Graduate by Hilton Providence

The property itself is unique with throwbacks to its time as the Biltmore everywhere. My friends and I love it for the ambience and the friendly staff, unfortunately too many amenities are now inconsistent for us to continue using it for our get togethers. The Spa at the Graduate was a great selling point for our girls weekend, unfortunately it has been closed for over five months due to a broken water line. We also discovered that all the ice machines were being replaced and when we asked if the restaurant would fill our ice bucket, we were advised at the front desk that ‘we could try’. The coffee shop displays clear hours but was already closed when we arrived Saturday and a private function was being held there. Sunday morning, it had still not opened before we checked out at 9:30am. Being now under the Hilton umbrella, I expected it to maintain or increase in quality, but instead it has declined.

Hotel feels dated even though it was recently renovated. The elevators are pretty bad. But the rooms are spacious.

Nice stay. The place is a little shabby. Parking is a lot and a walk to/ from hotel.

Disappointed with the Graduate Providence – Not What It Used to Be I’ve stayed at the Graduate by Hilton in Providence more than half a dozen times over the last five years—this used to be my go-to spot. Sadly, my recent stay over the July 4th weekend in a King Suite was a real letdown and not reflective of what should be one of the top five most expensive properties in the city. From the moment I entered the room, the issues began. The door was sticking so badly in the frame that I had to push hard just to get inside. Inside, the dresser drawers wouldn’t stay shut because of an uneven floor—one leg of the dresser had been shimmed with a cardboard Graduate Hotels coaster. The couch cushion was pulled and frayed, and the carpet had visible lint and threads. The bathroom was worse. A large tile was missing from the shower frame, exposing construction adhesive and gaps. The shower door didn’t close properly and had a loose handle. The outdated jacuzzi tub looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a while and needed attention before I’d consider using it. Other gripes: • Only 2 ice machines in an 18-floor building, with no room directory to help you find them (you have to call the front desk). • The gym was tiny and outdated—not sure what the resort fee is really covering. • The iron was missing its water fill cover—something small, but in a room at this price point, details matter. I used to love staying here, but this suite—and the hotel overall—felt neglected and run down.

I visited during Pride Weekend so it may have been an unusual weekend. Many Elevators weren't working so the remaining working lifts were slow and packed. The property is buzzy and unusual with many quaint touches so it doesn't feel like a cookie cutter chain hotel. Location is great in central Providence. No valet parking.

Cute decor and architecture. Very poor lighting in room and bathroom, as well as low water pressure. The gym was decently equipped.

This place is not accommodating at all, which you think for what you pay for a night they would be. All we heard was that this is our policy, this is our policy. We were there for a wedding and they wouldn't let us check in early so we had to scramble to check in after the service and were late for the reception. We had to wake up early the next day to beg for late check out so we could enjoy the wedding brunch and not have to rush to check out. Parking is a block and a half from the hotel. There wasn't room to pull up to the hotel so we had to drag our luggage from the garage to the hotel. If you are tall, don't stay here or you won't fit on the toilet seat as your knee will be wedged under the toilet paper. Very disappointing for a place the appears to be classy. And don't be in a rush. An elevator was out of order so you had to wait and hope the one that showed up wasn't already full. And you need a Phd to figure out how to work the thermostat. You can tell they spent some money at some point renovating the hotel but they must have had a small budget. The gym was small and no restroom. Wouldn't ever stay at this hotel again.

This hotel charges a $25 a day parking fee at a garage you have to walk around the block to get to, so when the amenities are listed as “parking available” that is deceiving. Also, the first person who helped us asked for our name. When I told her she said, “we have no rooms available.” I gave her my confirmation number and then she said, “yeah but I’m telling you we have no rooms available.” I then asked what I’m supposed to do. She then said the housekeeping crew is t done getting the room ready. Well that is very different than saying “no rooms available.”

