Graduate by Hilton Chapel Hill
About Graduate by Hilton Chapel Hill
Located in Chapel Hill, 11 miles from Duke University, Graduate by Hilton Chapel Hill provides accommodations with free bikes, private parking, a fitness center and a shared lounge. Featuring a 24-hour front desk, this property also welcomes guests with a restaurant and a terrace. Guests can have a drink at the bar. Each room is equipped with a safety deposit box and free WiFi, while certain rooms include a balcony. Guest rooms will provide guests with a fridge. PNC Arena is 23 miles from the hotel, while North Carolina Museum of Art is 24 miles away. Raleigh-Durham International Airport is 17 miles from the property.
Amenities
- On-site parking
- 24-hour front desk
- Meeting space
- Fitness center
- On-site dining
- Bar / lounge
- Café / coffee shop
- Business center
- Express check-in / check-out
- Concierge
- Dry cleaning
- Self-service laundry
- Luggage storage
- In-room refrigerator
- Spa / sauna
- Pet friendly
- Family friendly
- Wheelchair accessible
- Smoke-free property
- Air conditioning
- Elevator
- In-room safe
- EV charging
Reviews
The hotel generally receives positive reviews for its unique design, comfortable rooms, and convenient location. However, some guests express dissatisfaction with the lack of complimentary breakfast and coffee, as well as the cost of parking and amenity fees.
- Unique design and decor
- Comfortable rooms and beds
- Lack of complimentary breakfast and coffee
- Additional costs for parking and amenity fees
- 5/5
Fun theme/design details. And extremely conveniently located. Very nice and helpful staff! We were grateful for the parking garage as it was raining off and on, and also to be able to enjoy a glass of wine in the bar while waiting (for the rain to stop) to walk to dinner.
- 5/5
Great stay. Great staff.,
- 3.5/5
Good
- 5/5
Great atmosphere, clean and comfortable rooms. Great location!
- 5/5
Great atmosphere, clean and comfortable rooms. Great location!
- 5/5
Loved this hotel! Right on Franklin and love the decor and comfort of the room.
- 4.5/5
Superb
- 5/5
A gem! Heart of chapel hill.
- 3/5
I think it was nice and clean but I cannot believe what I paid for three nights vs what I could have got. It was great being on Franklin street but honestly the building was a bit more older than what I was expecting for the price. Again, it was nice but I found a luxury apartment with so much more space after the fact that was 1/3 of the price
- 5/5
Great hotel 2; walkable to campus and also great staff. Would stay here again for sure.
- 5/5
Convenient location. Attentive staff. Great coffee.
- 5/5
.
- 3/5
You should add toothbrushes, toothpaste, and combs; this way, if guests staying nearby decide to spend the night—and haven't brought many belongings—they will have something to use in case they've forgotten their own supplies.
- 3/5
Spacious, airy, and clean—though the soundproofing isn't particularly good. You should add toothbrushes, toothpaste, and combs; this way, if guests staying nearby decide to spend the night—and haven't brought many belongings—they will have something to use in case they've forgotten their own supplies.
- 5/5
I loved the basketball court in the hotel!
- 5/5
Hotel is well located, clean and nice . Basketball court is fun for kids. The amenities are fine. The gym is a little small but nice enough.
- 2/5
The location is great and the hotel is cute. The room was ridiculously expensive and for the price, the bed was the most uncomfortable bed I've ever slept in. Pure springs. They offered to put a blanket on top to "fix" it. Additionally the room had 2 packets of terrible instant coffee that they never restocked or replenished. The amenities were low budget hotel and it's a shame.
- 2/5
The location is great and the hotel is cute. The room was ridiculously expensive and for the price, the bed was the most uncomfortable bed I've ever slept in. Pure springs. They offered to put a blanket on top to "fix" it. Additionally the room had 2 packets of terrible instant coffee that they never restocked or replenished. The amenities were low budget hotel and it's a shame.
- 5/5
Fantastic property will stay over and over again
- 5/5
Great location
- 5/5
Very charming eclectic hotel with restaurants and shopping nearby. Walkable
- 5/5
Room and property were clean and hotel is centrally located.
- 5/5
The Graduate Hotel in Chapel Hill is an excellent location to visit the campus of UNC. There are tons of restaurants, shope, and so close to campus. You feel you are right in the middle of things. The room was clean and comfortable. The coffee and breakfast foods were perfect and reasonably priced.
