The Durham Hotel Celebrates Ten Years While Evolving to Better Meet the Bull City’s Needs

The downtown landmark completed a refresh of its ground-floor coffee bar and rooftop restaurant and bar in April

By Renee Ambroso | Photography Courtesy of The Durham Hotel

Visitors have crossed The Durham Hotel‘s threshold throughout the past decade, seeking steaming cappuccinos from the ground floor coffee bar or something stronger from The Roof restaurant and bar.

The circa 1968 East Chapel Hill Street structure first housed the office headquarters of the Home Savings and Loan Association before entering a new era as a chic boutique hotel in 2015. Renovations preserved the building’s mid-century facade, cementing it as a charming downtown landmark.

The Durham recently received a subtle refresh: cosmetic upgrades that began in August 2024 quietly transformed its gathering spaces, says general manager Emily Strickland. “You may walk in and not immediately notice, because we stayed true to our original design,” she says. “The carpet, chairs and banquettes [on the ground floor] are all the original design, but completely new. On the roof, there’s all new furniture, from the tables and chairs to couches, [as well as new] bar flooring.”

The refresh wrapped in April, as The Durham announced extended coffee bar hours (with counter service from 7 a.m. on weekdays and 7:30 a.m. on weekends until 9 p.m., seven days a week) plus updates to the menu. The fresh lineup of breakfast and brunch items, small plates, shareable entrees and desserts is structured to fill a gap for both early birds and night owls seeking meal options throughout the day, which the hotel’s management team identified as a need for its clientele, while also encouraging the daytime crowd to stick around the lobby area well into the evening.

“The community in that space has really grown,” Emily says. “It’s evolved, and people come each day to work and [conduct] meetings or social lunches – it’s rarely empty. … We felt the [atmosphere] this space had during the day was vibrant, and we wanted to make that option available at night as well.”

The inventive menu highlights local ingredients, from a housemade wild-caught North Carolina shrimp burger to mac-and-cheese arancini served with a housemade honey mustard, which has a kick thanks to the addition of Ponysaurus Brewing Co.’s cherry sour. Produce is often sourced from the Durham Farmers Market.

Pair your meal with a cocktail, mocktail, tea or Counter Culture Coffee brew. The lineup of libations is centered on classics served in fresh ways; the new deconstructed martini is an interactive, “choose your own adventure” experience, Emily says, with patrons getting to take their pick of toppings from Castelvetrano olives to blue cheese.

The formal place settings and dim lighting that previously made the dining area suited to a special occasion meal have been swapped for a welcoming ambience. Now it’s acceptable – encouraged, even – to linger over your meal while enjoying a board game, puzzle, new read (browse the rotating selection curated by Letters Bookshop) or simply chatting with friends.

Meanwhile, six stories up, The Roof also got a menu revamp with seasonal standouts like a build-your-own spritz bar on Sundays and fresh-shucked oysters – a former offering that’s returned due to customer demand, Emily says. “We’ve pivoted back to being open at The Roof during the day on Sundays,” she adds. “Those hours are 1-8 p.m., while during the week it’s open from 4 or 5 till 11 p.m.”

Head to The Roof this summer to enjoy live jazz from Grammy-nominated trumpeter Al Strong on Thursday evenings, sets from rotating local DJs on Sundays, monthly story times for all ages hosted by the Durham County Library and more.

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