Graduate by Hilton Madison

You could search high and low and you’d be hard pressed to find a hotel finer than the graduate Madison. Every staff member is helpful, kind, and fun! The food both at the coffee shop downstairs and rooftop bar is greats. And the rooms are stylish and comfortable. Also perfect location to walk to just about anywhere in downtown Madison!

Had an issue booking through a third party. Was charged twice ($300) and was denied a refund after calling 10 min after the initial payment. After calling the hotel directly I was working with Amelia, after about 4 days of fighting with the 3rd party Amelia was able to fight and get me that refund. She also went above and beyond and offered me an upgraded room for the same price I was supposed to pay!!! Highly recommend this place, customer support is top tier!

This is a very nice small hotel with only 74 rooms. There’s a really nice bar café on the seventh level and an outdoor Terrace for the summer. The hotel is set in a mid-century modern building from the mid 60s that was built as a hotel right by campus. They also offered me a $15 a day food credit for both the upstairs and the ground level coffee shop. Staff were very nice and it was very clean.

I LOVE this place. We were here the weekend before the holiday and so it was very dead. The hotel is absolutely adorable. It reminds you of the Wisconsin grandma's basement from the 70s or 80s meets campground vibes. We watched the Packer game at the rooftop bar and had delicious cocktails.

I stayed here with a group for one night on the way to a golf trip. Had a positive experience. ||I like the style of the hotel, it has a fun retro, collegiate theme.||My room was on the small side, but in decent shape. Comfy bed, had a good night's sleep. The low point of my room was the bathroom. It was small, a little run down, and the water pressure was not good. ||It's in a fun location, right on the same street as all the frat houses. Easy to walk around the corner for a beer or some food. Might be crazy on the weekend but we were there on a Monday so it was pretty quiet. ||Staff was nice and helpful. Lobby/cafe area was full of college students doing homework, which sorta added to the charm.

The only good thing about this hotel is its location. The rooms are extremely small, barely enough to fit in a queen bed. The room I got had poor ventilation and upon requesting to change to a better room, I was moved to a similar room just few rooms down, again with same alley facing view without good ventilation and on top of it, it had UNACCEPTABLE hygiene concerns (see below). I found a real spider with its web hanging over the bed. Since I had already asked for room change and was disappointed, I decided to take care of spider myself and not bother front desk again. I myself took SPIDER out of the room and cleaned up the web it spewed. I later on reported this to Hilton guest experience team and their attitude was to shrug it off by offering a generic "apology" and 15000 HH points and saying this is appropriate compensation for what I experienced. This is a total waste for me since I'll NOT be staying at the Hilton hotels going forward. I'd recommend management to take a look at their customer experience team and improve upon it. Naturally I'll NOT recommend this hotel in Madison to anyone.

Being that I am not a college student, nor are any of my children attending this school, I did not care for the location. I also didn’t like that there was only one small ice machine for all guests, and it wasn’t on my floor. That being said, I cannot speak highly enough about the staff at the front desk. Oliver and Avery were the individuals I interacted with, and I want to sincerely thank them for all of their help. While I wasn’t crazy about the hotel itself, the exceptional service provided by the staff is the only reason I would consider staying here again.

I guess supposed to be 50's themed. Room was clean. Close by restaurants. Middle of University of Wisconsin. Coffee shop in hotel could use some improvements with the drinks. Bar on 7th floor was better than I was expecting. Would I stay again, probably.

Stayed here for 2 nights recently and it was a good experience. Great location in Madison. Only valet parking available but unlimited in and out privileges. Room was small but very clean and comfortable. Bed and pillows were lovely! Small cafe in lobby, and also within easy walking distance of several places along State Street. Would stay here again!

Very accommodating staff and within close range of UW-Madison campus, which was lovely. However, the beds were soft and left both my back and my daughter's back sore and cramped.

Recommending this spot to everyone! What an adorable, charming, and stylish hotel in the heart of campus and Madison - truly cannot get any better. Steps from the Terrace, the start of State Street, the water. I went to Madison and came back for my best friend's wedding and would do it all over again. The whole place is festooned with this old-fashioned Badger-style decor, and our room was kept spotless. The people working the front desk were also so helpful. 5 stars!!!!

Cute and thoughtfully decorated hotel in downtown Madison. This is a college town so the theme of this hotel seems very natural. At check in the staff were very friendly and personable. the lobby is vibrant with color and wood tones- college and outdoor theme memorabilia fill the lobby and guest rooms. We enjoyed a corner room with a nice view of downtown- room is cozy and seemed clean with everything you'd expect in a hotel room. A bonus was an operable window, the availability of fresh air is much appreciated. The proximity to the lake and bustling downtown area really makes this spot a great place to relax and enjoy Madison. Tip- valet is required, I didn't see any reasonably located self parking.

