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If you’re like me, you do a lot of research before picking a hotel to stay at because you want to know you’re going to be somewhere good. I’ve had my fair share of bad hotel experiences, such as mice in the lobby and someone’s underwear under my bed, that I’ve become pretty picky (and with good reason)!
If you’re in the Iowa area and debating on a place to stay, hopefully, this post will help shed some light on Graduate Hotel in Iowa City!
What to Expect When Staying at Graduate Hotel in Iowa City
Accommodations
Rooms are clean (read: no stranger’s underwear haha) and nice. The decor is quirky, but it feels warm and cozy at the same time. It meets my standards! Rooms are a decent size too. Enough room for all the necessities and then some! Walls in the room are a little thin which can be a bit awkward, but I guess that’s what cranking up TVs are for haha.
Service
The staff is very friendly! I know I must have gotten pretty annoying with all my picture taking too, so that says a lot haha. Our heater in our room wasn’t working and they came right away to try to fix it and when that didn’t work, they put us in a new room. Problems can happen all the time which is no biggie, I just care what you do about it!
Atmosphere
The cool part of Graduate Hotels is that they are personalized to the city that they’re in, which makes for a unique stay. Because this one was in Iowa you saw a lot of corn and Hawkeye decor. Personally, I’m not really into sports, so I liked that though the Hawkeye influence was there, I didn’t feel like I was in a man cave.
The lobby has a literary theme with the walls handwritten in poems from a local author. A very cool and unique touch! This main area felt vintage, yet sophisticated at the same time.
Baby/Kid friendly?
You’ll see a bus full of high school basketball players all the way to friendly older people stay here. We were the only people I saw with a baby. I wouldn’t say the place isn’t baby friendly, but it’s definitely aimed at young adults. Just something to keep in mind.
Food
There’s a restaurant (Gene’s) and cafe (Poindexter) attached to the hotel. It’s so convenient to have both of these places nearby. Plus we all know how much coffee is an essential to have in walking distance 🙂 Gene’s makes good cocktails, but the menu is pretty limited. I got the chicken parm sandwich which was good, but not amazinggg. It’s a fun and retro place to have a drink and catch up with friends!
Location
LocationLocation is prime. It’s downtown right in the ped mall where there are lots of restaurants, bars, and shopping. Some of my favorite places are in this area. You couldn’t have asked for a better place!
Should you stay?
My take is yes! Though my stay was comped, I’d pay to stay here. Location, cleanliness, and a cool atmosphere are what I look for in a hotel, which this place had. Oh, and an attached coffee shop makes this a no brainer!
