Graduate by Hilton Princeton

We stayed at the Graduate by Hilton Princeton for a birthday weekend getaway for my boyfriend, and I couldn’t have picked a better place. I had a specific vision in mind for his 31st birthday, and Kat, the office manager, along with her team, made everything come together so seamlessly. I reached out ahead of time, and when we arrived, everything was set up exactly as I had hoped. The hotel has such a cool vibe - cozy, stylish, and very “Princeton.” The aesthetic throughout the building is beautiful, especially around the holidays, and check-in was quick and easy. The location is unbeatable. It’s steps away from everything, and after doing a Princeton walking tour, it was so nice to come back and relax. If you’re celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or special occasion, this is absolutely the place to stay. I highly recommend reaching out to the staff ahead of time - they truly go above and beyond. We will definitely be back.

Although we didn’t stay overnight, my wife and I stopped into The Graduate after touring Princeton’s campus to relax and enjoy a coffee. The lobby is beautiful. Warm, thoughtfully designed, and complemented by a charming coffee shop and restaurant. We each had a coffee, which was good, but the standout for us was the atmosphere. It was incredibly cozy and inviting, the kind of place where you can comfortably sit, unwind, and have a conversation or study. They were just beginning to decorate for the holiday season, which added an extra layer of warmth. While I can’t speak to the rooms, our overall experience was very positive, and it’s a wonderful spot to take a pause and enjoy the moment.

This is a three-star hotel pretending to be a five-star hotel. The ambience is lovely, and the bed was very comfortable. The valet who parked our car was very pleasant and efficient, but I would call other staff performatively polite, but indifferent.||The rooms are small and do not offer much storage—not even a luggage rack. I did discover a small fridge under the safe, hidden by the curtain over the tiny closet. Climate control offered air conditioning or Off. We settled for Off and had a fairly comfortable night. ||The biggest problem—and one I think is inexcusavle—was that the room was so dark that we had to use our phone flashlights to see the electrical outlets—or to see anything at all. Even in the daytime, with the curtains open (over much smaller than average windows), it was almost impossible to see beyond about nine inches. I find most hotels do not offer as much lighting as they should, but I have never been in one that was as dimly lighted as this one.||I don't necessarily object to the fact that there was no coffee maker, but a hot water kettle, paper cups and instant coffee, in what is supposed to be a luxury hotel? And plastic cups instead of glasses? The experience was more like staying at a Holiday Inn Express (where we would at least have had a microwave).||The dining area is pleasant, but the tables for two aren't really big enough to hold dishes for a full meal, even breakfast. I'm not sure what Hilton is trying to project with this hotel—definitely playing off Princeton's Ivy League cachet—but the vibe we got was pretentious and unjustifiably expensive. We won't be booking this hotel again.

This hotel is a vibe. Came here with my wife for a “workcation” and it was perfect. The main lobby was a great place for us to work and then after the bar served great cocktails. Our room was really nice too and one day we hope to be back again. FYI (We went on a weekday and weekends tend to to be busier)

This hotel was so gross. Lobby and vibes seem cool but my room had hair and a smudge on the bed (you can draw your own conclusions about how it happened). I had to ask to change rooms bc they just said they’d send house keeping. The next room had a blue contact lens on the floor in the bathroom that stayed there my entire stay. House keeping entered my room with the DND sign and would not come with it off - I was stuck there 10 nights for work. I watched house keeping’s “cart” and the vacuum was just a lint roller. I’m not kidding. They also put someone else’s information on my account so I can’t even get points for this mess. Front desk won’t answer the phone. Do not stay here if you can help it - grossly over priced for motel quality room. Bring a flashlight for the “closet” btw. Location is great.

Stayed in this hotel the night of my wedding in Princeton. The location is perfect and the staff is very kind. We wanted to spend the extra money to be close to our event and have a elevated experience staying at the graduate on such an important occasion. We were extremely disappointed that the AC was not working and we entered the room to find a box fan used as supplementary air flow. We were not told at check-in that the AC was not working. It would have been nice if we were warned about the lack of AC on a 75 degree day. The box fan also fell multiple times during the night. Upon entering the room we also discovered that the door did not lock. The lock mechanism was broken. Since it was late and there was a lack of staff presence we were not lucky in finding someone to help us. This is a menial complaint but we woke up the morning after and wanted a coffee but they said they do not offer room service. When I booked this room - the amenities featured were "Bed and Breakfast". I would have assumed that we could get coffee to our room. That was my misunderstanding I suppose. For the exorbitant price we paid for the room, while it is decorated beautifully, we were so disappointed that we spent our wedding night in a hotel without a working lock or AC.