I'll never forget Madison, WI. It's where some of my best memories were made. I recently got a chance to go back for a wedding and the Graduate Madison took great care of me. They even have a camp inside the hotel called Camp Trippalindee which is so Wisconsin of them. I'd recommend checking it out if you're in the area.

Rooms are tidy and have all the great thematic juice I love most at Graduate hotels. This one is located in the middle of UW-Madison's campus and you *will* be serenaded by drunk college students at 2am. Get over it. Everything is within a couple blocks' walk, including a mind-blowing sunset. Good valet. Great, shaded, well-traveled walking path for evening exercise.

Noisy room due to something, perhaps HVAC? And the HVAC temperature control didn't work well at all; set it to heat & the air kept blowing cold.

Food was just subpar and overly priced for the quality of food your getting. Hamburgers were dry, absolutely no flavor. French fries were soggy and a large order might as well be a small because it's is far then enough for 2 grown adults. I suggest to anyone who stays at the Hotel to not eat there, your better off saving money eating somewhere els.

If you never went to sleep-away camp as a kid, you still have a chance... the Graduate's nostagia-inducing, prop-filled concept does more than transport you to the summers of yesteryear, it reminds you that adulting is highly over-rated. If the canoes hanging from the lobby ceiling didnt have you feeling like the Olson twins in The Parent Trap the comesary on the 7th floor certainly will. With a grade-A comfort menu, a great selection of local craft brews and an outdoor fire pit (with lake views) this comessary will have yoy wishing you could stick around the whole season. Needless to say, the famed Wisconsin warmth and hospitality is not absent here. The friendly staff/counselors are there to make sure you are never homesick. Until next summer, Graduate! Can't wait to go back!

The only 'real' dog friendly hotel in Madison where they won't charge you extra for the additional four-legged companion. Book your stay here with your fur baby and you will receive a BarkBox with your stay! Close walking distance to multiple hot restaurants, specialty shops, bars, and even the Memorial Union. Don't forget to check out the bar & grill Camp Trippalindee on the 7th floor. They have a cool patio area with warm, open fire pits.

While the Graduate chain works to celebrate the spirit of each college community they don't deliver on the needs of the traveler at this location. Here they're more like the Dropout. General theme here is small. Small elevator. Small rooms. Small parking garage. The first impression they gave was not good. Opening the door to the room it immediately smelled like mildew and mold. The room was completely dark forcing me to use a flashlight to turn on the lights. While I liked the collegiate theme of the room, it quickly wears off as non-functional. Lamps that require unnecessary effort to turn on, a tiny tiny bathroom that really frustrates and is uncomfortable while preparing for your day on campus. While they have high end Malin+Goetz toiletry products, they're communal and in large pump bottles that have seen their better day. The bottles were scratched and dinged -- they looked beat up. The shower was gross. Too small, and mold at the base. The shower vent gave off a nasty smell and desperately needed to be cleaned. The hotel garage only has about 45 parking spaces, so they've added a valet. Thing is, the valet doesn't work 24/7, so the front desk gives you your keys and tells you where to pick up the car. So you get glorified self park that they now charge a premium. What a screw job. The internet wasn't great but at least it made up for the TV's Spectrum cable which lacked all the sports channels making guests miss a UW hockey event.

Hi, On this trip, I came to visit Madison for the sixth time on business. Normally I would stay at the Madison Concourse but that hotel was booked. Upon walking in, the hotel smelled of cigarets and the elevators are broken. Once in my room, there is hair everywhere including my bed. I called the front and there was not a manager on site. The young lady at the front stated she would call housekeeping. Housekeeping was gone for the day. As much as I love visiting Madison, I will not be staying at this hotel again. I really hope the other quest have a better stay. I do NOT recommend this place!!! Please do not stay here!

Look here see, I wipe people's tushies for a living. I do. Not out of a perversion or anything sinister like that, but let's just say I work in healthcare and it comes with the territory. I'm not upset about that part of my profession or anything, but it's not the main draw. And I guess that makes me somewhat of a professional when it comes to all things toileting. Anyway, I stayed here because of the location and it seemed like a nice niche hotel. Both of those were as expected. The problem is more with the, let's just call it, the facilities. I could've stayed at cheaper hotels in Madison, and believe you me, I have. And they aren't as nice as the Graduate. While I'd rather stay at this place next time I'm in Madison, I'm seriously considering down-grading to some crap Hilton-offshoot because they have, hands down, significantly better toilet paper than what we get here. I mean, come on. While it is technically two-ply, it really sucks when it comes to wiping your bottom. In the land of cheese and beer, the stuff that comes out the other end needs some serious strength, but with compassion too. Not this TP, it fell apart as soon as it hit the hand. Graduate, you can do better. We ain't undergrads anymore.

