I read the reviews in Trip Advisor before I stayed at the Brownstone, so I had an idea of what I was in for. And some of the things in the reviews were definitely true. For example, the walls are extremely thin and the doors do not seal well, so the hall noise and noise between rooms is very loud. Also, the heating A/C system leaves a lot to be desired. If the entire hotel system is set to heat when you want heat, you'll get it, but if the hotel is set on A/C, you're out of luck.

Those things aside, there were definitely great things to be said about my stay there. The furniture and decor in the rooms were very nice. And the mattresses were memory foam and extremely comfortable. There were also lots of pillows, which is nice. The breakfast was very good and had a lot of options (cereal, oatmeal, fruit, breads, hot foods, yogurt, etc), although the service left a bit to be desired. The front desk staff were very helpful and polite. Parking was plentiful. I had no problems connecting to the complimentary internet, and the connection was strong. And the location was perfect for those visiting people at NC State or even attending meetings in downtown Raleigh.

Was it the best hotel I've stayed in? No. Would I stay there again? Yes. You can't get nearly the same amenities for the same price at any other hotel in Raleigh.

Let me start by saying that the weekend that we stayed at the Doubletree-Raleigh was a "Sci-Fi" illogicon weekend bonanza that was being hosted by the hotel. What this meant was that the movie "Revenge of the Nerds" was in living action at the hotel. There were sci-fi maniacs dressed in their favorite sci-fi costumes (Darth Vaders everywhere, various devil looking creatures, people in trench coats with masks, people with light sabers, and various other creature looking tweens to adults) creating a ruckus for the entire weekend. There were select rooms on floors 2, 6, and 8 that were noisy at all times due to these guests who seemed more mystified at being away from their computer for longer than 10 minutes than keeping an enjoyable environment to EVERYONE in the hotel. Someone urinated/dropped booze on our car from one of the balcony rooms and there were people in the parking lot doing photo-shoots for their magazines.

Despite these issues, the staff was amazingly accommodating for the other guests. They were clearly flustered by the other guests but kept the hotel clean by discarding the cans of beer that were left on the different floors, taking down the various flyers advertising geek-get togethers at night, and trying to keep the noise to a minimum. Nevertheless, the hotel was extremely loud at night and the walls are paper thin so we could hear anytime that our neighbors flushed the toilet or otherwise sneezed at all. The hotel has been recently remodeled and although the rooms looked great, the hotel is clearly showing its age from the outside and some of the fixtures (like the toilets and showers) on the inside.

Breakfast in the morning left much to be desired. The cold foods/drinks were served warm and the hot items were served luke-warm. One thing I've noticed at all the Doubletree label hotels I've stayed at is that their breakfasts are mediocre and I would not have paid the near $15.00 per plate; but I received free breakfast for being Hilton HHonors Diamond. The internet was fast enough to serve its purpose for us and there was enough parking as well (although the pee/alcohol upset us-we realize the hotel didn't do this). The rate was fair although we were somewhat disappointed that there was no shuttle for the local area considering the price we did pay. There is also a lounge in the lobby that we didn't use because the sci-fi convention took it over.

I would recommend this hotel, but not if there was an event being hosted at the hotel and let me also say that there are other options within a 3 mile radius that would cost less and likely newer (FYI-There is a difference between a remodeled hotel and a new one)...So choose wisely

This hotel is very clean and the staff are friendly. I stayed in a double room and the beds are very comfortable. The pillows are my favorite. The rooms are spacious with nice furniture and tv. There is a coffee maker in the rooms with coffees and teas to choose from. Breakfast is available for a charge. The continental breakfast is a little pricey at $7 for what you get: some fruit, muffins, yogurt, cereal and some pastries. $7 just seemed a little high for what was offered considering its free at many hotels. There is a big selection of made to order items on the menu. Despite the cleanliness and great staff, it didn't make up for the noise at the hotel. The walls are extremely thin. I could hear everything from neighboring rooms including the phone ringing which sounded like it was in my room. Street noise was also incredibly loud. I often wondered if my balcony door was open because it was so loud. I was in town for business and found working in my room to be difficult because of the noise. If you will only be in your room at night and are a heavy sleepy then this is a great hotel. Otherwise, you may want to pass on staying here.

I was a little skeptical after reading some of the older reviews, but this hotel has been renovated. It was very clean, spacious lobby, quiet (although we were there at a quiet time of year). We had a king room that was a nice size. The bed was very comfortable and the bedding was of a good quality, lots of fluffy pillows. We only paid $98 for a one night stay on a Saturday, which I thought was very, very reasonable. We've paid more than that at let's say "other" hotels with flat pillows, thin blankets, worn towels and less that clean bathrooms. The only thing I noticed that could be a problem if the hotel was busier is you could very clearly hear people in the hallway. We couldn't her any neighbors through our wall but could easily hear conversations and screaming children through corridor doors.

I think this hotel was well worth what we paid, and I wish other abundant chain hotels would offer this level of quality for this price. Oh, and if you're visiting someone at NC State the location couldn't be any better.