Awesome experience staying at the Princeton Graduate. Rooms were clean and spectacular, but what separated this experience from the rest was the interaction with Syed and Gretchen at the front desk. I had a document i needed to print and sign ASAP and they quickly worked together and helped me get it done as fast as possible. They really went above and beyond to help me, and this is the kind of service that made my stay truly stand out. This experience alone will be bringing me back!

I want to sing praises for The Graduate Princeton from the highest rooftops...they literally SAVED us when the Inn we thought we had booked for our daughter's wedding ended up canceling our entire reservation. Natalie, Michael & Kimberly at The Graduate went above and beyond to help us find rooms for our wedding party guests, they truly could not have been nicer or more helpful. And not only that, The Graduate is such a great hotel! We ended up feeling so happy that we could stay there along with the majority of our wedding guests. The rooms are lovely - unique and wonderfully decorated, the vibe in the lobby is cozy & fun and the location cannot be beat. 10 out of 10.

We stayed here in October 2024, and it was the best sleep I have had in years! It was so quiet and the bedding was just right. The pillow was soft and mattress was the perfect level of firmness. The shared library-themed area was perfect for days when you need to work from the hotel. They should be offering free coffee at this price point, instead I walked outside and went to the nearby cafe. I visited The Graduate by Hilton hotel in Providence, Rhode Island and it was nothing like this one, everything was shabby at the other location.

I have to admit, after it took an eternity to build this gilded throwback to the devil may care opulence of the Roaring Twenties, the result is pretty damn impressive. Bathed in dark wood and even darker pricing. you'll just feel like lighting up an embargoed Cuban and foreclosing on something or someone. Honestly, it's a cross between Speakeasy chic and The Overlook bar from Kubrick's The Shining. Princeton was founded by Quakers but I doubt you'll be seeing any of their descendants here, Conrad Hilton would approve and will be smiling down relishing the lack of Riff or Raff. Have a cocktail at the bar and soothe your battered checkbook and wonder why any of the other econobox hotels along Route 1 just won't cut it no matter how many free microwavable omelets you can nuke on high. I'll give it five stars for execution but I'll be back in six months or so to see if my optimism was misplaced, Is that Mrs. Robinson I see in the corner nursing a Gimlet?

Wow! The entire hotel is beautiful ! It is warm, welcoming, well thought out. The entire staff that I had contact with was genuinely kind, and gracious ( Ben, Henry, Scott, Amanda, I can't remember the front desk team names but absolutely incredible) We ran into a housekeeping member and he was so alive with his good morning! The drinks at the bar were incredible, really good drinks! The guest rooms, were cleaned, well stocked, super soft towels, great soaps, shampoos, air conditioning was working well! Almost sound proof rooms, darkening curtains between the temperature and the curtains it was a great nights sleep! We will be back!

honestly, I would skip the bar and restaurant because it's just OK and the drinks are kind of inconsistent. However, the service is immaculate. overall, this hotel, though is beautiful, and there is an excessive amount of details into the experience that was curated there they give you a student ID as your hotel key, there is a Scantron notepad and a number two pencil in the room, the lamps and decoration are very beautiful. They also have these vintage jackets in the lounge area. Lastly, they play live music at night. That is amazing. I would 100% stay here again, but I would recommend they invest the same level of experience into their restaurant.

Another lovely stay...but another hiccup with the request for a non-allergenic room. Shouldn't be so hard...!!

This place is so beautiful! It feels like you're in the middle of NYC. It's a really perfect place for a date or even just to catch up on some work. I will say there weren't many vegetarian options but I tried the pub potatoes and the pretzel bites which were both pretty good. I didn't get a chance to try the drinks but will definitely be back

