Designed for students and their parents, Graduate Hotels is opening a new hotel near Princeton university in spring 2024. Jenny Southan reports
Ideal for visiting family members and freshers getting settled before they move into their new homes, the Graduate Princeton will be the 34th hotel in the company’s portfolio of properties in university towns across the US and UK.
Located on Nassau Street, the Graduate Princeton sits opposite the historic university campus in NJ and will double the amount of accommodation available in the town with its 180 guest rooms. 
The Graduate Princeton is a “hybrid adaptive reuse” and new-build project, that sees the restoration and expansion of a Gothic 1918 building formerly used as a dormitory for university students.
Maximalist interior design focuses on “intentional storytelling, inviting immersion and exploration at every touch point”. Examples include a two-storey library lounge, lined with a collection of embroidered senior jackets (a
token received by students upon graduating), featuring a thirty-foot custom carved wooden communal table.
The hotel’s community-focused food and drink offering, the Varsity Club, will serve comfort food such as chowder, burgers, steaks and toasties. 
“We’ve had our eyes on Princeton since the very beginning. This historic, idyllic town is the perfect backdrop for a Graduate,” says Ben Weprin, founder and CEO of Graduate Hotels.
“Our approach with this adaptive reuse project was to emulate as many of the original details as possible, and pay homage to the incredible heritage of the place with interesting and subtle design details – like our custom lamps inspired by revolutionary-war era canons that were found buried behind the University’s Nassau Hall. The walls of this building are bursting with history, and soon our guests will be able to experience that for themselves,” says Weprin.
“The hotel’s location in the heart of Princeton’s historic district is unbeatable,” says Kevin Osterhaus, president of Graduate Hotels. “The building’s architecture and history make it a landmark in the community and we are thrilled to have had the opportunity to restore and adapt it in order to welcome travellers and locals.”