Great customer service, they were nice, but the rooms aren't very clean. It kind of smells in certain places but not too bad. read more

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Chose to stay here due to its proximity to the Greek Theater. Easy walk to concert which was great. Parking lots are first come, first serve with extremely small & tight spaces. This is far from a 5-star hotel, more like a solid 2. The decor is kitschy & very Berkeley-like. We unloaded our overnight bags & let passengers out before parking as there was just enough space for the driver to squeeze out. If there were no spaces available be ready to back out of the lot. There is no way to make a u-turn. The room including the bathroom was small. Definitely Tight quarters but Clean enough & beds were comfortable enough. The staff were friendly enough. The reason for this low rating: (I fluctuate between 1and 2 stars)..... The Hispanic male, probably college-aged, who printed my checkout receipt was pleasant - HOWEVER approximately 5 minutes after I checked out, an additional $15 charge was added to my credit card. I just happen to receive notifications of my credit card charges in real time on my phone. We had just loaded up our car and was pulling out of the back lot so I told my husband to circle around to the front so I can ask why there was an additional charge. I inquired about the charge to the same Hispanic male who printed my bill & he feigned ignorance. He immediately reversed the charge no questions asked & claimed he had no idea how or why that happened. I felt safe here, Just BEWARE of shady college employees working at this hotel attempting to charge your credit card after you check out of the hotel.... read more

Really enjoyed our 1 night stay beginning of February. Quirky and comfortable with a Tartine bakery on the ground level. Fun restoration of a historic hotel. We had fun walking near campus and enjoying the area. Our home was built in 1926, so the items concerning to others didn't bother us. We stayed at other hotels in the bay area over the previous 6 days and enjoyed the non traditional and historic experience of the Graduate the best. read more

There's better places, its quaint but the service needs work. I left a small fairly expensive item in the hotel room by mistake and flew home. In any other hotel (even a motel six), they'd drop it in the mail since the package would cost less than a dollar. In this place...they need your credit card information...tacky. I'll stay at any other historic, quaint, inexpensive hotel (there's tons in berkley) with better service. read more

Great hotel if you like LUKEWARM SHOWERS, CRUSTY TOILETRY DISPENSERS, same room even if you pay for the additional "executive" rooms. I have family that lives close by so have stayed here a few times before. You would've thought that right after checking in and experiencing my room, that talking to the desk clerk, the on duty manager that day (Thanksgiving), the maintenance man, and even texting through the website that another room would have been offered or a substantial discount offered. If I wasn't also travelling with my 92 year old mother in a wheelchair (in another room), I would have changed hotels. When I received the cheery text after leaving, I did call and spoke to a manager who gave me 20% off. Big deal. 4 days of lukewarm showers in late November left a lot to be desired. read more

Not so iconic Graduate. We checked into the hotel yesterday after a 20 mile bike ride to find out that the hotel did not have any hot water. The person at the front desk informed us that they did not know when it would be fixed, but that their engineer was working on it. He also told us that they would not penalize us if we want to go to another hotel. NOT PENALIZE US? Really? How about reimbursing me some money for a not great experience. At 11am this morning, there was still no hot water. Plus the restaurant was shut down for the same reason. Room was fine. Bathroom small. Bed comfy. Staff generally nice. But NO HOT WATER? And, no one offering any remediation? C'mon. read more

The Graduate is DARLING! We stayed here for the evening to attend ArcadeFire at The Greek Theatre. We live only 15 miles away so it was a fun, quick getaway for hubby and me. Just a quick walk to The Greek and a fantastic place to eat in the lobby at Henry's. The fried green tomatoes were delish. Our room was very cozy and adorable with so many cute, collegiate touches (see photos). The bed was also very comfy. With the limited amount of space do to the architecture of these beautiful older buildings, they really maximized every corner. The location is perfect. All the great shops and eateries are just steps from the hotel. I'd love to have friends/family stay here to experience Berkeley next time they visit! read more

Good location. Nice hotel but very 1960s vibe. Reminds me of the movie The Graduate, so it's basically a time portal to the 1960s.

