Indulge in massages, body treatments, and facials at our spa. Enjoy our fitness center, outdoor pool, and complimentary bicycle rentals for leisure activities. Culinary Delights Savor American cuisine at Herons restaurant, or opt for 24-hour room service. Unwind at the bar/lounge or poolside bar with your favorite drink, and relish cooked-to-order breakfast options. Upscale Amenities 150 well-appointed guestrooms with premium bedding, iPod docking stations, and flat-screen TVs. Complimentary Wi-Fi and wired internet, along with a business center, ensure a comfortable stay.
Book your stay at The Umstead Hotel and Spa for a luxurious retreat in Cary, just minutes away from major attractions and the airport.
✦HAPPI HIGHLIGHTS
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Excellent staff
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Great dining experiences
At the hotel
Popular amenities
26 listed
24-hour front desk
Assistive listening devices available
Braille or raised signage
Breakfast available (surcharge)
Concierge service
Electric car charging station
Elevator
Fireplace in lobby
Fitness facilities
Free newspapers in lobby
View all amenities
Pools & wellness
Full-service spa
Outdoor pool - seasonal
Fitness & outdoors
Garden
Hiking/biking trails nearby
Terrace
Safety & cleanliness
Smoke-free property
Getting around & access
Free self parking
Guest services
Luggage storage
Meeting rooms
Safe-deposit box at front desk
Services & essentials
Free WiFi
Free wired internet
Porter/bellhop
Reception hall
Shopping on site
Wedding services
Review in focus
154 reviews
10/ 10
Lovely stay and dog friendly! The spa is exceptional. The service is spot on. The bar has great food and drinks. The pool is heated. Hiking trails nearby.
Most reviews praised the friendly staff and exceptional service.
Location10.0
Located conveniently with great accessibility mentioned.
Room Quality10.0
Clean upgraded room noted, though some cleanliness concerns existed.
Value for Money10.0
Generally perceived appropriate value given positive experiences but tempered by negative feedback on amenities.
Food and Beverage10.0
Highly praised food and dining experiences mentioned throughout.
Overall Experience10.0
Many guests reported memorable and positive experiences overall.
Cleanliness8.1
Issues mentioned with blood on duvet and moldy pool chairs.
Amenities7.1
Subpar amenities reported, indicative of a decline in quality.
Live guest feedback
Guest reviews
Consistent
95% of 20 recent stays rated 8+
9.4154 reviews
Wonderful Stay for People and Dogs
10/10
vermontjess · Couples · 2026-01-23
“Lovely stay and dog friendly! The spa is exceptional. The service is spot on. The bar has great food and drinks. The pool is heated. Hiking trails nearby.”
A luxurious getaway at a beautiful spot!
10/10
FramedCooks · Couples · 2026-01-12
“We always have such a wonderful time at the splendid Umstead Hotel! It is a luxurious splurge for dinner, drinks and/or staying in their beautiful rooms. We recently celebrated our anniversary there, and as always the staff was over the top friendly and efficient. Our first room had an issue with the heat, and they swiftly upgraded us to a suite and took a substantial amount off of the hotel charge for the initial room...it was above and beyond kind of them. We love having drinks and dinner in the bar area, and we always splurge on breakfast at Herons, their lovely dining room. Highly recommend!”
Worth every penny!
10/10
charlieconnoriii · Couples · 2025-12-23
“Every year since my wife and I got married (5 years) I choose a 5 star hotel and spa to visit every year around her birthday in December. This year I chose Umstead and what a good choice I made! Awesome customer service, attention to detail in the rooms and Herons was amazing along with the Bar service too! In room dining was great and the customer service with in room dining took the cake! The Spa experience was top notch all the way around! My wife and I got massages and facials, and we were so relaxed afterwards! Even the turn down service was immaculate! I definitely recommend this great Hotel!”
