Blue-and-white plaid upholstery. Reclaimed parquet flooring. A front desk clad in basketball-style leather. An oversized statue of Jonathan the Husky.
For a fully branded hotel guest experience near the University of Connecticut’s flagship campus, the Graduate by Hilton Storrs Hotel is the only game in town. An expansion and thorough renovation in 2020 transformed the aging Nathan Hale Inn into a quaint-but-chic celebration of UConn’s New England roots and national sports prowess.
The Storrs Hotel is one of nearly 40 on- or near-campus hotels in the Graduate by Hilton brand, which the hospitality giant bought for $215 million earlier this year. Graduate by Hilton is one of several hospitality groups overweight on — or entirely devoted to — college-town properties, including Brick Hospitality Group, Charlestowne Hotels and Scholar Hotels. Amid fluctuating enrollment and changing guest preferences, these brands are leaning on evocative decor, tailored stay-and-play packages and locally sourced talent to attract students, families, sports fans and other campus visitors.
“Intertwining the elements of a fun and energetic campus lifestyle along with a safe and welcoming environment […] builds a level of excitement and school spirit for the student and reassures their parents that their child will be well taken care of,” said Gareth Brown, vice president of operations at Charlestowne Hotels.
College-town hotel concepts are as varied as the schools they support, and they continue to evolve as the ground shifts beneath both industries.
Working with the community
The Graduate by Hilton Storrs Hotel isn’t the only college-town property cultivating intentional connection with its higher-ed neighbor — or vice versa.
In Waterville, Maine, Charlestowne’s 53-room Lockwood Hotel embodies Colby College’s commitment to its host community. After a brief stint as overflow student housing during the pandemic, the $26 million property — developed by the college itself — opened to the public in 2022 as downtown Waterville’s first new hotel in over a century, according to Mainebiz. It’s a key pillar of a $200 million public-private effort, spearheaded by Colby and other local stakeholders, to help the downtrodden industrial town recover from decades of disinvestment, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Having an immersive experience while staying on campus creates such a positive first impression, and [is] something that you simply can’t achieve to the same degree when staying in alternative types of accommodations.
Gareth Brown
vice president of operations at Charlestowne Hotels
Lockwood leans into Waterville’s artsy vibe with public spaces featuring curated artwork from Colby College Museum of Art and a lobby boasting wood reclaimed from the nearby Penobscot River to create “a gallery-like setting,” Brown said.
In Clemson, South Carolina, Charlestowne’s 41-room The Abernathy also aligns its brand with its neighbor’s. The hotel’s decor includes a life-sized statue paying homage to a late, beloved local mayor who taught at nearby Clemson University and advocated for environmental justice across the region. Befitting for a college-town hotel in the shadow of an 81,500-seat football stadium, The Abernathy’s interior is peppered with Clemson Tigers swag. The hotel touts its support for Clemson athletics and a related charity, and hosts a $500 “VIP Tailgate Experience” on football game days.
“Having an immersive experience while staying on campus creates such a positive first impression, and [is] something that you simply can’t achieve to the same degree when staying in alternative types of accommodations such as short term rentals,” Brown said.
But college-town hotels, and colleges themselves, may want to avoid associating too closely, cautioned Harry Wheeler, principal at Group One, a JCJ Architecture studio, which worked on the Graduate Storrs Hotel renovation.
“Most institutions want the hotel to have its own identity and be able to stand on its own, yet be affiliated with the university,” he said. “The hotel is typically where guests first arrive if they are staying on campus, making it the university's first impression [and it’s] important that the hotel experience exceeds expectations.”
A poor guest experience at a university-aligned hotel could reflect badly on the institution, Wheeler said. Likewise, university missteps may reflect poorly on supportive local businesses, as when Clemson University went ahead with its homecoming football game in late September as the surrounding area cleaned up from its worst tropical storm in years, The Post and Courier reported.
Moving beyond school spirit
Even in places where higher education isn’t the main attraction, university-aligned hotels understand the importance of attracting and delighting visiting prospective students, families and fans.
That often starts with a human touch. Many of Charlestowne’s college-town properties intentionally employ students in guest-facing positions, creating “an immediate personal connection [and] sense of camaraderie from the moment that they check in,” Brown said. Management encourages student staff to share their experiences with visiting prospects and their families, and they sometimes offer “insider” tours of campus, he added.
That extra touch is a win-win for hotels and schools. “A positive experience at a university hotel could very easily translate into a new student and [...] supportive family,” Brown said.
The second floor of the 403-room Dagny Hotel in Boston’s Financial District hosts classroom space for Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, so guests don’t even need a tour guide to get an inside look at campus. But the Dagny works to attract visitors to dozens of other higher education institutions in Greater Boston with an “academic adventure package” featuring free overnight parking, a $20 Uber credit and complimentary snacks.
Student-friendly financial incentives are common across the college-town hotel spectrum. The Beatrice Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island, invites students and their families to “get schooled” with 10% off select dates and complimentary Bellinis on arrival. Lockwood Hotel has several generous, family-friendly deals, most of which include complimentary meals or credits at the property’s upscale restaurant. And Brick Hospitality offers “local negotiated rates” at campus-adjacent properties to draw visiting families, said Sarah Lynch, its chief operating officer.
Beyond perks and discounts, college-bound students and their families “increasingly seek sustainability-focused practices and tech-friendly amenities like smart rooms and high-speed Internet,” Lynch said.
That’s an easy lift for Charlestowne’s Hotel Marcel. The New Haven, Connecticut property — a short drive from Yale University, the University of New Haven and other higher education institutions — recently became the United States’ first Passive House-certified, zero-emissions hotel, making it something of a Mecca for environmentally conscious visitors. It just launched a modern twist on the old-school wake-up call wherein celebrities and weather experts relay facts about climate change, Ad Age reported.
“Sustainability is the backbone of the entire Hotel Marcel experience, and it has become a very natural part of the conversation for students and families visiting the property,” Brown said.
Navigating an uncertain outlook for higher ed (and hospitality)
The Hilton-Graduate merger suggests big hospitality groups are bullish on campus-adjacent hotels. But the higher education industry itself looks shakier than it has in decades as smaller liberal arts colleges face enrollment declines — terminal, in some cases — and seemingly future-proof skilled trades jobs gain favor with young people ambivalent about spending six figures on a four-year degree, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.
“College-town hospitality faces challenges due to enrollment declines, prompting Brick to explore more flexible property uses and potential partnerships with local institutions,” Lynch said. Future Brick acquisitions could target mixed-use developments or “adaptable properties that cater to evolving demographics,” she added.
Small- and medium-sized schools tend to respond faster and more boldly to changing market sentiment as they compete with larger, better-known schools for attention, Brown noted. That can lead to deeper university partnerships with associated hotels, or — as in Waterville — more direct involvement in hospitality development.
“Research institutes, sports facilities and specialty programs often create new opportunities for hospitality services [and] the schools that are making strategic expansions in these areas tend to have a growing need for premium accommodations,” Brown said.
