I owe them more than my middle of the night review, but, oh well..We had a wonderful experience at this hotel! And I want to advise all hotels to be sure that their front desk is as welcoming as this one. Jahmed and everyone else were welcoming and professional. The mood was set... We had a wonderful night--even 'tho we had an adjoining room door where we could hear everything (actually, kind of fun). The room was updated and clean (I have allergies to dust mites, but everything was O.K.) The bathroom was small, but O.K.--it didn't matter--the front desk set a positive mood. Everyone on staff greeted and was friendly. Housekeeping (Carmela) ran to get us what we needed. Fantastic staff!! I don't demand service--but, it was lovely to receive it! Oh, yes, central to all venues. We walked to our wonderful show (Memphis,the Musical-greatest thing I ever saw from front row). We are too poor to use their restaurant or room service, but McDonald's is one block away and great for breakfast! I loved this hotel!!

Close to Duke with plenty of space to explore the city. Close to the minor league stadium, restaurants and bars.

I stayed at the DMCC for our Sorority's Founders Day celebration. Our group was the largest they ever hosted in the hotel. Needless to say...NO ISSUES! For a group of roughly 1,000 attendees, the Marriott staff did a phenomenal job hosting the event from the room preparation for the luncheon to the ease of valet service. The hotel shuttle gave us a ride to many locations in the area. Thanks to the shuttle, we were all able to "partake" in the menu at the restaurant we patroned. ;)

Rooms: Comfortable and cozy linen and bedding. The rooms were extra quiet considering the chatter and bustle going on in and around the hotel. The only issue was the lack of hot water in the morning. Understandable since (as they say) our group was record-breaking for their hotel. Perhaps they will have it corrected by next year :) Wifi was a bit confusing because the name of the SSID that was written on the hotel room business card was not able to be found. We were a bit occupied with the conference for many people to notice but I think the hotel needs to update the card.

Meals: The conference center had a wonderful meal of chicken stuffed with spinach and some kind of cheese, beef and a vegetarian dish. The conference center staff were very courteous and anticipated our needs.

Location: The hotel is actually located close to the major highways 40, 440 and US-1. Northgate Mall is around the corner for those last minute trips to the mall for a conference/event. Duke University is also very close to the hotel. The hotel lobby has an ATM so any last minute purchases or splitting the cost of the room (like we did) is convenient. Parking is available across the side street but the hotel validates tickets for you at the front desk.

OVERALL: I think this would be a great location to host a conference and for private events. It would also be great for a wedding because the lobby is positioned in a manner that hotel guests heading to their rooms or guests attending an event will not be fighting for an elevator. The conference halls/ballrooms and hotel rooms are on opposite sides of the hotel. Away from the bustle of Raleigh with plenty of parking, restaurants and activities in the area to keep attendees busy.

We got a room at this hotel for the night of a Duke game and it was a great stay. It's a standard Marriott experience. It's walkable to a 1 block area called brightleaf square which has some good restaurants. It's about 2.5 miles to duke but I wouldn't walk through the areas you go through. The only thing we didn't like is that the parking is in an open lot accross the street. Just a little uneasy. On the brightside we paid an extra $10 when we booked for breakfast for two which was an excellent buffet! Can't beat that!