A First Look at The Mayton Inn

Cary, NC — The Mayton Inn, Wake County’s first boutique hotel, is expected to open in downtown Cary at the end of this month. This week, during a media preview, I got to see the inside of the inn for the very first time.

The Mayton Inn

Cary residents have been anticipating the opening of The Mayton Inn ever since its August 2014 groundbreaking – and for a good reason. The 45-room hotel won’t just be a stop for travelers – its upscale services and distinct interior will also make it a “stay-cation” spot for Cary residents and a community gathering place where people and dogs alike can enjoy live music on the terrace, quality drinks, farm-to-table meals, brunch, afternoon tea, spa treatments and more.

Well, the dogs won’t partake in the drinks, meals or spa, but you get the gist.

Because The Mayton Inn is parked right on Academy Street – downtown Cary’s main thoroughfare – it’s very important to owners Colin and Deanna Crossman to make it a place the whole community can enjoy. I got to spend time with Colin, Deanna and Jeff – the chef of the inn’s restaurant, The Verandah – to hear just how many exciting things they have planned.

“Fun Things”

Here are a few of the “fun things” I learned about The Mayton Inn at this week’s media preview.

“Deanna and I love dogs,” Colin told us, and The Mayton Inn will host a regularly-occurring “Yappy Hour” on the 3,000 square foot terrace that opens outside of the inn’s bar and restaurant. During this event, humans can enjoy handcrafted cocktails from the hotel’s 20’s-themed bar while their dogs chow down on chicken broth popsicles.

Colin Crossman (right) prepares media guests for a tour of the soon-to-open inn.

This terrace, which will overlook the planned downtown park, will also be a place where guests and the community can enjoy live music, parties or just relaxing with friends after work. Right now, the land surrounding The Mayton Inn is a construction site, but Deanna and Colin look forward to the added sense of community the future public park will bring to the inn. The terrace is raised, and its staircase will actually open onto a paved path that leads to and from the park.

“Including our meeting rooms and outdoor terrace, we’ll have six event spaces, and all will be open to the public unless they’re being used for private events,” Colin told the group.

Another service The Mayton Inn will offer that sounds particularly appealing is a lunch/massage package. If you have an hour for lunch, you can make an appointment to enjoy a 45-minute massage, and, while you’re relaxing, a delicious chef-prepared bagged lunch will be prepared for you to take back to work to eat at your desk.

The Food

Speaking of lunch, Chef Jeff Gompers prepared quite the sampler for us to try during the media preview – on the menu was a three bean salad with a cilantro, lime and jalapeno dressing, a udon noodle salad with peppers, green onion, parsley and a miso vinaigrette, a potato salad with smoked bacon, pulled chicken on a croissant with a smoked paprika aioli, a grilled vegetable sandwich with vegan aioli and a homemade pulled pork sandwich with a pimento aioli.

Lunch prepared by Chef Jeff Gompers.

Once The Mayton Inn opens, the community will be able to visit The Verandah for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Colin and Deanna wanted to keep menu prices reasonable so that The Verandah isn’t just “a place for special occasions.” Lunches, for example, will run around $10-$12 and top out at $15 max. You can read more about The Verandah, and about the full-service bar that will serve The Mayton Inn, in my previous story.

The Rooms

Although The Mayton Inn is very much a place to hang out, it’s still a full-service hotel. Our tour group carefully made our way around construction staff to walk upstairs and see some of the bedrooms. The Mayton Inn has 33 standard rooms, 11 deluxe suites and a special one-bedroom bridal suite in a small, historic cottage located behind The Mayton Inn. The Town of Cary gave this 19th century house (the Waldo cottage) to the Crossmans for them to restore and use.

The Mayton Inn will feature 45 guest rooms total. Rooms start at $200 a night.

Standard rooms at the inn start at $200 a night and, included with their stay, all guests can enjoy turndown service with port and chocolate and a hot, farm-to-table breakfast in The Verandah each morning.

Though The Mayton Inn is spacious, it’s still intimate, and Deanna and Colin were able to get very creative with its design. The structure building, with its large windows, is Georgian-style, but the interior is decorated in a 1920’s vintage deco theme with a modern twist. What does that look like? It’s colorful, that’s for sure!

During my tour, I saw at least five different colors on the wall. Each room has a different theme, from its color scheme to the distinct headboards on the beds and art on the walls, many of which are prints of Colin’s photography.

Guests can request their favorite “theme” when they reserve a room at The Mayton Inn.

This “blue room” had an old-fashioned, delicate feel, while the purple room below felt glam and modern.

A purple room.

When Will It Open?

When will The Mayton Inn open? That’s the big question everyone has been asking. “January 30, if all goes according to plan,” said Deanna. Once it’s fully-established, the hotel will employ close to 75 people, and Colin and Deanna will live in a house behind the inn and operate the hotel from there. Stay tuned for more updates about The Mayton Inn.