- 5/5
Location was great!! Nothing to report!
- 5/5
Location was great!! Nothing to report!
- 5/5
Staff was awesome, clean room, unique features and great location for our stay.
- 5/5
Clean, comfortable room. Love the decor, everything was tidy and convenient
- 4/5
Close proximity to many things we wanted to see and do
- 4/5
Close proximity to many things we wanted to see and do
- 4/5
Location was perfect. Super helpful staff.
- 5/5
Great rooms. Good bar. The basketball court was the highlight of the trip for my son.
- 5/5
Rooms were clean, easy to maneuver with luggage cart, safe, quiet. Parking was easy. The breakfast is expensive but otherwise everything was great
- 5/5
Rooms were clean, easy to maneuver with luggage cart, safe, quiet. Parking was easy. The breakfast is expensive but otherwise everything was great
- 3/5
The fan for air and heat is super loud. It is very slow and difficult to change tv channels
- 3.5/5
Parking garage is really tight for a truck
- 3.5/5
Super convenient to UNC Parking garage is really tight for a truck
- 5/5
This was by far the best hotel we have stayed at. The kids enjoyed all the amenities and the Michael Jordan themed dorm room! The staff were polite and helpful. The room was very clean and spacious and the balcony was amazing! We will definitely be going back!
- 5/5
This hotel was such a nice surprise! The indoor basketball court for the kids, the amazing bar, and the friendly staff were top notch. Will definitely stay here again!
- 5/5
So great!!!
- 5/5
The room was gorgeous and impeccably clean. We loved the basketball vibe!
- 5/5
Unique property, loved the atmosphere and location. Room heater was a bit loud but otherwise very nice stay.
- 5/5
Excellent room and location.
- 5/5
Room was great, beautifully decorated, location was perfect and everyone was helpful.
- 5/5
.
- 1/5
Charged me for parking… do not do this normally. Front office staff not helpful or friendly. Rarely honor what is booked through 3 party site
- 5/5
Staff lovely. Went out of their way to be of assistance!
- 5/5
So many places to eat all within walking distance.
- 5/5
The hotel rooms were very cute and large and the entire hotel was very well done
- 1/5
The basketball court in the middle of an atrium open to 3 floors of rooms might be the worst design even of a hotel. Kids and parents are running and yelling in there all day and night as if it were a McDonald’s Playland. Hotel staff did not help mitigate the constant yelling. It is truly unbelievable. Would definitely not ever stay here unless it was truly the last place in Chapel Hill.
- 3/5
The drag show for 3 hours was a terrible idea. It was loud and that is not for family to enjoy. It literally took up the entirety of our stay. That would have been a better idea for vegas or a bar.
- 5/5
Staff great, good location, easy parking!
- 5/5
Wonderful eclectic hotel. The bed was really comfortable! Great location and view from our balcony.
- 4/5
Needs a little work as the AC unit was incredibly Loud, the loudest of any hotel I’ve ever stayed at and the concrete on the balcony was crumbling. I do think that the hotel was overpriced for the services on offer but you can’t beat the location.
- 5/5
Very cute. Great location. Friendly staff.
- 5/5
Very relaxed and refreshed after a night there.
- 4.5/5
Location and architecture of the hotel. Location is really good. There is no breakfast nor restaurant
- 5/5
Cute and artsy, sheik hotel with fun decor. Big hit is the carpeted basketball court in middle of hotel with pillow basketballs. Hoops are standard 10 ft. Boys really enjoyed it! Latte coffee was decent in the restaurant. No laundry (we were baseball players so bummed about that stinky laundry had to be reworn LOL) and no ice machines but you could get ice at front desk. Floors made out of old basketball courts and headboards are basketball headboards. Cute touch. Presential suite could use an "uplift". Looks dated.
- 4/5
The property itself and staff were great. We were disappointed with one staff member who removed the basketballs at 8:45 pm when the kids were told they could play until 9:30pm. She stated that a guest complained and so one guest was allowed to ruin the experience for 3 other families. Due to a baseball camp we had limited other time to enjoy this feature. The breakfast food in trophy room wasn’t the best but the coffees were awesome. Rooms were clean and front desk staff was extremely helpful. The Granville towers replica dorm room was cool to show my son since I stayed there while in school.