This hotel was a total miss for me. My partner and I went for a two night birthday stay. I knew immediately that we had booked the wrong venue. I stood in line at the registration desk and was stared at. No smile. No "how may I be of assistance?" Absolutely no greeting. The person behind the desk looked young like she had just graduated college. I literally had to walk up and say I would like to check in please as I have a reservation. No assistance with luggage. There are Princeton students lounging about at the bar and coffee shop area all day and all night doing homework or meeting in groups. I loved my college experience and understand that it is across the street from the university, but the amount of students utilizing this hotel as a personal study carrel does not make it a relaxing or elegant lobby experience. The hotel lobby is beautiful and adorned in wood panel. A room with a king size bed was mostly clean and stylish, although very small. The bathroom had a wonderful fountain shower waterhead which saved the entire dismal get away. The absolute worst part was housecleaning. No housecleaning came. I called up once and requested it. We came back around 4 pm and still no housekeeping. My partner knew that I was getting upset and spoke to the front desk. They assured him that they would send someone up and so did the robot who texted me checking on my hotel experience. Still nothing. The only reason we finally got housecleaning is because we flagged someone down near our room. They cleaned it grumpily. On check out day at 9 am sharp there was aggressive pounding and screaming on all the doors (including ours) that they needed to clean the rooms. We ignored them. Check out was at 11 am. While the hotel is stylish, the service is slow, rude, and very very unfriendly. That would be fine for a motel or a 1 star hotel but not a place that I spent $700.00 for two nights. The price does not justify the horrific service. On check out we were once again not greeted by the front desk. I am dumbfounded that customer service was so terrible. I will never come back here again and suggest you don't either. I have stayed at motels and one star hotels and bed and breakfasts with much friendlier and polite staff. They need to train better or significantly lower their costs.

Absolutely stunning hotel right in the heart of Princeton! As a Diamond Hilton member, I've stayed in everything from modest Hilton Garden Inns in Atlanta to the opulent Conrad in Las Vegas, so I know a thing or two about hotel experiences. And this place? It's a gem! Let's address the elephant in the room--yes, the food can be pricey and somewhat average. But honestly, that's pretty standard across many hotels, even at top-tier spots like the Conrad. So, it's not a dealbreaker. What really stood out was the exceptional service. Scott at the front desk was a superstar! His warmth and attention made our first stay memorable, and the fact he remembered my name throughout our visit was a thoughtful touch that made a big difference. My son, an upperclass Princeton student, was thrilled to see Princeton memorabilia, especially from his eating club, "Cap and Gown." We snapped tons of photos and adored how the Princeton spirit was woven throughout the hotel and into our rooms. Speaking of rooms, ours had a chic dark theme and incredibly powerful showers--definitely a highlight for me. Comfortable beds made our stay even better. As a Diamond member, we got a $30 food and beverage credit, which we used for breakfast. The avocado toast was on the pricey side at $13, but my breakfast sandwich for $8 was a steal--hot, delicious, and perfectly made. Peter, the lone server, handled everything with grace and efficiency. We're coming back in two weeks with our daughter, who just started college at NYU. Can't wait to relive the Princeton experience and create more amazing memories!

The shower is NOT HOT. I've had hotter water in a swimming pool, but they refuse to make it hotter than 100. Plugging in your devices is a challenge, and that is the one thing that should be the most useful part of a hotel room, besides a hot shower. Leaving me a kettle with only instant decaf coffee where the only plug is in the bathroom is like a slap in the face, my very cold face thanks to your shower. Take your nanny state hotel and shove it up your shower head.

We tried the restaurant for lunch in The Graduate hotel for the first (and probably last) time. The decor and overall setting is fantastic - colorful, comfortable, full of local Princeton ambiance, and with lots of natural light. We had high hopes for lunch. While service was fine, the food was disappointingly forgettable. My husband ordered a turkey club on challah. He asked them to hold the avocado, but discovered after the first bite that it was mixed into the spread. We wiped it off. The roll wasn't challah - more like a small brioche bun which would have been nice too, but didn't impress. And the French fries were as my husband put it, like every other Marriott room service French fry. Nice looking, but not that hot, not that flavorful, and seemed a little stale to bite. I ordered the sweet potato chili. It was actually quite good. But seemed somehow incomplete. No side of bread like a cornbread, a teensy dollop of what I believe was sour cream but hard to tell. And served in a melamine orange bowl. Cheery, but more diner like than the atmosphere promised. Given the other options in Princeton, we'll steer clear of this place in the future. Just not worth our time.

Amazing bar downstairs, great atmosphere, good service, gives a new look to Princeton!

Very poor, slow service and limited menu with average food. Disappointing experience.

Hotel is beautiful , service is terrible. Room was cold. They said the heat was working but would only go up to 67. Restaurant is very small and table service is slow.

Imagine being this fancy and high class just to deliver awful, over priced food, and skimp cocktails. I assume they were built to make the nassau inn look better