Residence Inn by Marriott Durham McPherson/Duke University Medical Center Area
Phone: (919) 680-4440
Overview
Host your private meeting, small forum, weddings, and special occasion. The property offers a prime location near Duke University, North Carolina Central University and Durham Performing Arts Center, and the hotel makes it easy for meeting attendees to discover some of the area's top attractions.
Details
- Total Meeting Area Square Footage 2,528
- Total Capacity 40
- Meeting Rooms 5
- Guest Rooms 147
Amenities
- Publish on Visit Widget
Map
Meeting Spaces
Ferguson Room
- Area: 604
Kerns Room
- Area: 426
McPherson Hospitality History Room
- Area: 550
Media Room
- Area: 500
Patterson Room
- Area: 448
Google Rating
-
As a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime member, I stay in Marriott properties frequently, so I have a solid frame of reference.
The positives: the location in Durham is convenient, the room was spacious with modern décor, and the bathroom was exceptionally large with a generous vanity area — definitely a highlight.
Unfortunately, the stay itself was not restful. The HVAC unit was extremely loud and cycled on and off throughout the night. There was no apparent way to turn it off for sleeping, and it repeatedly woke us up. The refrigerator was older and made a constant ticking/compressor noise, which only added to the disruption.
Parking is also very limited — minimal surface spaces, a very small garage, and paid parking on top of that.
We reported the HVAC noise and missing body wash to Tiffany and a woman who appeared to be a manager (Scott). While they were polite, no points or compensation were offered.
Given the noise issues and parking limitations, we would choose other nearby hotels in Durham if future visits are required. -
First the staff is nice enough, and the hotel itself is clean. Gym is fine. Its a solidly fine hotel EXCEPT The rooms are in desperate need of a remodel. Theyre clean enough but functionally awful. It's like they put a bunch of "features" in the rooms because they were trendy and did not think it through. Couches are stiff and uncomfortable. The "walk in shower" is normal shower size but missing half the glass. Meaning the shower isn't deep enough to be an actual walk in shower but still doesn't have glass or a door or curtain so you get the cold air coming into you shower as you wash and half your body has a constant stream of cold air with no way to block it. And the rain fall shower head that's not attached to the wall properly makes it worse. I was here for almost a month and had to buy my own shower rod and curtain. And because it's just a big opening for the shower entrance, you get a giant puddle of water on the bathroom floor every shower. The main lights in the room are on a timer so even if the light switch is on, if you're just trying to sit and watch a movie or something the light goes off every 15 minutes. Ridiculous. The curtains are a pain to close. The sticks attached to them are short so it's hard to reach the one behind the desk. The drawers are clunky and barely open. Just a lot of really annoying things about the rooms that ad up. They really need to remodel and get rid of those "features".
Breakfast is not good. "Eggs" are dry disc's and the sausage patties are dry blackened meat discount.
Finally, when you're not at capacity, don't put people in rooms right above construction. I work at night and it was not fun being woken up by a jack hammer or something of the like every morning at 9am. -
I'm going to start with the cons from the perspective of somebody who traveled with a toddler.
First and foremost, if you're traveling with your family or a little one and have groceries plus several bags, it's going to be a challenge unloading your stuff and getting it in your room.
There is no designated area to park to unload and the parking spaces immediately in front of the hotel are very limited in number. The remainder of the parking is right across the street, which normally wouldn't be a big deal, but they do charge a parking fee for reasons beyond me. I would understand if it was valet or covered parking, but it's not, so the fee is not justified.
We were "upgraded" from a single king suite to a 2 bedroom, and let me tell you, the room was shabby, dirty, not functionally designed well, and falling apart.
The stripping within the kitchen cabinets was peeling, the cabinet to the right of the microwave could not open all the way because the microwave sticks out too much, there was only one spoon in the utensils drawer, there were stains on the wall, mold in one of the showers, and the toilet roll holder in the second bathroom was ready to pop out of the wall.
The shower heads SUCKED. Very poor flow. Water also splashed everywhere outside the shower and drenched the towel on the floor. No ventilation in the bathroom which is probably why there was mold.
The living and kitchen area overall just felt cold, bare, and uninviting. No rug, no coffee table, no lighting over the sink.
The stove was filthy with grease over the knobs. I cook whenever we're on the road because my toddler is picky, so it really turned me off seeing the filth and needing to clean before I started.
Breakfast options were horrible, so my husband and I ended up eating out or eating groceries in our room. Their eggs were both watery and burnt, sausage was burnt, there was no fresh fruit. Coffee was bitter. Just cheap and meh for a Residence Inn.
The pros: the woman at the front desk was friendly and you can walk/drive to a few things nearby. That's it.
I've had a Marriot membership for many years and traveled a lot for work, and this was the most disappointing stay, especially considering this was the highest priced hotel in the area.
Normally, you get what you pay for, but that is not the case with this hotel. Management, get on top of much needed room repairs and ensure your cleaning staff is doing a thorough job.
I do not recommend. -
My husband and I stayed for just one night and wished the stay was even longer.
The hotel room was clean and the items were well-stocked.
The reception staff were welcoming, friendly and most helpful.
I must commend Ms Tiffani, at the front desk, who checked us in though we were a little early. She was able to chat with us and we found that refreshing.
Her colleague, Mr Barry connected with my husband and chatted about cricket.
Both made us feel at home and it was our FIRST visit to the hotel.
Staff like them are assets and marketing is not necessary as they are the face of the hotel.
The buffet breakfast was hearty with a good spread. We did not want for anything - it was all available at the buffet.
The location of the hotel is certainly a plus point, close to the Gardens and the Duke University, easily accessible by courtesy of the hotel's FREE shuttle service, managed by Brad who is well-informed, polite, caring and punctual.
I am more than glad my daughter picked Residence Inn by Marriot Durham! And, am looking forward for a reason to stay again!! -
Pro: Staff was really awesome! Everyone was friendly and the breakfast was standard stuff but very good. Room size and bathroom size were very spacious. Easy to park, but only maybe 12 covered parking spaces in a cramped/weird garage situation. Only a few handicap parking spaces. However, there was a large surface lot to park across the street. Showers were really good and bedding was clean. Kitchenette was stocked with basics.
Con: There is a regular passenger train route by the hotel and they blow their horn every time, which is frustrating if you aren't on a work trip. The room was not very clean, the ice maker was dirty, bathroom door had dirty man hand prints on it, and floors were dirty. Dishwasher was not screwed in at all, and any time I opened the bottom rack the entire thing would tip out and the bottom rack would roll out. For a new hotel it seemed like the maintenance crew or the people who are supposed to arrange fixes were not doing what they needed to.
Again the staff were great. They always brought things timely, including a big ziplock bag of ice when the ice maker tray was dirty. They also were helpful getting us a room by the elevator.
Nearby Businesses
.04 Miles Away
.05 Miles Away
.08 Miles Away
Wedding Services
Miel Bön Bons Fine Chocolate I Artisan Cake I Extraordinary Desserts
Phone:
(919) 360-3332
.09 Miles Away
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