Raleigh’s Expanding Meeting and Convention Spaces

Raleigh Convention Center. Courtesy of Visit Raleigh.

Raleigh, N.C.’s continued implementation of the Destination Strategic Plan is trending upward with multiple major projects in the works, plus new meeting hotels opening soon and under construction.

New Meeting Hotels in Raleigh

Raleigh’s newest full-service meeting hotel, The Westin Raleigh-Durham Airport, opened in 2023 with 236 rooms in the Airport District. North Carolina’s second Westin property includes 24-hour room service, a rooftop pool, Il Falo, a wood-fired Italian-inspired restaurant, on-site Starbucks, plus Heavenly® Bed and Heavenly® Bath amenities. The hotel is walkable to shopping and dining in Brier Creek Commons and offers a total of seven meeting rooms with more than 14,000 square feet of meeting space including an outdoor terrace.

The final quarter of 2024 promises exciting new hotel openings in downtown Raleigh with the dual-brand Tempo by Hilton and Homewood Suites Raleigh Downtown and the Hyatt House Seaboard Station. Raleigh’s new 127-room Tempo by Hilton will be the fourth Tempo hotel in the world and promises guests the ability to relax and recharge with a wellness theme throughout. Homewood Suites Raleigh Downtown houses 134 suites and offers comfortable studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites. The Tempo-Homewood dual-brand property shares meeting spaces and provides a combined 6,500-plus square feet of meeting space with a three-partition ballroom, pre-function space and boardroom. The 149-room Hyatt House Seaboard Station is part of a revitalization of Raleigh’s historic train station district that brings a unique mix of residential, retail and vibrant community spaces alongside historic preservation. The Hyatt House Seaboard Station will include fully equipped kitchens, a rooftop bar and restaurant and meeting facilities for up to 114 attendees.

A complete list of hotels under development in Raleigh can be found here.

Raleigh Convention Center Expansion and Convention Hotel

Larger city-wide meetings, events and sports will soon be able to come to Raleigh with the upcoming expansion of the Raleigh Convention Center. The design process is underway for the $387.5 million expansion of the Center and relocation of Raleigh’s beloved Red Hat Amphitheater. With an expected opening date in 2028, the expansion will include 80,000 square feet of flexible event space and 20 new meeting rooms.

Red Hat Amphitheater, a temporary outdoor music venue that has served the community and visitors alike for over 14 years and has become a staple in the downtown Raleigh landscape, will be relocated and made permanent one block south of its current location. This crucial move will make way for the Raleigh Convention Center expansion and improve the concert-going experience. The new, permanent venue will break ground in 2025 and is anticipated to open in 2026, avoiding any interruption in the outdoor concert season. The new Amphitheater is expected to provide better artist, staff and fan experiences and plans to pay respect to Raleigh’s community history.

In 2023, Omni Hotels & Resorts was selected to build a 550-room hotel in conjunction with the Convention Center expansion. The hotel will include 55,000 square feet of meeting space, multiple food and beverage outlets, a rooftop pool, a spa and a fitness center. In conjunction with the expansion of the Raleigh Convention Center, the hotel will open the door for more meetings, conventions and sports groups to host their events in Raleigh. Raleigh will be home to Omni’s third property in North Carolina, with an expected opening date in 2028.

Lenovo Center Transformation, Sports and Entertainment District

Home to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Lenovo Center, opened in 1999. The Center was previously known as The RBC Center and more recently, PNC Arena. In June, the Hurricanes signed a lease extension at the Lenovo Center through at least the 2043-44 season. In 2025, the center will begin a $300 million enhancement and transformation. The Lenovo Center is also home to the N.C. State Wolfpack Men’s Basketball team and hosts numerous concerts and events throughout the year. Later in 2025, phase one of a $1 billion Sports and Entertainment District development surrounding the Lenovo Center is expected to break ground. The development will include a 150-room hotel, more than 500 apartments, including some affordable housing, office space, retail and entertainment space. The new district will include food and beverage offerings, parks, greenway connectivity and plenty of walkability – plus more space for tailgating. Phase one of the project is expected to be completed in 2030.

About the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh):

As the official destination marketing organization for Wake County, Visit Raleigh is responsible for promoting Wake County as an attractive travel destination and enhancing its public image as a dynamic place to live and work. Through the impact of travel, the organization strengthens the industry and community’s economic position and provides opportunities for people throughout Wake County. Raleigh, N.C./Wake County welcomes 18.5 million visitors annually, whose spending tops $3.2 billion. The visitor economy supports nearly 26,000 local jobs in Wake County and generates $307 million in state and local tax revenues, saving each Wake County household $712 in taxes annually. For more information, go to visitRaleigh.com.