The 249-unit Hilton Raleigh-Durham Airport at Research Triangle Park has reopened after an $8 million renovation.
A joint venture between Driftwood Hospitality Management and Apollo Global Management bought the hotel in May for $16.5 million, according to property records.
The seven-month renovation included makeovers of the hotel's guest rooms, the addition of a new restaurant concept and redesigning of the exterior and interior public spaces.
The hotel is now under Hilton's DoubleTree brand.
After bottoming out in 2009, the hotel industry has been making a gradual recovery in recent years. A number of Triangle hotels have been bought over the past year by investors planning major renovations.
The hotel occupancy rate in the Triangle last year was 60.5 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 2011, according to Smith Travel Research, a Tennessee company that tracks the lodging industry.
However, revenue per available room, a key industry statistic, was up 3.5 percent over 2011.
Business reporter David Bracken came to the N&O in 2004. He covers commercial and residential real estate. Contact David at 919-829-4548 or