Stayed here for 4 nights with the hall pass and it was very enjoyable. I encountered about 10 different staff members and each one was polite, helpful, and fantastic. Keita at the front desk is the best! This is a dog friendly hotel which is a HUGE PLUS for pet owners and lovers. They give a free Barkbox to your dog upon check-in. Loved it! Like other reviews mentioned, the walls are thin and you can hear lots during the day, but it is an old building and unless it's rebuilt, what can they do? Night time there was super quiet and I slept well. We will be back! read more

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First things first, if you are sensitive to mouldy or must do not stay here. The bathroom is mouldy as hell and the room itself smells like a very old musty storage room. I think a large part of the problem is a lack of ventilation in the bathroom. This is a fun building to hang out at- the bar is interesting and it's decently located near the gourmet ghetto. The service is great, everyone is extremely friendly and professional. Comfy bed. AC in the room was great. Parking a car is 35 a day so be aware of that as well. Did what I needed it to do, but probably won't ever stay here again. The mould is a real turn off. read more

Graduate by Hilton Berkeley - Hotels Near Me - Berkeley, California

This used to be the Durant Hotel and I actually preferred the decor then. Now it has this extremely eclectic decor which probably seemed like a good idea when first devised, but was not executed well. It has some nice elements, but was not pulled together. Guessing a first time designer worked on this project--maybe even a student since that's the new theme. The rooms have always been small, but they are not maximizing the space. Use of large furniture in the small rooms doesn't make sense, looks terrible, and reduces mobility. Also lack of any mirrors in main room makes it hard to get ready if someone else is using the restroom. The bathrooms are tiny--ok for young people but difficult for elders to use. The beds are "full size," and uncomfortable for two people to share because they're so narrow. The good: location. read more

The stay I had here recently was one of the worst I've ever experienced with a hotel. We arrived on Friday and left Sunday, first thing was the room had no toilet paper and towels which we eventually had brought up. But when we were checking out Sunday I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. It started because our vehicle had been towed from there parking lot by the staff at the hotel. We had given them our license plate information which they apparently miss placed, and had instructed us to park in there upper or lower parking lot, which they were charging us $35 a day, and I was fine with that, because I thought my vehicle was in a safe place. The manager came out an heard our situation and immediately said there was nothing they could do, and in my experience that's the worst thing some one can say in this type of situation, especially when to get the vehicle out from impound cost $537, because they made a mistake. So I would highly recommend not staying here it was the most shady experience I've had at a hotel. read more

This place is cute overall, but overpriced. What you are really paying for is the convenience/walkability in my opinion. Pros: Walkability to all of Telegraph Ave and campus, cute/more of boutique hotel vibe than others in this price range. Bar/restaurant attached. Our stay was on the 4th floor and we had a Campanile view. Cons: Parking was $35/day which really adds up. Also no one came to clean our room or remove/launder towels during our two night stay. Rooms are a bit small, outlets were only available on one side of the bed. Although the hotel was overall quiet, our room windows were open upon arrival and we could not shut them closed ourselves, therefore we could hear everything going on in the street. I would definitely stay here again if I got a decent rate on one of the third party booking sites, otherwise with parking it's just too much $$$ read more

We chose this hotel because we read online that it was pet friendly and it offered accommodations for our pet at no extra cost. When we arrived, there was no parking because they had an event for a lot of young college kids. This made us park three blocks away. When we arrived ready to check in, the person at the front desk was more interested in finishing up her conversation with her friend than helping us after walking with all of our stuff for three blocks. Then the same person told us that the free accommodations for our dog were actually not free. We dropped the issue even though their website says it's free because we were really tired. After relaxing for about an hour we decided to go downstairs and buy a couple of drinks, but again we were informed that they were out of everything because of the party they just had. So for regular paying guests there were no options. At night, there was a lot of noise that perturbed our dog which caused us to wake up several times to calm him down. The reason I'm still giving it 4 stars out of 5 is because the day we checked out, the general manager was very kind and understanding when we told her about our experience. She is the only reason we will try to stay one more time in the future. read more

