Raleigh unveils revamped Lichtin Plaza, previews future Omni hotel plans

Downtown Raleigh’s Lichtin Plaza now looks and works differently at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, with a dedicated drop-off lane, wheelchair-accessible ramps into Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, more green space and a larger flex area reshaping the plaza visitors cross before concerts, festivals and conventions.

Mayor Janet Cowell joined city leaders, parks employees and tourism officials to unveil the redesigned plaza and frame it as the first step in reimagining the southern end of Fayetteville Street. The changes were not just cosmetic. The Martin Marietta Center said the work had been underway for several months and was aimed at improving accessibility and creating a more welcoming arrival experience for guests and the downtown community.

The city also said underground utilities were being relocated around the broader plaza and amphitheater project site on South, Dawson, McDowell and Lenoir streets. That work signals that the plaza update is part of a larger construction zone, not an isolated streetscape project. For downtown users, the visible payoff is immediate: a more open approach to the auditorium and a layout built to handle crowds moving in and out of events.

Across the street, the future Omni Raleigh Hotel remained under construction as a 29-story tower expected to open in late 2028. Omni Hotels & Resorts now describes the property as a 600-room hotel with about 61,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including two ballrooms. Earlier city materials had described the project as a 550-room convention hotel, underscoring how the development has grown in scale as it moves forward.

Visit Raleigh has said the hotel is intended to support the Raleigh Convention Center expansion and meet growing demand for high-end accommodations and large-scale events. That demand is not abstract. Local tourism officials have said Raleigh turned away 68 major conventions over the past three years because it did not have enough hotel rooms, a shortfall that limited the city’s ability to book multiple big events at the same time.

The project has also become a major piece of Raleigh’s broader economic strategy. The Raleigh City Council approved a $75 million bond package in March 2025 to help finance the hotel, which is part of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex expansion rather than a standalone building. Recent plans also point to food-and-beverage offerings, including a coffee shop, a steakhouse and rooftop amenities. Together, the plaza and hotel point to the same bet: downtown Raleigh is preparing for more visitors, more meetings and a much busier street-level future.