Very accommodating dog friendly hotel. We enjoyed all the little extras and attention that made our furry friend feel as welcomed as the humans. All the staff was super friendly and helpful during our stay. We will definitely return.

A "cute" hotel in terms of its decor and its proximity to the UW campus. But really would not recommend due to the cost, the lack of any amenities and the size of the hotel. It's very small! Paid a premium price for a very small "King" suite. Walls and ceilings are very thin so you hear noise all night long. Nice staff but next time I'll stay somewhere else.

I really wanted to like this place. I love themed hotels. Unfortunately the only reason this place even gets a 1 is because their coffee counter staff and valet were awesome and worked their butts off. It seems the hotel is short staffed everywhere. The theme of the hotel is cute, but that's about where the throwback to college life quaintness ends. 1. Cleanliness Score- Zero- The lobby had trash left on the coffee table in between stacks of books. Upon walking into our room, I found a half-empty coffee cup that had obviously been there a while. The shower had not been cleaned and had hair in it. The window sill had a ton of build up on it. We let these things go and stayed in the room. 2. Each day we came back to the room was like roulette for what was going to be cleaned. The bed was always made, but that was about it for cleaning consistency. 3. Bar/Restaurant upstairs has a great view, but again dirty. Tables were not regularly wiped down and sticky. Bartender was by herself and was trying to keep up. She was nice but overwhelmed quickly. 4. Elevators were old which fit the theme, but they worked only sporadically. Then for some reason they decided to close the elevators from 10 to 1 (which means it was scheduled) during checkout time?! So we hauled all of our bags down 6 flights. Only to get to the bottom and see someone get on the elevator and ride it up. There was a sign staying to call the front desk for help with your bags, but we knew there was only one person so that would take forever. 5. As I was checking out, another lady came with a complaint about the fitness room, only to be brushed off with a "All I can do is put in a ticket and someone will fix it." No options, nothing. That person left saying that it was just another disappointment with their stay there. No one, not once, asked how our stay was going. Even the person who obviously worked there and saw us struggling out of the staircase with our bags. That's the difference between a Yelp bad review, and just a bad review to the on site management. You have to know there are problems, and you're just not addressing them.

Yuck. They certainly have false advertising on their site for this hotel, the photos of the rooms and bathrooms they show online are far from what you will encounter. Our room was so small you had to shimmy between the bed and the wall to get in and out, the bathroom was dirty, our carpeted floor was wet (?), and our room stared straight at a wall/trash. Absolutely not worth the price tag. Disappointed I even had to waste money on one night here. Feels like a dorm, but not in a good way.

I just checked in and The first thing I noticed was the lack of cleanliness, the walls and furniture are pretty banged up but what really bothers me is that the bathroom does not seem very clean at all. The shower is dirty and the sink and floor is not clean. After two nights there I found rat poop on my nightstand.

What a disaster. Alright, first allow me to give you some context; I stayed here for four nights while attending a three day training at Epic in Verona. This is one of the hotels they recommend. At first it was promising; the lobby is swanky with a sort of vintage stay-away camp feel to it. Cute. The front desk staff gave me a coupon for a free s'more on their rooftop restaurant. Nauseatingly hip, but tolerable (it went unused). Things began to go downhill when I went to the fitness center after settling into my room. The fitness center is a converted wet-bar closet about 5x10' stuffed with an elliptical, two bikes, and a broken treadmill. It is approximately 90 degrees with no visible means to control the temperature. At least I can say I broke a sweat. The inexplicable and uncontrollable heat became an unwelcome theme. Despite turning my room thermostat down to 60, I woke up twice drenched in sweat. I'd guess my room was around 80 degrees. Against my greener sensibilities, I left the window open. Over my four nights, I estimate I got about eighteen hours of sleep. The shuttle to and from Epic's campus was always on time, but again, always uncomfortably hot. On the final day, the passenger behind me requested we open the window so she wouldn't vomit. The drivers also didn't seem to coordinate between morning and afternoon, as we had two near misses with leaving people behind at the campus. An upshot of the hotel is the location. It's a short walk from the square and the main campus thoroughfare. However, this is not redeeming. On my final day there I asked the front desk staff to coordinate an early cab to get me to the airport the following day at 3:15am for my 5:15 flight. They reassured me I would not need to arrive that early so, giving into the temptation of a few more much-needed winks, I compromised and requested a cab be scheduled for 3:45. The morning of my flight, I woke up at 3:00 and went to check in with the front desk to ensure the cab had been booked. I found the desk unmanned, but a tiny note indicating the staff member was in the fitness closet. Why wouldn't he be? Everyone loves a good ol' broken treadmill in 90 degrees at 3:00am. You've probably guessed it at this point, by the cab was never scheduled. Good thing I got there early; the staff member was able to call a different cab company and I arrived at the airport at 4:30. Skip the sweat, the heat, and the panic this hotel will cause you.