An underwhelming and disappointing experience at The Graduate by Hilton this time. We have stayed at the graduate at least a dozen times since 2019 and this will probably be our last stay ever. Upon checking in we went to our room to find that it had not been serviced from the previous guest. Went back down to lobby with all our baggage to be told maid service is gone for the day. Our next room was exceedingly hot as many summer reviews have mentioned, so we requested a fan and called the next morning for maintenance. They replaced our air filter and drained the line and told my husband it should get cooler. It really didn’t make a difference. We had a wide outdoor temperature range (highs from 90 down to 71) during our 5 night stay and the suite was muggy, humid and uncomfortable even when outside temps were in the 70s, with the exception of the air vent that blows directly in your face while in the bed. We had family in staying in 4 different rooms during our 5 night stay and all reported discomfort-musty smelling rooms, hot etc. The hotel seems woefully in disrepair. Other major concerns were with blankets/towels wrapped around the historic brass and glass elevator in the lobby from a water leak in assuming. No room service or concierge service available. The spa was closed, but not an issue for us as we’ve never utilized the spa. The quality of food at The Poindexter coffee shop and Reiners Restaurant adjacent to the hotel were sadly disappointing as well.

We chose to stay here for the unique decor and location. The lobby and mezzanine areas are beautiful! Overall the hotel met expectations and the room was comfortable. However, the details of the room are falling apart - paint/wallpaper chipping, water damage on the bathroom ceiling making the room feel a little unclean and dated. The parking garage is not connected to the hotel, but is a very short walk away.

There were white stains on the walls, mildew in the grout of the bathroom, electrical panels coming off, wallpaper peeling off the walls.....I booked a king room (over $400) and it was a queen bed, and the room was the size of a small office.

The actual hotel was in much worse condition than the photos in the website. There was no one to help with our luggage when we arrived, and there was not even a trolley cart available for self use. There was a park right across the street where even the hotel staff warned us to avoid because there are drug dealers there. The room was not very clean, and the bathroom smelled like urine. Overall, we were not impressed with the hotel and the surrounding area. We will definitely not be staying here again.

Suite with living room area was not clean. Dog hair all over pullout couch. Will not be going back.

Room was dirty and run down would never stay again

We were here for 5 nights. Our room was not cleaned one of the days. We came back from being gone all day to a dirty room. No clean towels.

I was expecting a historic property but it is actually more like a hotel from a horror movie. The front desk staff must be used to complaints as they were less than friendly from check in to check out. No temperature control in the room as the thermostat was nonfunctional. Instead there was a huge ceiling fan over the bed that rattled loudly and only operated on jet airplane speed. To make matters worse, I had roaches in my room. Do not stay there.

Trash and bathroom items from previous guest were in my room when I got there . No hot water in the morning . The in room coffee was undrinkable. . Generally dirty and run down. I left early . Not worth $400 a night ! ( after taxes and parking ). I’ve been to other “graduate “ hotels and they were marvelous . This one needs help .

Stayed for 3 nights. Room on 4th fl. There was a musty/moldy/ damp smell. No bathroom ventialtion. After shower room was wet/gross. Traveled with 2 kids under 5 y/o. H cleaninless needs improvement. As others mentioned, wallpaper peeling off, dead/ live bugs. I cleaned dresser cabinets, nightstands, windowsills, bathroom and kitchenette counters as well as light switches. Some of the dirt ranged from green to black. Cleanliness rating a 6 /10 with 10 being the cleanest. We went downstairs to the bar/restaurant within the hotel to eat dinner. Our meal was interjected by a couple who identfied they were homeless & kept talking to us (we were polite but had just driven from NY for 4 hours in a storm. We were hungry and tired). They were drinking rounds of alcohol. Asked for check and left, didnt finish our food. From 12a- 3a, there were people screaming/ fighting near the lot. The showerhead in the bathroom was different than depicted online. The wall mounted blasting showerhead scared kids. Id recommend requesting a detachable/hose showerhead if traveling with kids. I was told ONLY available in Handicap/Accessible rooms. The hotel doesnt have a parking garage on premises, theres 1 down the block (additional $34 x day).The staff is friendly/ try to accommodate guests but smelly room, no ventilation, parking, people screaming, among other things accumulates. Left a day earlier due to the no hot water issue on 8/ 29. Overall not bad but we're happy to be home.

