OverviewLocated about a 10-minute drive from Durham's city centre and a 1-minute drive from the closest Interstate 85 on-ramp, the Courtyard by Marriott Durham Duke University Downtown is geared towards road travellers who prefer a centrally located hotel with an outdoor pool, on-site dining and easy highway access.
Each guest room or suite at this hotel comes equipped with free Wi-Fi, cable TV, an iPod dock, a desk, a coffeemaker, a hair dryer and an iron and ironing board. Rooms with a sitting area and a sofabed, a microwave and an additional bathroom are also available, as are wheelchair-accessible rooms.
Hotel amenities include an outdoor pool, a hot tub, two meeting rooms, a business centre, laundry services, free parking and on-site dining at The Bistro and Starbucks, which both serve breakfast and dinner daily. Pets are not permitted.
Duke University and Durham Bulls Athletic Center can both be found about a 10-minute drive from the hotel, while Kings Plaza Shopping Center is a 5-minute drive away. Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is 25 minutes away by car. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, pets not permitted, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: September 3, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's staff, location and rooms.
The hotel's staff were praised by many guests, who found them to be professional, helpful and friendly, providing efficient check-in service. One patron noted that the staff seemed well trained.
Numerous reviewers were pleased with the hotel's location. They described it as easy to find, and close to the highway, restaurants, Duke University, the airport, shopping and the Life and Science Museum.
Several lodgers enjoyed the hotel's accommodations. They described their rooms as clean, spacious, quiet and well maintained, with comfortable beds and pillows. It should be noted, however, that a few guests had complaints about their lodgings (see below).
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few complaints about the rooms and lack of free breakfast.
Although several guests enjoyed their clean and comfortable rooms, a few lodgers had complaints about their accommodations. They reported small-sized rooms and bathrooms, noisy in-room air-conditioning units, dated decor, musty smells and slow Wi-Fi.
A few reviewers were disappointed the hotel didn't provide a free breakfast. They felt given the hotel's rates, a breakfast should have been included.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #29 of 67 Durham hotels with an average rating of 4 out of 5 from 108 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 4.3 out of 5 with a 91% recommendation rate from 88 reviews.
Hotels.com guest reviews rated the hotel 4.4 out of 5 from 33 reviews.
The author called the hotel on September 3, 2013 to verify some information.
