The City of Raleigh released a Request For Interest (RFI) on June 2, 2022, directed at developers who may be interested in building a full-service hotel or mixed-use properties on two key downtown Raleigh sites. This is a revised version of the Convention Hotel and Downtown Development project that was put on hold at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two sites are vacant and are currently used for street-level parking directly in front of Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Both lots are adjacent to Raleigh Convention Center.

The proposal is for the development of a new full-service hotel with at least 500 rooms on one site along with the option for a mixed-use property for the other site. 

The City team has continued to work with JLL, the consulting company which was instrumental in Wake County's Destination Strategic Plan (DSP) released in 2018. This hotel development project was an integral recommendation for the DSP's implementation (Destination 2028).

The focus of the proposed development is on the hotel, which calls for a minimum of 500 rooms and is intended to create opportunities for larger conferences to book in downtown Raleigh optimizing usage of its convention campus.

“We can't get this hotel built soon enough, and we are excited that the Raleigh City Council is moving forward with the process. Based on the response from developers pre-COVID, we are optimistic there will be a great deal of interest in the project,” said GRCVB president and CEO Dennis Edwards.

Developers who were interested in the project were able to meet with key members of the planning team from Raleigh on June 6, 2022, at the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in New York City. In attendance were Dennis Edwards; Kerry Painter, CVE, CMP, CEM, director/general manager of the Raleigh Convention Center; and Evan Raleigh, assistant city manager; along with representatives from JLL.

The RFI, which includes more details about the project, can be found on the City of Raleigh's website, or questions can be directed to tony.peterman@am.jll.com. The deadline for RFI submittals is Aug. 19, 2022.