There was mold in my room - I request to be moved but they were too booked. So they removed the moldy curtains. Still filling uncomfortable to sleep in a mold exposed room ( with other issues built up; hair on pillows, stains, dead bugs on shades, cracked window, toilet lid not fitting, wallpaper coming off in multiple places, broken ac cover…) I asked the next day for any free rooms. Though they had one to move into - I requested to have at least 50% refunded due to having to sleep in an unsafe room and they said they couldn’t because it was booked through 3rd party. So, I will be asking Hotels.com what can be done. 2 women where very helpful in all this, but sad that the end result was not met.

My husband and young daughters and I spent the night at the Graduate on May 9th in room number 1038. In the morning my husband found big welts and bumps on the back of his head and arms. By the evening they were really bad and started to get filled with pus and some started to bleed. He counted and there were a total of 20 bite marks on his arms and his head. We became worried so on Sunday (which sadly coincided with Mother's Day) we spent two hours at a local urgent care. Luckily whatever bug bit him while he was sleeping at the Graduate was not poisonous but caused him great pain and discomfort. We reported this incident to the Graduate right away to ensure the room would be investigated. They took three days to call us back and said they would contact a 3rd party for an investigation. Today is July 22nd and they still have not responded to us. We are very disappointed and dumbfounded. We were guests at the hotel, reported that my husband woke up with 20 bug bites on his body after sleeping in their bed, and no one has followed up with us to let us know what caused this. I just don't understand how there can be such a lack of concern for the safety and well being of hotel guests at the Hilton Graduate. It is truly disappointing.

Nice property but extremely small rooms. Actually made me feel claustrophobic. If it wasn’t for the high ceilings I would have had to leave. We were given a room right next to the elevators, the noise from people running around and waiting for elevators woke me up numerous times. I personally would not stay again

Spacious room, beautiful decor, great location. The only thing was not a lot of light at the sink and a lot of activity outside the hotel as far as some noise. But there is bound to be some noise when you are in the middle of everything and it would apply to any hotels in the area. Very nice area and felt safe.

This hotel has a nice old-world preppy charm, but I slept horribly. My room was right by the elevator. My king bed was only 4 feet away from the door. I could hear the conversations and dings every time someone gets in and out of the elevator. Why would a room be even installed there and the bed placed awfully closed to the door, which was old and had terrible sound-proof effects?

This is a gorgeously decorated property, located in an area that is convenient to a number of things. The historic nature and choice of design create a very nice first impression. The staff at check in were friendly. The rest of the experience during my stay was not as good as expected. The room was quite large, and again beautifully decorated. However, the bedding was only a sheet and a paper thin blanket. No comforter and a search of the room did not reveal any extra blankets. Solvable by calling housekeeping. What was NOT solvable was the problems with the TV. There was no channel guide in the room - there were no instructions about ANYTHING anywhere in the room that I would consider essential as a guest, like info about the area, spa menu, other amenities, parking, in room dining, etc. I found a rolling guide on the TV itself but the listed channels did not correspond to what appeared when you selected them on the TV. I called the front desk several times for help and received none. The wifi signal was weak and spotty - impossible to use the for streaming or even basic browsing. The coffee set up in the room was poor. Hot water pot and Instant coffee. Enough said... The second night someone came to look at the TV and was completely stumped. In room dining consisted of placing an order at the sports bar in the lobby and going down to pick it up. Ok, but expensive, very mediocre food. No mention that you had to bring a card with you to pay (no room charge possible).

Dated interiors and dark spaces. Needs updating.

The room was clean and well provisioned, but there was a lot of cons: the fridge didn’t work, the bathroom was poorly illuminated (in a way that the shower area was dark), the AC couldn’t be adjusted and made a considerable amount of noise when turned on, which made it difficult to sleep at night. I don’t feel I got a good value for what I paid for (above 500, it was high season but still quite a lot). At least the view from the room was decent, but the hotel must do better in maintaining and designing their guest rooms.