Came here last weekend to hangout at Henry's to find out that there has been a change in management. The walls have been painted over and the instead of old wooden tables and seats, there are now metal tables that are a bit more spread out than before. It looks more polished and less like a pub. It was a bit empty for a saturday evening, but it could be because people think that Henry's is now closed. The wait staff were extremely friendly and welcoming. I felt very comfortable there and the new cocktails that they now have are delicious and well made. We didn't stay for food, but I definitely enjoyed my visit here. I did enjoy the warm and boisterous feel of the old Henry's, but I also like what the new managers have done with the place as well. Will definitely come back in the future. Atmosphere: 4/5 Drink: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Overall Experience: 5/5 read more

They lost my mother's reservation. She gave them her name, credit card information, and there was a confirmation code. Yet they still couldn't find it, I'm totally disappointed. read more

Very nice staff was helpful and welcoming. Everything was clean and felt comfy. Hand sanitizers and wipes were conveniently located near the entrances and elevators. We were not stoked about having to stay in a hotel during a pandemic due to evacuation advisory and red flag/ fire danger warnings for our specific neighborhood in the hills. We were in a pickle with 2 pets but luckily they accommodate your furry family members and offered a discount due to the situation and gave us Bark Box. We had room 420, adorable and quirky decor! Our dog and cat were even able to cuddle up with us while we all safely waited out the storm. read more

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We really wanted to love this hotel. My wife and I stayed there several times when it was The Durant and enjoyed almost every stay. When we heard it was under new ownership, we had mixed feelings. Yes, it was in need of "updating", but the new ownership entity also owns a historic hotel in Vermont, The Essex, where we experienced horrible service earlier this Summer. Seems like the service is consistent across their platform. There are some positives. Location is excellent if you want to be near campus and student housing. They do have a parking lot which is huge if you came in a car (we always use Bart). The negatives involve the front desk staff (I could swear we were invisible). The dark lobby that resembles a voodoo lounge, the fact that the restaurant and bar was mysteriously closed the entire weekend, the cheap A/C unit inside right above the bed, and the fact that they replaced the free morning coffee in the lobby with bad coffee from a pump thermos for $4.25. Also, the towel rack in the bathroom was falling off the wall and the soap dish in the shower was just gross. Hope they can get their act together, we still have a student at Cal that we like to visit! read more

Graduate by Hilton Berkeley - Soap Dish needs help - Hotels Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I've never stayed at a hotel with thinner walls... you could hear EVERYTHING from neighbors. The room was also uncomfortably small. The bed wasn't the worst in terms of comfort but not great... read more

I would say "work in progress" is an accurate description of this hotel. I stayed once before when it was the Hotel Durant. The new owners have added some new touches, but the place still has a shabby chic vibe. The beds were comfortable, down pillows, room amenities were decent, everything worked. The breakfast was all carbs. The hotel has a moderate price point for the area, so I knew it wouldn't be a 5-star stay. The reason for the lower rating is that during my stay there was no food/beverage service and the front desk failed to mention that when I asked about it during reservation. That would have been a great time to mention no food service. We were counting on eating in during our visit. Felt a bit mislead. Addendum 8-2017; increased from 3 to 4 stars: Stayed here again. The restaurant and bar are open and the food is quite good. They have also put the finishing touches on decor. Overall, a good experience. I paid around $300 final for one night in a queen room after applying a discount and paying for parking. No complimentary breakfast. I paid $4 for a cup of tea in the lobby. Not inexpensive, but a comfortable stay. Would recommend. read more

I have stayed here multiple times in 2019 and 2020, and two times in 2020 I experienced unwelcome attention from other hotel occupants and wireless contacts with my person, both of which incidents I later reported to the Berkeley police department but which I hadn't reported to the front desk. Last night my room was located right across from 420, and I experienced a high frequency that caused me to vomit all night long, so it could have been a bad room number choice given that I had recently been experiencing a pattern of cyber-social interference. Cyber-tech can make our lives easier, but it also creates opportunities for those less ethical if we are not vigilant. That said, I think highly of this business and think the hotel has a strong brand. If something happens there again, I will speak up to the front desk to see how they handle things. read more