We stayed at The Graduate Madison for three nights in October 2015. The hotel had changed hands during the previous year and undergone extensive renovations upon becoming part of the Graduate chain. Ultimately the rooms and common spaces felt very new, clean and appealing. The tiny, tiny rooms, however, make it impractical for many travelers. (Perhaps they were going for the feel of a dorm room?) Our bed was extremely short in order to fit in the reduced room size. (I am 5 ft 8 inches tall, but still had my feet sticking out of the foot of the bed when I was flat on my back.) The walking space between the foot of the bed and the opposite wall was barely two feet wide. Our room had no closet or place to hang clothes. The tiny underground parking lot is the one area that still desperately requires renovation/work. That space hasn't changed since Graduate took over the property, but now it also is used as a "holding pen" for trash and laundry from the hotel. As another reviewer pointed out, guests who park in the lot must walk between carts of laundry and trash just to enter the hotel. A bar on the top floor provides some nice views, serves hot and cold appetizers, and has some outdoor rooftop seating. There also is a coffee/sandwich shop adjacent to the lobby. For people who travel light or enjoy small, cozy spaces, Graduate Madison is a clean, contemporary option. For others, however, there are plenty of similarly priced rooms in Madison that offer more of the space and experience of a traditional hotel. As for ourselves, we are unlikely to stay at the Graduate Madison again.

Amazing customer service! Super clean rooms and fantastic location. We are touring University of Wisconsin and was right in the heart of campus! Will definitely stay here again.

We really love this little chain. This location was as cute as we anticipated and everyone is nice and helpful. One minor warning: the walls are thin. Very thin. I could hear entire phone conversations and I know your friend didn't spend the night. Awkward. Otherwise perfect.

I'm going with middle of the road. The pro's are a great atmosphere - very clever and old fashioned and just fun to experience. The little cafe area by the lobby had good food - and healthy options. Including soy, coconut and almond milk for latte's. Credit for that. The room was clean and unique, if a bit small. It feels like my old sorority house - where the rooms were cleverly set together through a maze of hallways. The bed was mostly comfortable - a little less so than other hotels I've stayed at (I travel a lot). Acceptable for a few days. The view was nothing special - back of a building and what looked like dorms next door or housing. That meant you had to keep your curtains closed or risk exposing more of yourself than you want. I like curtains open and closed it made the room relatively dark. I loved the gel, shampoo, and conditioner and am AOK with that type of situation -- no small personal bottles but bigger one's in the shower. They were unique and worked well. A couple of things marred my experience. When I went to check in (after official check in time) no rooms were to be had. That's cool - I left my number so the front desk could call me when a room was ready. I never heard from them but, on arriving back to the hotel at 8pm, was greeted with my room. I stayed out a bit longer after dinner waiting for the call. Its my opinion if you say you are going to call and you get my phone number then you should follow up. The other piece was housekeeping -- the room was cleaned but things were missing. One day it was the bath mat, the other any hand towels. The lotion was never replaced (4 day stay) and I'd used it up on Day 3 - not the end of the world but I'm used to having those replaced. Also I found out there was a shuttle to the airport. Had I known that I could have saved $$ but it was never noted - I only overheard someone say something in the lobby. I'd stay here again - and probably just proactively ask for more coffee/condiments, extra lotion and so on.

What a fantastic experience at the Graduate. I came mid-week to visit my two sons. Check in was easy, the elevators were quick and efficient. The hallways felt a little bit like this was once an apartment building. Room was nice and clean with a cute but small bathroom, and windows you can open for fresh air. The decor is so kitschy cute. Spent a lot of time in the lobby which had many different options for sitting and relaxing. The 'pi' cafe served great drinks and snacks. There is a long communal table which was often filled with U students working on their computers. Enjoyed happy hour and dinner in the rooftop restaurant. There were lots of table games to enjoy, big Jenga (?) and connect four games. Plus a shelf full of board games. Outside there are three fire pits. You can order a s'mores kit! Plus the view of the lake, so pretty.

If you ever find yourself in Madison, WI, PLEASE do yourself a favor and stay at this perfect hotel. When unexpected flight delays had us traveling an extra 1500 miles today and arriving 7.5 hours later than planned, barely in time for our conference presentation, the general manager of the Graduate Hotel Madison *personally* went ahead of us to the conference location and *set up our booth himself* (!!!) to ensure we had a successful event. Have you ever heard of such incredible customer service?? The location is stellar, the room is beautiful, the restaurant was good, with lovely views, the decor is fun, functional, elegant, and quirky, and every staff person with whom we have interacted here has gone above and beyond to make our short, whirlwind stay both memorable and comfortable. I can't possibly say enough good things about this staff. Goes to show that when leaders of an organization are seriously committed to service excellence, it's contagious across the board. I love this place. Just wow!