- 1/5
Additionally, the room we were put in apparently has had past air conditioning issues, which we were not made aware of. The temps outside were above 90 all day and the room A/C was not working properly and room temps were high up until 4:00am when it eventually cooled down. Room also still had a portable wall unit attached to the outside airflow, thus drawing in warm air to help cool the room. It did not. Staff was aware of issues with room and yet still put my family and I in it. Offered no option to have us move to a more comfortable room nor any type of discount knowing g issues existed. We will no longer view The Graduate hotels as an option for us to stay in when visiting certain college towns. Very disappointed and this facility should be ashamed of how they handle the situation.
- 5/5
amazing
- 5/5
Very friendly and accommodating staff, beautifully appointed room with a college vibe that is stylish and sophisticated
- 5/5
Exceptional
- 5/5
Gorgeous, fun, different!! Loved everything about this hotel!
- 5/5
Gorgeous, fun, different!! Loved everything about this hotel!
- 5/5
Large room with quirky decor (shabby chic?) was clean and quiet. The helpfulness and friendliness of the staff, particularly "Shy" (who was not shy) made this a five star experience.
- 5/5
Unique property highlighting UNC Chapel Hill sports traditions. Conveniently located to campus and walkable to a number of restaurants. Front desk service and Trophy Room (staffed by Asia) were wonderful!
- 3/5
Underground parking
- 5/5
Friendly staff, clean, well appointed, and walk to campus.
- 2/5
they did not have the room I reserved. I will be reaching out to Expedia because I paid more for a room than what I should have considering they said their AC was not working in the room reserved
- 5/5
I will definitely visit again
- 5/5
The staff at the front desk was outstanding.
- 3/5
The staff/hotel dropped the ball by not informing its guests that there would be a running race on Saturday morning which would leave guests stranded. We checked out at 8am but were stranded on Kenan St with no way out for an hour and a half. Thank God we did not have a flight to catch, but our plans to get out of town were disrupted. Had we known, we could have left earlier. Left a poor taste after an otherwise great stay.
- 5/5
Good
- 5/5
Great theme to the hotel. Near all of the restaurants and to UNC
- 5/5
Great location
- 4/5
The place is fine. We needed the pull out sofa bed and it was horribly uncomfortable. Restaurant on site is average at best. Rooms are nice but our shower head was falling out of the wall, door to enter hotel from garage was broken...it just needs a little TLC.
- 2/5
Pot smell horrible outside, disgusting from outside the room through the window. We paid extra for a balcony and we could not use it because of the pot smell below. When they called from the front desk they would not change us to a similar room. Only a smaller one with no refund. No sympathy or help. Don't stay here.
- 5/5
Staff was amazing, location is ideal. Great experience
- 5/5
The room felt very homey. The bed was comfortable. The shower was great. Loved the elliptical in the gym, too. They also have a carpeted basketball court in the center of the upstairs, which younger kids would love. What's even better is the hotel is located right on Franklin Street, near many stores and restaurants. It was very walkable to campus.
- 4/5
This property was great especially if you are visiting UNC or even if your just in the area and you are a HUGE sports fan! I had a King bed room with a balcony which I loved having the balcony to walk out on. The only complaint I had was the bathroom was VERY SMALL!! I couldn't open the door fully because it would hit the toilet.
- 5/5
A unique and lovely stay!!
- 5/5
Love this hotel chain. So fun! Great staff and customer service.
- 5/5
We loved the theming around hotel and in rooms as UNC alumni. Our grandkids loved the center basketball court! Great folks!
- 5/5
Very friendly staff and a uniquely decorated hotel, close to several places to eat and shops for Carolina gear. Within walking distance to the Tarheel Express if you’re going to a basketball game at the Dean Dome. Would definitely stay here again.
- 5/5
Is very nice
- 5/5
What a fun vibe at this hotel. I love the whole college theme and decor. It was retro and funky and brought back memories! Great service.
- 3/5
Hotel is a bit dated the fan on the HVAC was very load and good not be turned down on speed. The deck doors leaked a lot of air.
- 5/5
Super clean
- 4/5
Place was nice and so well located downtown. The rooms were OK but the bathroom was small and not well appointed. The room decor was purposely old fashioned. Bed was not super comfortable. I have stayed at other Graduates and this one disappointed slightly. Still a good place to stay if you can get a good rate. The staff were very helpful.
- 5/5
Very nice
- 4/5
Great location, great decor, awesome space. Parking should be included. Would like to have known where the ice machines were located if there even were any. I just went down and got a cup of ice from the bar. Forgot my body ash but would never have used their offerings as the scent was not pleasant at all, would prefer a different brand for the price you pay for the room.