The hotel staff was great, very sweet younger staff. Very sweet, they really did care and help me out and switched my room because I was next to the elevator. This is great staff! That knows how to take action. The challenge is this hotel is OLD and rocking. you can hear every single noise coming from all directions- outside shouting and fighting, people above walking, flushing, coughing, you name it. Hallways noise. Noise from other room at the side. It was very hard to relax. (I was only here from 11pm and left at 3:45am to catch a flight) The decor is cute! But everything is falling apart... I did not feel comfortable or safe here. Stay at Hotel Shattuck, much better rooms. read more

We discovered the graduate hotel chain in Tennessee. We really loved the collegiate vibe. Although this Berkeley hotel is not as well kept as the Graduate Knoxville and Graduate Nashville, it is still very cool and Berkeleyish. There was amble space in the lobby and surrounding areas for zoom calls and wifi is speedy. Parking is $35, but there is also plenty of parking on the street, but they have a Tesla charger in their parking lot. The gym has a Peloton bike so that was a bonus. There is a bigger AC unit in the room and it does make noise, but it is mighty strong for a warm summer day. read more

They went in my room despite my do not disturb sign. Breach of trust and privacy. Will never stay here again.

Backed up sink and noisy outdoors make this hotel more expensive than value. Nice staff and location best perks.

!Do not park in parking lot! My car window was smashed for an empty grocery bag. The hotel management didn't seem to care that someone broke into my car, didn't help finding me a place to get my window fixed, and I had to ask them to remove the 35 dollar parking fee. Disappointing stay. Also no espresso in the cafe in the morning? read more

The most amazing place. Very helpful and friendly staff. I will definitely return. Garrett was especially helpful to me. I was struggling with my son and he came to help. He was just amazing. Rough day but he made it better with his positive attitude. read more

They clearly do not want you or me or anyone to stay there. The remodeling process was more like a make under. The decor is no longer collegiate with natural light streaming through the windows. Think more like, a hung-over garage sale motif. The front desk clerk was orienting someone and did not want to be bothered by "guests". The have no valet. They have no one to help you with your bags. They have no baggage cart. We checked in and were given a different room than we reserved on the hotels website. When we called the same front desk person tried to "up-sell" is to the room we had already reserved. Thank goodness I had a picture in the screen shot of the reservation on my phone. The clerk argued with me despite the place looked like a crypt and no guests we seen anywhere we walked in the hotel. The hotel parking lot was almost empty. He relented to giving us the room. However, he said it was not yet clean. The wait would be an hour. We asked when the restaurant and bar would open and he gleefully ( I kid you not, this was the only time he smiled at us) told us that it would be several months and he didn't know when it would open again because of more renovations. We waited twenty minutes in the dark and depressing garage sale designed lobby, and decided to go down the way to the Shattuck Plaza. We are really glad we did. Beware of this place. Unless you like to be treated like a bother. read more

This hotel is 1.5 stars, not 3 stars. 1. No hot water for over 6 hours causing us to have to take cold showers because we had to get to a university event. The response from the front desk was, "there is not much we can do about it. It's a 90 year old hotel." Also, I had to go to the front desk because nobody answered the phone on three tries. 2. Temperature of room - the rooms were 80+ degrees. For one of our two rooms, we switched to another room, but that was not much better. 3. I inquired about a late check out (1pm). The front desk manager said no 4 times (even after understanding #1 and #2 above). Then, I told him we would consolidate everything into one room and wanted a late checkout in one of the two rooms. He still said no. Then, I changed tone and said there would be no choice. 4. Great location, but the hotel infrastructure is obviously falling apart. read more

Wonderful service and excellent location to the university. Paid safe parking and near so much yet a short walk to UC Berkeley. Would definite stay again! read more

