TL;DR

Brand: Graduate Hotel in downtown Madison offers laid-back, campus-adjacent comfort.
Vibe: Collegiate without being overbearing, casual yet upmarket.
Location: Close to UW campus, Lake Mendota, arts institutions, and central Madison attractions.
Amenities: Rooftop bar and restaurant, small fitness center, coffee lounge.
Check prices here

Graduate hotels are always a safe boutique option, and this one in the center of Madison is a good representation of the brand’s brand of laid-back comfort.

The building can definitely be considered On Campus™, which fits the bill for a Graduate.

A brick and glass and metal construction, it could easily be a dorm, the Communications Building, or whatever other swanky building needs up-to-date facilities and an easygoing sophistication.

It is a hotel in a University town, no doubt, and there is admittedly a collegiate sort of vibe to the whole situation, but it’s not overwhelming.

Think Legally Blonde over Animal House: the college vibe as a backdrop rather than the main event.

And there’s plenty else going on. Besides the campus-centrality, the hotel is in spitting distance of multiple arts institutions and is Lake Mendota-adjacent.

If you like an upmarket yet casual stay, an impeccable location, and the Hilton bona fides, look no further.

What are the rooms like?

Number of rooms: 72
Room types: Queen Singles, King Singles, Queen Doubles, Suites including Camp Wandawega Suite.
Design: Contemporary style with homey touches; gingham curtains, warm wood, sleek gray furnishings.
Amenities: Coffee machine, mini fridge, desk, climate control, extra seating in some rooms.
See each room in detail here

Rooms are an excellent combination of contemporary style and homey touches, gingham curtains and warm wood and sleek gray bed stands.

It does have a dorm-ish quality to it, somehow, but only if you were rooming with Martha Stewart, and she was on the field hockey team.

They start at Queen Singles, with King Singles and Queen Doubles rounding out the guest room roster.

Suites are essentially glorified guestrooms, with pull-out sofas and a bit of extra space.

That is, unless you book the Camp Wandawega Suite, a unique setup perfect for families. Kids will have their own semi-private bunk area, with plenty of summer camp-inspired additions.

Amenities in all the rooms include a coffee machine, mini fridge, desk area, and adjustable climate control.

Depending on what you book, you can enjoy extra space, seating areas, and plenty of accessible options.

What are prices like?

Check prices here

And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?

Food & Drink: Poindexter coffee, rooftop bar and restaurant with local beer and cheese curds.
Facilities: Small fitness center with cardio equipment and Peloton.
Atmosphere: Casual, easygoing; not gourmet-focused but fits the laid-back brand vibe.

Facilities are solid, but nothing really to write home about. We’ve often found Graduate hotels toeing the line of sparse, though the facilities they do have are reliable in both form and function.

There’s the typical Poindexter coffee, a great place for a morning espresso or a relaxed breakfast snack.

We do love those upside-down canoe light fixtures.

Beyond this, we’ve got the hotel bar, a spot for a relaxed dinner, weekend lunch, or, perhaps primarily, a cheeky cocktail in a fun space.

Most notably, they put this one on the rooftop for some pretty incredible views of the lake. You can sit outside or in, munching on cheese curds and sipping local beer.

It’s not a gourmet paradise hotel, but we almost like that more. It fits the atmosphere better and makes for an easygoing meal you can linger over.

Besides the food, you’ve got a small fitness center. It’s decently equipped, if you’re more of a cardio queen, with Peloton privileges included.

How is the neighborhood? Anything interesting nearby?

Campus Access: UW campus next door; Library Mall 5 minutes on foot.
Cultural Attractions: Chazen Museum of Art, MOCA, Orpheum Terrace, Veterans Museum, Farmer’s Market at State Capitol.
Neighborhoods: Tenney-Lapham area for arts spaces, cafés, breweries, small restaurants.
Recreation: Lakeshore Path 10 minutes away, nature preserve, lakefront walks.

But really, where this hotel shines is the location. Here on UW business? Perfect.

The campus is right next door, with a dorm across the street and the alumni center down the block. The Library Mall is genuinely 5 minutes away on foot.

If you’re here for cultural fun, and the Chazen Museum of Art is too university-connected for you, you’re still in luck.

If you want to check out some of the older nightlife, you’re still in luck.

With State Street to the south, all you have to do is head east and you’ll hit the center of Madison.

MOCA, the Orpheum Terrace, the Veterans Museum, and the famous Farmer’s Market within the State Capitol are all within a 15-minute walk.

Anyone wanting to take the road less travelled can try out the eastern area of Tenney-Lapham.

You’ll find multiple event venues, some unique little arts spaces, cafés, breweries, and small restaurants. It doesn’t have the same obvious charm as the center, but there’s something to it.

Finally, you’ve got the lake. There are plenty of activities you can set up through the hotel, but if you just like to walk along the water, it’s just a 10-minute walk to the start of the Lakeshore Path.

Walk long enough, and you can hit the Nature Preserve and get to the opposite end of campus near Shorewood Hills.

And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?

Some things guests liked:

“Can’t wait to stay again! The location was amazing. We were able to walk to the little food and shopping area. We really enjoyed our stay….”

“I love the pet friendliness (though the fee is high) and fresh, clean décor of the Graduate hotels, including this one in Madison. The staff is very courteous….”

Some things guests didn’t like:

”Restaurant closed at 9pm. Cook that was working was extremely loud and obnoxious. I had to move to the back room to enjoy my drink. There was no Continental Breakfast for Diamond members….”

”The add-on fees for parking and pets increased the cost of my stay by half, which seems excessive. The rooftop bar/restaurant is really for the college kids all around the hotel – not the guests at the hotel. It was too overrun even in July (school not yet in session) to make any use of the free drink voucher they hand out at check-in. The restaurant also gave way to the drink-a-thon atmosphere of the bar and closed early – which was very disappointing after driving 13+ hours that day in anticipation of an easy-to-access dinner before bedtime….”

> Read all the reviews right here