The good: A few bits and pieces of the Graduate Madison has potential. The decor in the downstairs lounge and in the rooms is incredibly cute and they really have the 1970s preppy meets hipster college dorm vibe down pat. That concept is incredibly unique and a nice diversion from the standard, modern hotel that looks and feels the same from city to city. Also, the beds are small when shared but incredibly soft and comfy, especially the down-like blankets. The bad: Many other parts need work, improvement, and renovation. Here are just a few examples that come to mind... Example 1: The parking lot in the basement is filed with overflowing dumpsters and boxes of trash and even reeks of it. The trash is apparent upon entering the basement, and it is unacceptable even if Graduate Madison is still undergoing renovations. Example 2: Hallway and walkway space on the first floor is used as storage for old elliptical and treadmills, ceilings were leaking in plain view, and rooms next to ones occupied were left open and used as storage. I acknowledge that the Graduate Madison is in transition, but please, these displays are unacceptable for people looking for a home away from home. Example 3: Deliveries were being made right in front of the check-in counter. This would be fine if it was a small UPS package, but it was boxes upon boxes of materials and it looked unprofessional. Surely there is space in the back to take care of back office business. Example 4: From $254/night to $120/night, the Graduate Madison charged each room $114/night during our stay. This was ridiculous as we booked each room for $40/night and they refused to honor the booking price. Our party was only notified of this change fifteen minutes before cancellation period was up. Due to this our booking and customer service fiasco was a nightmare and our party went into our stay appalled and unhappy. Ultimately, our stay was honored at the $40/night price that we booked it at, but it was only acknowledged and appeased when someone in our party publicized the ordeal on Instagram. To me, having corporate PR remediate the situation after the fact is not quality customer service. Graduate Madison has potential, but ask yourself: Is it worth it $254/night? $120/night? $114/night? Or $40/night? With the headache, some might even opt out entirely.

The graduate is awful the rooms had dirty towels broken shower,and you couldn't even close the bathroom door. The elevator was dirty and dilapidated. I was wheezing from asthma all night it must have been incredibly dusty. The room was tiny and you could not raise the volume on the TV. I give it one star for its location oh and by the way you could in a four seasons for what we paid.

Pros: Location is great, rooms are mostly clean and fine, comfortable bed. Cons: Customer service leaves a lot to be desired. The staff is very young and inexperienced. They don't seem like they care about keeping you happy or having you return. No late checkouts granted though they won't admit having a policy against it. The $25 valet parking is presented as your only option as soon as you arrive and you can't park yourself in their garage. Fine, that's not that expensive but at least make me feel like I have a choice in the matter and you're not just separating me from my money. You could stay here I guess but if you want to be treated well, go elsewhere.

This place gets a bad rap because the rooms are small and it's not super fancy but the prices are great, the Decour is hip, and the staff were all super helpful and nice. We loved staying here and look forward to trying other Graduate hotels when we go elsewhere.

Nice and and clean place with a beautiful view to the Capitol. The restaurant is on the top floor with an awesome fireplace. The restaurant food is not recomendable and the organization of administration is all over. One thing that i really didn't like is that the rooms don't even have complimentary bottle of water. If you are booking this hotel because you are taking Epic classes make sure you let them know or book with the promo-code "EPIC" so that the shuttle to go to the headquarters is included.

Very college oriented boutique hotel. Lots of red colors, college themed decor with a small amount of rooms. Our bed was comfortable, air conditioning works well, bathroom appointed with all necessities. Maybe ask for extra bath towels as only 2 are provided. Clean & nice hotel & incomparable location just off State street. Friendly & helpful customer service. No complaints other than elevator service. One elevator out of service and the other is extremely slow with multiple people trying to use it at once. We used the stairs a couple of times. And underground parking is very limited but they gave us a parking pass for the main city parking garage just a couple blocks away. If you are looking for convenience to the University and comfort, this is a great place! A little pricey for the room but the location qualifies the price.

Cute decor and loved the restaurant and coffee shop. Nice to have underground valet parking. Our only complaints were the water pressure in the shower, which was poor, and our mattress, which felt a little old and saggy.

Very clean and quiet hotel coffee was on the house in the morning also I gave the door man Tristen my keys and he had my car out front in 30 seconds, I would definitely stay here again.

A boutique hotel near fraternity row with a collegiate summer camp vibe - loved the themed decor. Unfortunately the place falls down on execution, as "it's an old building" is a sad excuse for a guests' inability to properly control the room temperature. When I awoke at 430AM drenched in sweat and wanting to leave, I knew I'd never be recommending this place to others. Until they fix their antiquated heating/cooling system, find alternate accommodations.

