Graduate Evanston

We stayed there before and liked it, but will not be staying there again and would not recommend Ended up not staying there. We had booked an early check-in when we got there at one or told you was ready even though we booked it. The lady at the desk I believe her name was Monique was very dismissive. We were told because we booked it with a third-party. She couldn’t do anything about it. It be one two hours maybe we waited for a while, and while we were waiting, I discovered the elevators were down And went back to the desk and said I hope you have something on the lower floor to this. Monique gave me an eye roll and more of her why are you bothering me attitude The only room is available on the third floor, so we canceled and went to the Hyatt As I was leaving, they were checking in a family way to they all got checked in and then told me the elevators were down It’s really a shame this located in a nice neighborhood and it’s a unique place, but they seemed to have forgotten customer care

The Graduate is a lovely, quaint boutique hotel. It is beautifully furnished and decorated in a classic, old-fashioned way. The bed was quite comfortable. The bathroom was enormous. It was very quiet. Although we did not have an opportunity to have a drink in the bar, it looked like it would have been a cozy experience. BUT.... Our stay would have been terrific, if not for the lack of an elevator. A couple of weeks before our reservation, we received an email stating the elevator was incapacitated. We called and expressed our concern because one of the rooms booked was for our 85 year-old mother. Not to worry, though, they would do everything possible to put us on the 1st or 2nd floor. However, they would make no guarantees and suggested we should seek other accommodations if we had a problem with climbing stairs. We were able to arrange for our mother to stay with other family. We looked into other accommodations, but too late to get a decent rate at a comparable hotel. We decided to chance it with hope in the "everything possible" statement. When we arrive, they tried to put us on the 8th floor!! We objected. The nice lady at the front desk accommodated us with a 5th floor room. We were oddly grateful for the physical inconvenience. What happened to the 1st or 2nd floor? Wasn't even mentioned. (Eyeroll) We would stay here again, but ONLY if and when they have a functioning elevator.

The hotel was comfortable enough. The rooms were nice, but quite small. The shower was great, but no tub. Great water pressure though, one of the best showers I have had in a hotel. The small room was perfectly fine and well equipped for single traveler, though I do believe a family would have been a bit too cramped, especially for the price.

The unfortunately, there was not a stay. They called me while my family and had just gotten into an UBER at O’Hare Airport, only to tell us that the room was cancelled and that Hotels.com would reach out to us to rebook somewhere nearby. At this point we were in the UBER, with are 3 young children driving to the hotel, which we had specifically picked because it is literally around the corner from the building that where my 88 year mother lives. My Mom’s health is declining rapidly and we wanted/needed to be in walking distance to her. We were placed at the Hilton Orrington, which was 8 blocks away. Not only was the new hotel not in walking distance for Mom, who uses a walker. While we were not staying around the corner, Mom took a hard fall 10 minutes after we had brought her up to her apartment; we’re alerted by her Apple Watch. Thank God we had given her one. No answer when I called Mom. I was able to RUN 7 blocks to her, after calling an ambulance. She had lacerations and contusions and had been alone during the first 20 or so minutes after. The Graduate had in elevator problem (which we had been informed about in advance of our reservation and still confirmed when they gave us the option. There was a large wedding party staying at hotel—which made it clear that they were overbooked. The manager, made no attempt to solve the problem at first; he was aloof and uncaring. The Graduate caused my family to suffer needlessly, without remorse.

Front desk staff seems to go out of their way to avoid eye contact. Elevator wasn’t working, narrow fire stairwell was poor recourse for family of 3 with a toddler and heavy bags. Bellhop was friendly (and a champ) but the whole thing seemed so avoidable. Room layout was super strange. I’ve never had a hotel room with the door so close to the bed. As in, adjacent. On one side of the bed Instead of a nightstand, there was a door. It made entering and leaving the room a little awkward (especially with the bellhop). We got a big room so we had extra space for the kid, but the layout was so bizarre that it was just a waste of money. $19 for a prebatch old fashioned is offensive. Second night I asked for a different whiskey and the bartender still gave me the prebatch. Shame on me, I suppose. Only parking is valet but the street is best anyway. Valet takes forever (waited 15min Saturday morning) and it’s $35/night. This is Evanston, not Manhattan. Decore was fantastic, ambience was nice, definitely have their branding down and are consistent. Didn’t try the food, but certainly would have. Given the opportunity I would stay here again, i just wouldn’t pay for parking or the room upgrade and I’d made sure to get something on the first floor.

The Homestead is a home away from home when in Evanston. Don't expect big box amenities from this family-owned hotel, but expect a comfortable haven just a few minutes walk to Northwestern campus