The Longleaf Hotel
300 N Dawson St
Raleigh, NC
Raleigh's best-kept secret is a motel hiding in plain sight.
About The Longleaf Hotel
Underneath a thick layer of stucco on a corner near the northern edge of downtown Raleigh was a fossilized Sixties Travelodge. Loden Properties found it, stripped it back to its original bones, and restored it as the Longleaf Hotel in 2020. The motor lodge format was intact: a two-story structure with exterior walkway access on each floor, rooms opening directly to the parking court. The longleaf pine is the organizing idea throughout. An iconic but endangered emblem of North Carolina's forests, the tree gives the hotel its name, its wallpaper pattern, and its design sensibility. Textiles came from Rise & Ramble, a local North Carolina maker. Free Counter Culture Coffee is in the lobby every morning; Counter Culture is a Durham-based roaster whose direct-trade sourcing has shaped specialty coffee nationally. Loden Properties also operates Rhode's Motor Lodge in Boone.
What The Longleaf Hotel Is Known For
The Longleaf Lounge has built a genuine local following, which is a rare thing for a hotel bar in any city. Raleigh locals book the fire pit seats. The vermouth classics and the locally sourced small plates draw people who are not staying at the hotel. Monday nights at LIVE at the Leaf bring in live music. The result is a hotel lobby that does not feel like a hotel lobby, which is exactly the thing that makes a motor lodge worth staying in.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- WiFi
- Longleaf Lounge with full cocktail program
- LIVE at the Leaf, free live music Monday evenings
- Outdoor fire pits and lounge seating
- Counter Culture Coffee in lobby daily
- Local Rise & Ramble textiles throughout
What Guests Love
- The staff is consistently and specifically praised in reviews across platforms and across years. Guests name them individually: for restaurant suggestions, for dog treats left in the room, for late-night problem-solving. This is not standard hotel hospitality. It is the kind of care a small property gives when the people running it care about the place.
- Free Counter Culture Coffee every morning in the lobby. Counter Culture is a Durham-based roaster whose direct-trade sourcing has shaped specialty coffee nationally. It is a meaningful choice for a Raleigh hotel, not a generic courtesy.
- The Longleaf Lounge is a real bar with a real local following. Monday nights, LIVE at the Leaf brings in musicians at no charge to guests and locals alike.
- Free on-site parking in downtown Raleigh is a genuinely rare thing. The location is excellent and the parking makes it practical.
- Dogs are welcome, and the hotel treats traveling with a dog as a normal and expected thing rather than a special accommodation.
Worth Knowing
- Rooms closest to the street and the nearby train tracks carry some noise. Requesting a room on the interior or rear of the property is worth doing at booking.
- The Longleaf Lounge closes at midnight on most nights. If you plan a late arrival and want a drink, plan accordingly.
- There is no restaurant on-site, only the bar menu. The walk to Raleigh City Market and Moore Square takes about five minutes and puts you in the middle of one of the better concentrated food and bar districts in the South.
- Breakfast is not served on-site. Counter Culture Coffee and lobby snacks are in the morning, and there are several cafe and bakery options within a short walk.
- Pets are welcome. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
The Room
Fifty-five individually accented rooms on two floors, each with longleaf needle wallpaper, premium bedding, Malin + Goetz bath products, and custom tie-dyed robes. Rooms on the ground floor open directly to the parking court; upper-floor rooms are reached by exterior stairways and open onto a covered exterior walkway. The rooms run compact, as mid-century motor lodge rooms do, but reviewers consistently note the beds, the linens, and the sense that nothing in the room is there by accident. Mini-bars, TVs, and safes in each room. Pet-friendly throughout.
The Grounds
The Longleaf sits at the north end of downtown Raleigh's walkable core, two blocks from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Free on-site parking is available throughout the property. The outdoor lounge area runs off the lobby with fire pits and shaded seating. The Longleaf Lounge anchors the social heart of the property: a chic, warmly lit bar with a full cocktail menu built around vermouth-forward classics and locally sourced small plates. On Monday evenings, LIVE at the Leaf brings local musicians into the lounge at no charge.
The Experience
The staff is the thing guests mention first and mention last. "The staff love their jobs" is a phrase that appears in different forms across dozens of reviews. Specific staff members are named by reviewers for going out of their way on local recommendations, on room arrangements, on dog treats left in rooms, on staying past closing to make sure a guest's night went well. The free Counter Culture Coffee is in the lobby early in the morning. The lounge is open late. The walk to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences takes five minutes. The walk to the State Capitol takes ten. The walk to the Raleigh City Market food and bar district takes five. Nobody at the Longleaf tries to sell you something. They just send you in the right direction.
Details
Raleigh, NC 27603
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Longleaf Hotel have EV charging?
No, The Longleaf Hotel does not have EV charging.
Does The Longleaf Hotel have WiFi?
Yes, The Longleaf Hotel has WiFi.
What is there to do near The Longleaf Hotel?
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences: 0.3 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. North Carolina State Capitol: 0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Moore Square and City Market: 0.4 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is The Longleaf Hotel from North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences?
0.3 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is The Longleaf Hotel from North Carolina State Capitol?
0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is The Longleaf Hotel from Moore Square and City Market?
0.4 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
Is The Longleaf Hotel pet friendly?
Yes. The Longleaf Hotel welcomes pets. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
Does The Longleaf Hotel have free parking?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at the property, which is genuinely uncommon for a hotel this close to downtown Raleigh.
What is the Longleaf Lounge?
The Longleaf Lounge is the hotel's full-service cocktail bar, open to guests and the public. It is known for vermouth-forward classics, locally sourced small plates, and a local following that fills the fire pit seating on weekends. On Monday evenings, LIVE at the Leaf brings in live musicians at no charge.
How far is The Longleaf Hotel from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences?
About 0.3 miles, a five-minute walk. The museum is one of the largest natural science museums in the country and is free to enter.
Does The Longleaf Hotel serve breakfast?
Breakfast is not served on-site. Free Counter Culture Coffee and lobby snacks are available each morning. Several cafes and bakeries are within a five-minute walk.
Is The Longleaf Hotel walkable to downtown Raleigh?
Yes. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, the State Capitol, and the Moore Square food and bar district are all within a five-minute walk.
Does The Longleaf Hotel have a pool?
The Longleaf Hotel does not have a pool. The property has a communal fire pit area.
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Things to Do Near downtown Raleigh
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
0.3 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
0.3 miles, about a five-minute walk. One of the largest natural science museums in the country, with five floors of exhibits and a research wing. Free to enter, and walkable from the front door of the hotel.
North Carolina State Capitol
0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
0.5 miles, about a ten-minute walk. The 1840 Greek Revival building that serves as the seat of North Carolina's government. The building and the surrounding Capitol Square are worth a slow pass, particularly in the late afternoon light.
Moore Square and City Market
0.4 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
0.4 miles, about a five-minute walk. The food and bar district at the center of walkable Raleigh, anchored by Moore Square and the historic City Market building. Restaurants, craft beer bars, and coffee shops are dense in this stretch.