and a Japanese steakhouse practically in the hotel's front parking lot.

I'll probably come back, largely based on the room configuration (which meets my needs) and the value...although I'll have to give some consideration to the La Quinta (which I believe is rated highly here on TripAdvisor) that's just a short jog towards Durham on 15-501 because it looked pretty enticing from the outside.

Wife and I stayed here on our way to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Great choice if you like a full kitchen seperate living room with doors that seperate the bed from the living room. They had two nice televisions. One in the bedroom and one in the living room. Overall it was very clean except for the metal hanger we found next to the sofa in the living room.
Staff is nice and breakfast was great. If u are like us and like strong, tastefull coffee, bring your own. Nowhere in N.C. will you find a good cup of coffee at hotels.
Would recommend this hotel.

The room was very nice. Two double beds in the bedroom with a nice living/kitchen area, and high speed internet. The couch was, however, a bit worn and ripped which was not a big deal to us except that it was slightly odd. All-in-all the room was fine. /however, upon first arriving, the lady at the front desk guaranteed that we had not payed online and that we needed to give her another credit card. We did, and we ended up with a king bed in a smoking room with keys that did not work (we could tell the whole hallway was smoking from the smell). We had requested 2 doubles non-smoking (and it is sort of assumed that the keys need to work). We went back down to the front desk and there was a new lady there. She apolagized, gave us a double non-smoking, and was very friendly. Upon checking out, a man siad that he had no idea why we had been asked for another credit card, but that it had all been payed for by the original credit card used on the internet. All was well after the initial check in period. The breakfast was fine, although not overly large. Just an avergage hotel breakfast. The free wireless internet was quite nice though. overall, the hotel was alright, but because of the service issues on the first day, it wasn't exceptional.

We really enjoyed our two-night stay! The breakfast in the morning was great (think hot Hampton Inn breakfast plus make-your-own waffles and a few other extras), where the waffles were GREAT! Our room's kitchen had a great selection of in-roon coffee and tea, as well as a daily-replenished bag of microwaveable popcorn. The staff of the hotel were very helpful, and the hotel was in a great location for visiting both Raleigh and Durham (as it's kind of in the middle of both), as well as being near the airport. Enjoy your stay!!