Do not stay here. Sleep outside with the homeless people. To mirror the dozens of other reviews here (that I should have read prior to having my corporate travel department book here): 1. Your in room entertainment will be the Weather Channel at the preset TV volume. The remotes are inoperative and a call to the front desk will be met with an apology and nothing more as the 'engineering department' seem to have very sporadic hours. 2. Want to partake in the 'complimentary' cucumber infused water in the lobby? Get here early because apparently, they only have enough clean/cold water for one container, after that you get the option oh warm tap (per the front desk). 3. Sleeping here is optional if your body prefers any temperature under 80F. A call to the front desk to ask for relief was met with the aforementioned speech about engineering AND a great pro tip: You can always open the window. 4. The ONE pro...after you buy a normal cup of coffee in the morning for $5, all refills are only $0.79. Enjoy your stay.

I got in early to Madison because I had an early flight, and really needed to rest and get ready before my keynote talk at UW. Stephen at the front desk was extremely rude to me, and said there were no rooms available. I was wondering what it was about me that made him talk to me so rudely and make sarcastic remarks to me. Hours later, after eating, waiting in the lobby for hours, and more rude interactions with him, my hosts at UW finally moved me to another hotel. I will never come back here and if you want your guests to actually have a place to stay when they arrive, and kind service, you should stay away too. Also their restrooms in their lobby were filthy.

Where to begin... the only real benefit this place has is it's location, everything else was a disaster. The room was dirty, including a used coffee filter in the ice bucket. The view was literally of a wall. When asked about the view the person at the desk offered me a free cup of coffee in the morning (I decided not to inform him that most hotels give free coffee in the morning already). The room itself was one of, if not the smallest I have ever seen. People who have stayed in New York City will find the size familiar. The bed was a double, probably because they literally couldn't fit a queen into the room. My wife and I went up to the 7th floor bar for drinks in the evening and were bombarded with mosquitos. The next morning I realized the towels in the bathroom are kept in a little metal basket on the floor. There is no complimentary breakfast (or coffee) in the morning, just a little breakfast bar that sells pastries, coffee, and other items. The topper on all the problems with this hotel is that it's not cheap. The price isn't quite as high as the premium hotels nearby, but significantly higher than chain hotels that are cleaner and have more amenities. Do yourself a favor and spring for a premium or stay further out from the city center. Run, don't walk, from this place!

Nope. Did y'all have a management switch up? Stayed less than a year ago and the experience could not be more different and disappointing this go around. Currently typing this from my cellphone using data because the free Wifi took the day off. The front desk offered to "look at my laptop" assuming my MacBook Pro was the problem. Yeah no. The Graduate needs some continuing Ed because nothing seemed right from the jump. Check-in was delayed, staff could not be less interested, and frankly, the place feels more college dorm than hotel chain. Work it out or I won't be back.

Quirky and fun hotel...but tight quarters. My boyfriend and I booked this hotel for a one night stay end of September 2016. I love plaid and all things preppy and graduated Madison in 1985 so was very excited to stay at this hotel. Our first experience was the parking....which is really non existent. I pulled my Volvo station wagon into the "parking garage" so to speak, but there was no parking and no way to turn around so my boyfriend had to back out while I got out of the car and directed him so we wouldn't back into the white concrete wall. Drove around looking for parking....no luck. Parked in front to check in and the desk clerk told us we could park at the public parking garage almost 3 blocks away. Then I went to sign the receipt and it stated we would be charged $12.00 per night for parking. I challenged this since we would have to pay to park in the public lot. Of course they said we would not have to pay that charge. Went up to our room in the teeny tiny elevators and the musty smell we smelled when we walked in continued in the elevator and was really bad in the hallway to our room. Hallways are very tight and the ceilings are very low. I didn't realize this was an older building.Know that the tight space is understandable...but for the price of the room which was $238.00 it was disappointing. The room was warm so I thought I turned on the fan on the thermostat in the room. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to us the air conditioning was turned off for the season so only HEAT would come out. We opened the windows for air and that only made the heat worse. No fan so if you turn off the heat there is not air circulation which explains the "musty" smell throughout the hotel. We came back from dinner and I tried to get comfortable but just couldn't. We decided to just pack up and go home after only really spending about 2 hours in the room. TO THE HOTEL'S CREDIT...THEY OFFERED TO COMP THE ROOM AND MAKE SURE WE DID NOT GET CHARGED. I DID NOT ASK THEM TO DO THIS. I think if tight spaces don't bother you the location and decor and experience of the hotel is fantastic!