Pleasant Surprise While Attending Conference
10/10
annesR1323XJ · Business · 2025-11-17
“The Umstead was a special surprise! I was attending a conference so hadn’t done any research ahead of time. Upon arriving, the staff was amazing. The room was very nice, but it was the special touches I appreciated like them leaving a bookmark on my book, a cleaning cloth for my sunglasses, a phone charger cord keeper and some amazing chocolates. Just a wonderful experience!”
Memororable Experience
10/10
Pathfinder363554 · Family · 2025-11-06
“My husband and I celebrated my birthday at the hotel. It was truly a wonderful way to commemorate another year. The hotel staff, from the valet, to the lobby/check-in personnel, to the service crew in the restaurants, all were professional, genuine, and accommodating. I highly recommend this establishment to anyone to celebrating a special event, or to simply get away and relax.”
Not how it used to be
2/10
F5767OYcarriew · Couples · 2025-10-29
“We were really looking forward to our stay and could not have been more disappointed. We made our reservations by phone about 3 months in advance and the lovely reservation agent asked if we were celebrating anything. I said our anniversary and she said she'd make a note of it. We also made reservations for Herons, the onsite restaurant, and the Umstead Spa so she had both of our names.
At check in, the reservation was under my name and "guest". Hmmm... small error but that can be fixed. But it wasn't. After a terrible dining experience at Herons - that gets its own review - we returned to our room to find that housekeeping had left a little card on the bed addressed to me and guest. Are you serious? We are celebrating our anniversary and we let you know that when making the reservation and at check in.
The hotel itself is lovely, the pool was relaxing, the spa was delightful but the staff needs a lot more training if they want to keep their reputation. I did learn after our stay that the Umstead has a new general manager. Hope he can either get things back in shape or is replaced. I did reach out to him following our stay. At first I did not receive a response to my email. When I followed up, I received a curt phone call thanking me for my "constructive criticism". No apology, no what can we do to make this up to you, nothing.
We were also surprised at the number of dogs on the property. There is a large lawn behind the hotel for weddings and events and a little sign saying not to allow dogs on the grass. So guests were walking their dogs around the edges and letting them relief themselves in the planting beds. I imagine on a hot day, this probably gets a little stinky.
We would go back for the spa, the pool (though if you visit the spa, you can also go to the pool!) and we did enjoy drinks and lunch the next day at the more casual patio bar. Those experiences were great and helped make the weekend not a complete loss. But for the money we paid, nope, not again unless I hear things have changed.”
A new standard in luxury, comfort and service
10/10
RR22RR · Business · 2025-10-23
“What a wonderful surprise – this hotel is extremely well run with an emphasis on pleasing guests.
From the moment you walk in, you are greeted and acknowledged, and assisted in every possible way. What stands out most for me in this hotel is the cleanliness. This seems to be a lost art in the hospitality business – housekeeping. Although this hotel is several years old, my room was absolutely immaculate and stayed that way during the entire visit from the showers to the sinks to the bed to the bar area. Everything was immaculate. Turn down service in the evening was very nice with exceptional detail to replacing used items tidying up and making the room comfortable - I don’t see this anymore in five star hotels. Small things like cleaning glasses and leaving the cleaning cloth behind for use, replenishing, complementary water, and preparing the bed. By the way, the bed was one of the most comfortable I’ve stayed in - in many years.
I was unaware of any nice hotels in the Raleigh Durham area so it was very surprised too See this Hotel and I will certainly be back.”
Experience of a lifetime!!
10/10
jasonsV551GJ · Couples · 2025-10-06
“This was the most luxurious hotel I ever been too! It was a great place to go and impress my bride!! Definitely will be going again!! Worth every penny”
Guest review
10/10
Kristin · 2025-10-01
“AMAZING! The staff was phenomenal. Five star service all around. Room was beautiful with a ton of amenities. Delicious food and drinks at the pool and in-room dining. Spent 1 afternoon at the spa. Highly recommend. ”
Nice except for over-billing
8/10
260randallc · Couples · 2025-09-21
“Overall nice but watch out for their billing. I’ve stayed twice and they over-billed me both times! Keep all your receipts and watch charges on your credit card transactions like a hawk. Particularly watch out for extra charges at the pool being added to your bill after you’ve signed. When I complained they corrected the errors in all the cases. But most folks probably wouldn’t notice the extra charges.”