- 5/5
Great place to stay on game night!
- 5/5
Loved it! Stayed here while we were getting married locally. Would absolutely stay again.
- 5/5
Loved Loved Loved tnis hotel. Super creative with past graduates and a pendant for do not disturb that says studying. Definitely booking again!
- 4/5
Nice new property, but the bed was terrible.
- 5/5
Super convenient and easy in-out parking
- 2/5
Beautiful decor, like all Graduate hotels. But service left a lot to be desired. No foam pillows, water not filled in the gym, food and drinks took forever to arrive and often cold. Very disappointed in this hotel.
- 4/5
The Graduate Chapel Hill is a very welcoming property where the staff always goes above and beyond to service their guests.
- 5/5
Check in and checkout were quick and easy.
- 5/5
Cute spot and very convenient location!
- 4/5
We love chapel hill and were happy to find upscale hotel in great location at fair price
- 4/5
The bones of the hotel are great and it is an ideal location but I miss the caliber of the bar and the breakfast options when it was the Franklin hotel. This is picky but the decor of the graduate with backboards for headboards was a tad over the top. Sorry! Still a good value for Chapel Hill and front desk and coffee bar staff was great.
- 4/5
Very strange decor
- 5/5
Love this hotel
- 5/5
Very clean and large rooms! The bathroom actually had a large counter top with plenty of storage underneath. The free parking in a covered lot was a real plus.
- 5/5
I loved this hotel! It was very cute and the staff was friendly!
- 5/5
Always love staying at the Graduate! They make you feel at home. Super convenient location. The only thing I wish I had was free coffee in the lobby
- 5/5
What a beautiful hotel!! So many wonderful surprises, from the basketball court to the secret Room 23! Stunning interior design, great cocktails in the bar, and we had a massive patio. Can’t wait to come back!
- 5/5
Wonderful stay!
- 1/5
My 14 yr old son had a severe allergic reaction to the sheets on the bed. Had to go to UNC ER at 3am for emergency medical treatment. His entire body covered in hives! So irresponsible of this hotel chain to launder their linens in such a fashion as to cause such suffering! We will never return!
- 5/5
We’ve stayed here several times when visiting our daughter at UNC. Great location, attentive staff, pet-friendly and comfortable rooms.
- 5/5
Beautiful
- 5/5
Excellent stay! Always love The Graduate for the vibe and the service!
- 5/5
Very welcoming! Always my first choice.
- 4/5
Theme was well done. Good location. Clean. Would stay again
- 5/5
Loved it
- 3/5
Location, parking and upgrade was great benefit. The a/c was so incredibly loud we couldn't hear the TV and were woken up when ot kicked on. If we weren't so exhausted and alreadyunpacked our toiletries when we realized, we would have asked if a quieter room existed. I'd hesitate to book again and roll the dice.
- 2/5
- The location on Franklin Street cannot be beat. Incredibly convenient to shops, restaurants, and UNC’s campus. -The hotel and room decor are very creative. -Our room was very clean and a perfect size. - Daily room service - The Michael Jordan “dorm” room is really cool. - The basketball court on the 3rd floor is cute and fun. CONS: - Complimentary bottles of water are not available in the room. - No complimentary toiletries in the bathroom (i.e., mouthwash, cotton swabs, shower cap). - Awkward bathroom configuration. - Water pressure is not very good. - Water temperature was not hot at all. - I had a washcloth that had not one, not two, but three holes in it! - The room temperature was terrible and AC was loud but didn’t work well. - Self-parking is an exorbitant $27 per night! - Horrific check in. The room we were given was nice but muggy inside, despite the fact that the AC unit was on full blast and VERY loud. There was a portable AC unit inside. Was told by front desk some of the rooms don’t cool off sufficiently because the building is so old. Was offered a different room with a single bed and a blow up mattress (instead of the double I had paid for). Unacceptable. It cost way too much money to have this many issues during our brief stay.
- 4/5
Great hotel in a great location downtown.
- 5/5
Amazing staff and such a unique hotel that provides you the best Carolina experience
- 5/5
Great location and hotel
- 5/5
This is an awesome place. We loved it.
- 5/5
Very unique hotel, well decorated, with comfortable, spacious rooms. We enjoyed our stay.
- 5/5
Great location. Handy parking. Rooms were nice.
- 5/5
Love it
- 5/5
Accommodating Staff!