Graduate Madison Review- Located in the heart of Madison (601 Langdon St, Madison, WI 53703), Graduate Madison has a rooftop bar on the 7th floor that is a perfect place for a night out with friends, family or a significant other. The private elevator to the 7th floor is a unique feature that only goes from the ground to the 7th floor. Once you arrive at the rooftop bar you are greeted by the friendly staff. They have a full bar that is indoors with additional indoor seating with fairly large windows that give you a lovely view of Madison. As you walk through the indoor seating you have the option of sitting outside. Seating is limited and they don't take reservations for parties less than 5 people. So if you are thinking about having a few drinks for the sunset, it may be a good idea to come a little bit early. If all the outdoor seats are taken they will seat you indoor for the time being but they will inform you when an outdoor seat is available for your party. The outdoor seating area is worth the wait considering it provides you with an astonishing view of the capital and Lake Mendota to your left and the Moon during sunset to your right. Graduate Madison offers a wide range of drinks from cocktails to draught beers, bottle beers, sparkling champagne, white and red wines. My party and I decided to go for a couple cocktails, the drinks came out relatively fast along with a couple glasses of water. Here is what I found after the drinks: The Madison Mule ($9) is made up of mint and ginger infused death's door vodka, canton ginger liqueur, mint leaves, and ginger beer. Served in a medium to small glass this drink is its own version of a classic Moscow Mule. Fairly decent drink to start off the night but a little over-priced for the quantity and quality of the drink itself. With all said and done I would give an overall rating of 5.7 out of 10. The Studebaker ($9) is made up of old sugar distillery brandy station, fresh lemon juice, triple sec, and house made blood syrup. This unique drink could be compared to an old fashioned. The lemon juice used was a little too much, giving the drink a tart after taste. Overall, the drink was sub-par to my expectation and I would give a rating of 6.2 out of 10. Graduate Madison offers a variety of different food all prepared by a wonderful chef. The food they provide includes snacks/shares, smaller and larger plates, along with sides and a menu of desserts. We decided to go with a couple items from the snacks/shares section. Within 10-15 minutes of ordering we received our snacks and here is what I found: The Fish Tacos ($9) is made up of ceviche, shrimp, mango, avocado and a taro shell. The ceviche was an excellent addition of raw seafood mixed with lime juice. The shrimp pieces were small but just the right size considering the tacos were fairly small. The taro shell which is similar to the taste of potatoes was cooked perfectly and had a nice golden brown tone on the outside of the shell. The avocado listed was lacking quantity but the mango still brought a little kick of flavor to the tacos. With a final squeeze of the lemon over the tacos, they were ready to eat and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. I only wish they were a little bigger considering the price but overall I would rate them 8.7 out of 10. The Cheese Curds ($8) served in a medium to small bowl with a side of chipotle sauce were some of the best cheese curds I've had. These crispy curds were deep fried in an almost perfect batter. It was mouthwatering taking a cheese curd and dipping it ever so slightly in the chipotle sauce. As we finished the dish, we felt a bit sad because we wanted more. Overall the quantity matched the quality of the cheese curds and I recommend at least one order to whoever attends Graduate Madison, with an overall rating of 9.3 out of 10. All in all, Graduate Madison was a humbling experience. The staff was very friendly and willing to assist all customers in a timely and respectable manner. The food and drinks overall were made with care and tasted excellent. A perfect time to go is during sunset because some nights they play a song as the sun sets and all rails are $1 during the song. If they don't play the song just be sure to ask the staff and I'm sure they will offer the deal. Overall I would give the Graduate Madison 4.5 out of 5 stars

I agree with Sarah T's review on Yelp. The rooms are tiny and the parking garage reeked like pot. If you drive a mini van or large SUV you will never fit and if you're meeting somebody for the weekend you should know you are only allowed one car in it. I wasn't told it would be an extra $12 fee per night. Kindly they removed the first nights fee. We stayed two nights and I was shocked no one came to make the bed after the first night or tidy up the room. Our view, like Sarah's, was nothing to look at. The workout room had a total of three machines. In summation I would never return. Paying $89 at a holiday inn or double tree is what we will return to doing. We thought we'd splurge on our anniversary weekend and it was an utter disappointment.

I did have a pleasant stay at Graduate while attending Epic training. It is a very cute hotel and is remodeled. I do appreciate the airport shuttle. Checking in and out was easy. There is a small restaurant on the ground floor with coffee and yummy pies (Portage Pi). I also spent most evenings at the rooftop bar Madison Blind. I had a corner room and it was spacious enough for me. Included a fridge. I was disappointed with the bathroom. No shelving in the shower to place my toiletries. The floor is uneven, therefore the door would not open all the way. I was hoping they would use the same Graduate shuttle for Epic, but they use regular taxi vans. From my room I can see a shuttle van painted with Dahlmann Campus Inn, which is the former name of the hotel. Hopefully soon they will paint the van and use it for guests. I had tons of hangers in my closet, while some of my colleagues in other rooms claimed they had none or only a couple. So staff may want to consider securing the hangers. If needed I would stay again, as I was comfortable and slept well in my 3rd floor room. Try to stay away from the 6th floor, as there is more noise from the bar.