Amazing Stay, Amazing Hotel
10/10
davidbruce · Couples · 2025-09-10
“We had an incredible stay at the Umstead Hotel. We only stayed for one night, as we were driving from the north down to our home in the south, but we definitely plan to return for a longer stay sometime. Everything about the hotel is top-notch. We splurged on an executive suite and it was definitely an amazing room - very large and very well-appointed. Although the hotel is nearly 20 years old, we saw no signs of wear or tear on any of the furnishings. Everything is incredibly well-maintained, with lots of wood tones and artwork that reflect the hotel's commitment to integrating nature and art. We had a nice big balcony overlooking the lake and forest - so relaxing.
We didn't plan ahead so weren't able to reserve space for dinner at the hotel's restaurant, but our in-room dinner from room service was absolutely exquisite. Breakfast in the restaurant the next day was equally superb.
The hotel's fitness center isn't big but it's adequate and we were able to get in a decent workout.
The hotel's commitment to sustainability is clearly evident. For example, they provided spring water in the rooms in reusable metal bottles. And the water provided in the gym was in recyclable cardboard-type bottles. Not a plastic water bottle in sight!
We found the staff to be very professional and helpful.
We can definitely see why this is a five-start hotel (and the only one in NC). As I said, we'll definitely be back.”
Guest review
10/10
Ageliki · friends · 2025-08-28
“Excellent, friendly staff, delish food, luxury and relaxation, spa was top notch. Very accommodating hotel and spa.”
Guest review
10/10
Dillon · partner · 2025-08-20
“Favorite place! ”
Guest review
10/10
Mark · partner · 2025-08-05
“Exquisite place top to bottom”
Guest review
10/10
Agnes · 2025-07-31
“Their attention to detail was exquisite. The staff was warm kind and friendly I felt valued as a guests. The extra attention was of the chane I definitely would stay there again. There was nothing wrong to my observation. ”
Guest review
10/10
moses · partner · 2025-07-28
“Bed was comfort. Staff was amazing. Had a wonderful dinner experience”
Birthday Fun!
10/10
Kimberly · 2025-07-28
“Booked a night to celebrate joint birthdays! Enjoyed a relaxing spa day and had dinner at the bar that evening. Staff were friendly and helpful! ”
A Beautiful Experience !
10/10
Companion594750 · Couples · 2025-07-24
“The Umstead Hotel and Spa is truly an experience to remember. From the moment we arrived and were greeted by the two wonderful young men valets, we knew we were embarking on a lovely journey. Our front desk attendee Jillian was so gracious and inviting. We immediately felt at home and knew we were going to experience a very special time.
The spa is so amazing ! It truly is a must to experience. My facial by Miakia was relaxing and therapeutic. My husband had the “gentlemen’s facial”. He loved it and it was a wonderful experience.
Needless to say, lunch and dinner were superb. If you are looking for a special and extraordinary dinner, I recommend the chef’s 5 course dinner and wine pairing. So delicious and what an amazing experience. Kace explained our dinner to us which was like taking a cruise to a forbidden island. Our sommelier Casey was so in tune to the various flights of wine pared with our dinner that we felt we were in the beautiful countryside where the wines originated.
Now perhaps you’re saying that this recommendation is over the top, well it is and it should be ! When you are so fortunate to experience such a lovely experience with wonderful people like Kennedy,Lydia, Sun,Jillian, Kace, and Casey then you should say so. I’ve mentioned a mere fraction of a superbly talented staff.
I hope you’ll plan a trip to the Umstead Hotel and Spa. It will be a treasured experience.”