This hotel is a bit creepy and out dated. The customer service is excellent. The staff is very courteous and pleasant. They need to higher an interior designer and get this hotel renovated. They have random portraits of i individuals thought the decor of your room and hotel read more

We are very disappointed with the Hotel. We made reservations months ago specifically for its location, .5 miles from UC Berkeley. TWO DAYS prior to our arrival we received a phone call informing us there would be no parking onsite, because of the USC v Cal Football Game. Well, that is the reason we chose this hotel. I didn't want the hassle of having to find parking during this insanely busy weekend. They gave us a list of parking garages around town. They really should have worked an arrangement to guarantee parking for their guests. NOT HAPPY read more

BOO!! I parked my car in the hotel lot. Three days later when I was leaving the hotel, I noticed that someone had rammed into the right side of my car. I went back in to speak to the front desk about cameras, hoping there would be a clue as to who had done this "ram and run". Front desk gave me the name of someone to call and speak to. That person seemed nice on the phone and promised to look into it for me...promised to look at cameras. I had to keep calling him (was so hoping he would be call me) and was eventually told after a few calls that there were not enough man hours to view the 6 hour tape and that (basically), I was SOL. It was a "sorry, we just couldn't assist you" last phone call. I trusted my car to be in good hands and then, when it wasn't, was completely blown off. Park at your own risk. A big BOO for poor management. read more

Terrible stay. Portable ac unit in the room that barely works. Toilet lever broken in the bathroom. When showering, the temperature swings from freezing cold to scolding hot, any toilet flushed in the building affects it. read more

Horrible service from Robert at the front desk. Do not recommend speaking to him since he can be very condescending. Try to speak to someone else read more

I don't like to write negative reviews but this was probably one of the worst hotels I have ever stayed in. I got no sleep for 2 nights (cancelled my last 2 nights) because the walls were paper thin and there was a huge gap in between my door and the wall. I literally listened to every word of a conversation above me, heard someone snoring heavily all night, and had to deal with footsteps, toilets flushing, showers turning on and off ALL NIGHT LONG. It was seriously like staying at a hostel with better decor. The "Graduate" decorations were cute and kitschy but this place was horrendous. When I called the front desk at 11pm because of all the noise, I was told a security guard would come investigate and that I would be brought EAR PLUGS! As bad as that was, the ear plugs never came. When I called to find out why, I was told that they didn't actually have any. Of course, nothing changed with the noise either. In addition to all this, there was no room service. I brought food up to my room from the bar- which had an extremely limited menu. The next day, the plates/cups etc, were still there - no one took them. Also, when I went to make coffee, there were no water bottles to make it with. I had to call and have a water bottle sent up. The room itself was dark and depressing, a view of the parking lot and just dank feeling. I am sorry to have to be negative about this whole experience, but I hope that the hotel owner reads this and works to make it a better place for guests. read more

This hotel is hardly three-stars. It is closer to being two-starts. Even closer to being a dump. Due to "renovations" there is no food service. The fitness center is completely inadequate. Rooms are small and outdated. For $300+ per night I expect something at least closer to acceptable. I won't stay here again and advise anyone thinking of doing so to think again. read more

The hotel manager seems to think that a lowly admin is responsible for all the reservations made by the University a block away. They messed up every single reservation I made over the course of six months, then chastised me for politely complaining about it, stating that I somehow abused their staff for just mentioning my discontent. I've never had a less hospitable experience with a hotel. read more

$30 dollar parking. Which I was assured they have plenty of. :/ Super cute rooms. Staff was not super helpful or friendly. If parking was included and staff was more courteous I would have rated it higher. Great location within walking distance of alot of attractions. Also my tv kept turning off. read more

Really enjoyed our stay at The Graduate! Yes, it's expensive but expected for such a convenient Berkeley location. Super clean and comfortable with helpful and friendly staff. Continental breakfast a nice plus and parking was only $35 and the lot was close and safe. Kitschy bohemian decor was fun (hilarious when my daughter remarked about the cool "fishbowl" lamp that is actually a repurposed bong). Rooms are very large and beds very comfortable. I would definitely stay here again. read more