The Carolina Inn Convention Hotel
RATES AND RESERVATIONS: Although conference rate rooms at the Carolina Inn are fully booked, depending on when you call, a few rooms might still be available at the regular hotel rate of $169.
DESCRIPTION: Historic charm, modern amenities, gracious service, and memorable food – all blend beautifully at this Four Diamond hotel on the National Register of Historic Places. The Inn has 184 guest rooms and suites, a superb restaurant, outstanding meeting and banquet facilities, and an expert staff. Located on the doorsteps of the University of North Carolina, The Carolina Inn is the only hotel in downtown Chapel Hill.
HISTORY: From the day it opened in 1924, the Inn has played an important role in the life of the University of North Carolina and the Chapel Hill community. The Inn was built by John Sprunt Hill, a UNC graduate who, in 1935, gave the Inn to the University to serve as "a cheerful inn for visitors, a town hall for the state, and a home for returning sons and daughters of alma mater." Still owned by UNC, the Inn is managed by ARAMARK/Harrison Lodging and is a Doubletree affiliated hotel offering Hilton Points and Miles.
In addition to having a rich cultural history, The Carolina Inn is architecturally significant, blending elements of antebellum Southern plantation houses with Georgian and neoclassical features often found in the Northeast. The original front of the building was modeled after the Potomac River front of Mt. Vernon. The Inn has been enlarged and modernized over the years. The most extensive renovation and expansion, completed in 1996 at a cost of $16.5 million, added modern features and conveniences and, at the same time, restored much of the Inn's traditional warmth and grandeur. It should prove to be a perfect venue for the SWCA 2006 conference.