Umstead Luxury Raleigh Spa

Who would’ve thought a 5 star hotel would come to Raleigh? …I sure didn’t, but good for all of us it did.

When I first heard the news that The Umstead Hotel was being built, I was especially excited because that struck a chord with me. I had a previous grueling working life (that’s an oxymoron!) with a hotel catering sales career for several years after I graduated college. No I didn’t work in a 5 star hotel. I’d give that Doubletree Hotel at the time, a 3 star rating at best. I put in demanding 60 hour work weeks including weekends. I made very little money when I divided up all the hours…partly the admission price I paid for being ‘green’ in the business. But, I learned the ins and outs and the behind the scene details of how hotels operate.  Not sure how that helps me day to day today, but when I stay at hotels and my husband says something like ‘well why don’t they have our online reservation?’… I gently explain that hotel reservation systems are as sophisticated as the ticking clock on the wall and remind him of my hotel torture, I mean, good ‘ol hotel days…LOL.