Cute hotel - they thought about every collegiate detail from throw pillows and plaid window valances to student ID themed rom carts. However they did not put much effort into customer service. We would have appreciated a late check out and requested this after we checked in and the student working the desk said there wasn't a manager on site or someone she could call to approve it. We were told to call back in the morning, so we did and we're again told no. Clearly wining a guest over with throw pillows is more important than actual guest service. Room wise - comfy, cute and great bed. Provided toiletries have terrible scents- who wants to smell like cilantro or Axe body spray. They did not provide wash clothes or enough bath towels. Location was great - but there are other hotel options that I'm guessing have better focus on guest service. Would not stay here again.

Madison WI Graduate is another of the University town locations for the Graduate hotel group. Very eclectic and nice funky vibe. Rooms are clean, w unique decor. Not your typical big chain hotel feel. Coffee bar near lobby area and awesome roof top bar. Serving Wisconsin's New Glarus brewing "Spotted Cow" and cheese curds!

Nice, friendly service. Small rooms without space to hang clothes. Good location and nice bar upstairs.

This was a really terrible hotel experience. The people at the front desk were rude and slow and the room was small with a dirty bathroom and it cost $299! The bar/restaurant was closed inexplicably when we were there despite the guy telling me we could have dinner there when I made the reservation. A lot seemed to have changed: parking was now valet only and cost $20 not $12 and the restaurant hours were not the same as what the printed materials in the room said. It was our anniversary (which I had told them and they provided nothing) and this sucked. Do not go to this hotel. I know I never will again. Update: the morning person at the front desk was much nicer and gave us a room discount so that was good.

Pros: Location was great. Cons: Everything else. Rooms were small, tiny actually. Not particularly clean. Miniscule bathroom. No restaurant. Valet parking was poor. Will not stay there again.

I will write this for people looking for a hotel, not a rooftop bar. The pluses: beautiful location a couple of blocks North of the old Memorial Union, an icon in downtown Madison. The Union is currently under construction, but I look forward to its coming back on line. I stayed in this hotel when it was the Dahl Campus Inn. Back then, it was still location, location, location. Madison, especially near the lake, it a great place. The hotel is optimally situated. To some the rooftop bar is a plus. Meh. It is nice, but I don't go to a hotel for a bar. Really. There are a lot of bars in Madison, many within a short walk on State Street (1 block away). If you are coming to the Graduate for the bar on the roof and not the hotel, no doubt you will be pleased. Nice views. If you are coming for the hotel, you want strangers coming into your hotel, taking the elevator up to the 7th floor, and drinking? The first night I came in and rode up the elevator, a guy got on the elevator with a high class hooker and went up to the bar on 7. Really, no kidding. Not what I look for in a hotel. Second, the management, whom I had asked for the quietest room, put me on 6: right under the bar. The sound insulation in the hotel is poor, and the worst has got to be the 6th floor. You can hear chairs scraping on the floor above all the time. It's open until 2 am. Not good. And then you hear them moving chairs around in the morning as well. The rooms are smallish, but what do you expect in a downtown hotel? This ain't in Maybury. The upgrade and new owner are a plus. Sort of. I was amused by the hipster decor, and I was greeted by a genuine hipster-bearded guy, complete with plaid shirt, at the desk when I cam in. I almost asked whether he used the microbiome from his beard as a starting culture for artisanal microbrew. Lots of irony and cynical cool all around. Kind of fun, but not a score driver. Like the old Dahl, this building still smells musty. I guess a cosmetic change can't alter structural problems. But, worse, I now smell cigarette smoke in the halls and elevators. Maybe from the bar? Beats me. Still, terrible thing to find in a hotel: musty and ashtray in the halls. Bottom line, it is only rescued to a three star rating by the location. The management change doesn't alter the bad choice (for people on the 6th floor at least) of putting a bar on the roof. Though rooftop bars are fun and this one is decent. They've got to do something about the smell of cigarette smoke in the elevators and halls, but sadly probably can't do much about the mustiness. Oh, and the stinky hipster bath products were a turnoff. I don't want heavily perfumed "rum soap" (or if I do, I'll bring my own). Some people don't want to smell that way, and some are sensitive to heavy-handed smells. Hotels should be going for innocuous in most regards.

I was really excited to find this cute hotel. The rooms were really nice with all the amentities and a very comfortable bed. The floor was also quiet. The bar I went to twice and both times it was dead and very small. The entrance is always packed with students studying so not really a good place to hangout for a cup of coffee. Staff was very friendly and it is in a great location. They over charged me for my room which I had read in a previous review. They stated I asked for a bigger room which I did not but thankfully they fixed my bill right away. I would stay there again for the price and the location.