Another place that's building on history is in Raleigh, where a 1960s Travelodge has been completely transformed into a modern mid-century gem.

Right now I'm here with Christine McDonald, the COO of Loden Hospitality and Management.

I'm so excited to be in this space because it's just- - We're so glad to have you.

- so elegant.

- Thank you.

- Tell me a little bit about the visitor experience.

- When we designed the Longleaf Hotel and Lounge, we wanted it to be a place that really kind of leaned into those mid-century modern kind of characteristics.

We wanted it to feel really cozy, very welcoming, very much sort of that unassuming North Carolina spirit.

Clearly, we're in the lounge, this is our main amenity, and this was designed not only to be sort of a respite for travelers and guests who are staying here, but we really wanted it to be a place that locals wanted to hang out as well.

So not only do we have this vibey lounge experience, but we have this really large patio that brings in live music, bingo night, fun events.

In the rooms we have luxury linens.

Mattresses were really important to us.

We invested in that.

Really specialty amenities like MALIN+GOETZ.

So there were little touches that we thought were important.

When we acquired it, it was a Days Inn, and a lot of the things were kind of covered up, but we knew they might be there.

And we found this really fun postcard, the original postcard from the Travelodge here.

And we could see that there were some interesting, like mid-century modern breeze blocks, very kind of classic shapes and forms.

And so in that discovery period of the renovation of the the motel, we were able to uncover some of those things.

And then when we were looking at like what kind of materials do we wanna emphasize, we looked at things like terrazzo, which is like a really classic mid-century modern material.

The bar counters, for example, are terrazzo that we had made custom for us in Charlotte.

We've really become known for our wine program, our really specialty cocktails.

We really like to lean into sort of mid-century classics.

Right now, we're featuring an Appalachian Negroni, which is a classic Negroni featuring an Appalachian liquer.

In the morning, guests can come down, we have complimentary coffee, we also have a nice coffee program, so if they'd like to get something a little more, that's available.

And then some wonderful bakery items that are, you know, fresh-made every day.

- And the location is perfect for enjoying everything that's right here in the city.

- [Christine] I mean, the location is fantastic.

I mean, if you're heading from the north of town, heading south through town, we are right there.

And it's in with walking distance to the museums, to restaurants, to nightlife.

Yeah, we're pretty lucky.

- What do you hear back from people who've had an opportunity to stay overnight?

- Hmm, some of the things that we hear, our level of service, that very welcoming spirit, we're kind of known for that.

You know, a lot of folks say, "Wow, like you've taken this, you know, 1960s Travelodge and really transformed it into something that I didn't even think was possible."

And there's also a sense of pride as you come into downtown.

We've created this iconic neon sign "Long Live Longleaf," which leans into this idea of the preservation of the longleaf pine in North Carolina.

And it's really a statement that welcomes you into downtown.

And we didn't want it to be like an over-the-top period piece.

We wanted it to be something that was, you know, a lot more sort of, "come on in, sit down in our lounge, our den."

- Well, I think you've accomplished that goal.

- Thank you.

- And I look forward to seeing more of it.

Thanks so much.

- Thank you.

[mellow music] - The Longleaf Hotel and Lounge is at 300 North Dawson Street in Raleigh.

Their lounge is open Monday through Thursday from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from noon to midnight.

It's also open Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. To book a room, go online to thelongleafhotel.com.