- 5/5
Very cute, unique boutique-type hotel; would definitely stay there again. Convenient to everything on Franklin Street and to the university. Super nice person at check-in, Cheyenne. I had a suite on the 5th floor which was beautiful, clean, tons of room, and complete with all amenities needed and more.
- 4/5
I was disgruntled at a policy in their lounge that I had to be carded for my age….i am 70 years old….i was very tired and it was late…..I went down from the 5th floor to get my wife a glass of wine and the bartender would not serve me without an ID…..company policy they said….i had to go back up to the 5 th floor for my drivers liscence before they would serve me :(
- 5/5
The people here could not have been any nicer. It was clean and comfy. The walls were a little thin and I wish the Trophy Room had a few more food options, but I would definitely stay here again.
- 5/5
great friendly staff and very convenient to University and downtown. Great Tar Heel memorabilia.
- 5/5
Great history with modern touches. Staff was amazing. Felt very safe being two women on the trip.
- 5/5
The vibe, location, the staff. We loved it! We would stay here again.
- 5/5
Outstanding pit stop for families visiting UNC. Walking distance, nice value, comfortable, unique
- 3/5
Front desk staff and maintenance were excellent. Despite a few issues with the room upon check in they were quick to remedy them and even compensated with free parking. One housekeeper was excellent, and the other was extraordinarily lazy. Thinking I had left for the day she simply went and pulled the comforter back and threw a towel on the counter and didn’t realize I was coming back to the room five minutes later because I had forgotten some thing. The front desk immedistely sent the other housekeeper to the room who made it up properly. Very convenient location to both downtown Chapel Hill and UNC. Lots of great restaurants in walking distance. I’ve stayed at other graduate hotels before the others seem newer and better maintained.
- 4/5
Great place to stay! Great location and fun bars and restaurants near by.
- 5/5
I love staying here! The staff is wonderful and the rooms are spacious!
- 5/5
Room was really nice with extra large top floor balcony. Shower was awesome. Very clean room with nice decor. Pull out couch was very uncomfortable to sleep on but still appreciated the suite and beautiful top floor balcony. Definitely come back and recommend!
- 5/5
The Graduate was an extremely pleasant stay in an excellent location. We really enjoyed playing basketball in the hallway before turning in for the night!
- 4/5
Gentleman had front desk was great. Bathroom configuration was horrible. Beds were not soft, and they should tell you that a number of the balcony rooms face a McDonalds. Not worth the upcharge.
- 5/5
We had a wonderful staff, we did notice a stain on the bathroom entrance by the sink to look as if it could have been blood.
- 5/5
Need breakfast or at least cofffee!
- 4/5
Location was great because close to my son’s house. I understand an up charge over graduation weekend but was annoyed I had to pay for a cup of coffee when spending $1,000 a night. Seriously, you get free coffee at court yard by Marriott for $100 a night.
- 3/5
Location
- 4/5
Amazing location and convenient for on campus events. Only removed 1 star since we had to ask about the rewards for silver members and then were told it is changing. Just feel like there should be some transparency there. Staff were friendly, bar/coffee convenient, nice lounge and easy parking. Parking is expensive for where it is but not many other choices. Balcony rooms (facing Franklin) are large and really nice. The ones on the other sides are smaller but covered.
- 5/5
Excellent service, beautiful room!
- 5/5
Fun place to stay for our son’s graduation from Carolina. Attention to detail in the room decor was cool!
- 4/5
The location is great! Cost of the room was a bit high.
- 5/5
Great stay! Super cute rooms.
- 5/5
Loved this hotel! Only downside was our room was next to basketball court that had stuffed basketballs. Young children were loud. Suggest putting time restrictions!
- 5/5
The location was great, the staff were friendly and everything was convenient. We had a nice balcony that we actually used quite a bit. I liked that there were staff on hand when we left at 4:00 AM on a Sunday morning. The room was not big, but comfortable, and everything was nice. Cute theme.
- 5/5
The unique design in the lobby, restaurant, common spaces and walls were both magical and tasteful. Good vibes, great staff, very helpful and accommodating. Loved the softt basketballs & basketball court on the 2nd floor. Had fun playing.
- 5/5
Love this hotel - it's comfortable and clean with a fun style to make it seem special. Perfect location - easy walk to great restaurants. The staff are super friendly - alway go the extra mile. We have to be in Chapel Hill often and we always stay here.