Construction Begins on Omni Hotel at Fayetteville Street, Launching Convention Expansion

Heavy equipment moved onto the long‑vacant lot at the southern end of Fayetteville Street in mid‑February as formal site work began on Feb. 17 for a new Omni hotel that city leaders say will anchor the planned expansion of the Raleigh Convention Center. Fencing now blocks off the site, trees have been removed and crews are ripping up a parking lot across from the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, ABC11/WTVD, DTRaleigh and on‑site video reporting show.

The site sits directly across from the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts and adjacent to the Raleigh Convention Center, with the Red Hat Amphitheater just blocks away. ABC11/WTVD video and YouTube coverage captured crews digging up a parking lot on South Street and parking lots in front of the performing arts center fenced off, while DTRaleigh reported that the southern end of Fayetteville Street will be reshaped as part of the project.

Omni Hotels & Resorts will develop and manage the property, and Omni President Kurt Alexander provided a statement to ABC11/WTVD. “We are thrilled to be joining the downtown community in Raleigh and are inspired by its continued economic growth. Omni Hotels & Resorts is committed to providing elevated hospitality experiences which align with this dynamic destination,” Alexander said. “It is an honor to be entrusted by the City of Raleigh to develop and manage this property while forging unique and authentic connections with the local community.” Social and local reporting describe the hotel as roughly 600 rooms; a promotional Facebook post lists a 29‑story tower, about 61,000 square feet of meeting space including a 20,000 square foot ballroom, a rooftop pool, a coffee shop and a Bob’s Steak & Chop House tenant that the post claims would be the chain’s first North Carolina location.

Sources differ on the size of the convention project the hotel will anchor. The ABC11/YouTube video description refers to a $387 million Raleigh Convention Center renovation project, while a Facebook post promoting the Omni called it a $360 million upgrade to downtown. DTRaleigh noted the convention center expansion itself “has yet to start construction.” Omni and city officials indicated the company expects the hotel work to be complete by the fourth quarter of 2028, and an official groundbreaking ceremony is planned for Spring even though on‑site prep is already underway.

Local business owners and residents framed the project as a response to recent downtown slack. Carey Kidd, owner of Element Gastropub, told ABC11 that fewer events at Red Hat last year caused a 30 percent drop in sales and called Omni “a pretty prestigious brand to bring to a city. We're excited to have it right down the street because that really helps Raleigh look more elevated.” Residents Madison Paul and Kristen DiAngelo said they sometimes travel to Charlotte or Atlanta for bigger acts and that larger shows at Red Hat would bring them back to Raleigh.

DTRaleigh’s street‑level coverage says the development will create a “future 600 block” of Fayetteville Street, ending the street at the front door of the performing arts center, and that the Martin Marietta Center will receive a minor facelift. With site fencing, tree removal and heavy equipment now in place, the next visible milestones will be the Spring ceremonial groundbreaking and the multi‑year build toward the late‑2028 opening window that Omni has outlined.