Graduate Madison

Best location for families visiting the campus

Staff tried to STEAL wallet! We were so excited because this hotel looked perfect online. Once getting there after a very long drive we were ready to enjoy a meal at the hotel restaurant, but it was overrun w/ partying college kids glaring at us the moment we walked in (so we walked out). Tried walking the neighborhood for a place to eat but the entire neighborhood & all the sidewalks/streets were also overrun w/ rowdy partying kids (& creepy adults trying to party w/ the kids) giving us dirty looks. Ended up having to order GrubHub delivery. Our room felt like a dorm (MUCH smaller than what it looked like online) & partying kids in the room next door. We requested a late check-out which the front desk said yes to. In the AM we received a call telling us we had missed check-out time (in a very rude voice). We then scrambled to get ready to leave-we had taken all our stuff in from our car since it was valet parking only. After bringing our first set of bags down to the lobby, immediately went upstairs to get the rest of our stuff & there was a cleaning person in our room (still not 12pm yet when they had told us our late check-in time was) & my WALLET WAS GONE. I asked the cleaning person if he had seen my wallet, which I know was left on the foot of the bed (& my wallet is blue & stood out on the white sheets) & he said no. It was very clear he had stolen it. Wasn’t until we talked to the manager that we got it back. We travel often & NEVER had a stay this horrible.

The Graduate is definitely not your run-of-the-mill hotel and was just what I was looking for. I wanted something walkable (yes!), near the lake (yes!), and unique (yes!). It’s a quirky-cool place and I really loved it. A few things you should know: parking is off-street;if you can find it), or valet-only, which is an additional fee. Once I got over that, it was actually very convenient with in/out privileges. Kinda felt like royalty. Not much of a workout room (three cardio machines) and VERY small; a little claustrophobic. Better to exercise outside in my opinion. The a/c in my room didn’t seem to be working, so stuffy. Breakfast not included but the cafe has done inexpensive grab-and-go options. In walking distance to other restaurants. I absolutely loved the overall aesthetic and friendliness of the staff. Would enjoy staying here again and would recommend for couples, individuals, families with older children (12 ).

The hotel has a cute up north cabin look. We like the vibe of the hotel and had stayed here like 4 times before. Al thought this time the hotel was super stuffy and hot in our room. Our thermostat read 76 degrees and it was super stuffy which made it very uncomfortable to sleep. We had 4 other families with us that each had rooms and everyone’s room experienced the same issue. Two of them spoke to the front desk and they said the air conditioning system wasn’t turned on yet for the season. It was 76 degrees outside and rainy and very humid this weekend so I would expect the air to be able to be functioning in order for guests to be comfortable. Very frustrating considering the price we paid for our rooms. I felt bad that I suggested that we all stay there since no one got a good night sleep. We were all disappointed and likely will not stay there again.