The staff members were great. Friendly and efficient. The room itself was giant and we loved the layout with the two king beds separate from the sitting area. I was really just extremely disappointed with the bathroom. First, the lighting in the sink area was sooooo dim! It was hard to see to get my contacts in, and forget about trying to put on makeup or dry my hair. The lighting where the tub & toilet were was fine. But that door couldn't close properly! It seemed like the wood door frame was off or had swollen with age or moisture. I tried to force it closed but then couldn't get out without having my son or husband push at the door from the other side! We ended up just leaving it partially open so we wouldn't get trapped inside or make a huge racket when going to the bathroom in the morning while others were asleep. One other note worth sharing is that there isn't great signage on the exterior of the hotel. We missed the entrance several times when trying to follow our nav system. If you use Google Maps to try to find the hotel, suggest you plug in 5 Dorrance instead of 11 Dorrance.

Loud music from garage in the middle of night. AC temperature adjusting meter doesn't work

The building is definitely very old, but the rooms were clean and the beds were super comfy. The room was also very spacious with double king sized beds. We stayed for 4 nights and felt very comfortable. Housekeeping switched out the towels each day. The only disappointment was that there was no water available anywhere! I didn’t see a fountain or vending machine anywhere. I think the only option to buy water was at the coffee shop.

Room near the elevator - a lot of noise

Bethany at the front desk was exceptional at customer relations. At midnight, we realized our room’s temperature was it extremely hot and could not regulate. I called down and she explained what to do. When I said we did that, she said she would come up. She tried to fix it and then realize there was something wrong. Not only did she find a room for us, but she offered to even move us. She went down and fix door, key situation and solved our issue. She went above and beyond. Because of her, I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

Checked in late with small children . Security was very helpful and the concierge checked us in fast . Thanks

I unfortunately became extremely ill during our stay. The front desk staff was not at all helpful in helping us extend our reservation. We were told to book another night ‘online’ and they would try to ‘not move us to another room’. We will not be back.

I had great expectations of this hotel as I have stayed at other Graduate hotels and liked them very much. This one--not so much. The staff at the front desk stayed just one notch away from being openly rude. They were clearly understaffed and rather cranky. A request to check whether they could move me to another room after I saw that my room's only window opened to a frequently used terrace and there was no privacy unless I kept my curtains closed at all times was met with derision (Room 337, avoid if you don't want to keep your blinds closed). The food available in the hotel (no room service) is fat laden (pub) or minimal (café) so be prepared to go out to dinner elsewhere or walk a few blocks to pick something up to bring to your room. The staff at the pub was great and the chef adapted a salad for me on the evening I arrived so I didn't have to go out--and then told me this could only be done once. Still grateful to him, though. The housekeeping staff was lovely. There are too many other hotels in Providence to choose this one again.

It was unusually cold in Providence when we were there and there was no way to turn off the AC and there was no option to turn on the heat to take the chill off. That said, the hotel staff was very kind and brought us a number of additional blankets.

For them to charge an additional "resort fee", when they are NOTHING but a Hotel, is outrageous and a rip off. This was not a cheap room.A Fee for WHAT? After I agreed to a price given to me by Expedia, be then blind sided by more unjustifiable fees - what I call a ransom - is a total disappointment and ripoff. The mangager on duty, Leya, didn't even think I as hotel customer am worth her time to come and talk to me to explain. Also disappointed that I can not rely on Expedia anymore. I am better off to reserve with a Hotel directly as at least I know what my final price is.

Overall the stay here was okay. The room itself was really nice and the surrounding area has great shopping and dining options. The in-hotel restaurant was also great! The check-in process, however, was very difficult. There was clearly large events taking place and when we went to check-in were told we had to wait until 4:00PM (which was okay). But when we cam back the line was HUGE. Again, that's okay but there was only two people checking guests in and then at one point one of them left, leaving only one person. I just think on a busy Saturday, with events and pushing everyone to 4:00PM check-in, there should be at least three employees at the desk. The parking situation was also difficult.

During peak check in period (between 3 pm and 4 pm on Friday), .there was only one very young person at the desk. There were at least 6 sets of customers waiting. During this period, it was hard not to notice the phone at the desk was constantly ringing and the person at the desk, would answer, immediately say "front desk, please hold and hang-up the phone. This continued for the entire 30 minutes we were in line to check in. Other interesting observations, apparently the hot water in the building had been unavailable for several days just before we checked in (this was pointed out to us while in the elevator to our room). There was no mention of this at the front desk, but even though the water was running it was a dark brown and stained the shower enclosure. For the entire hotel there was only one ice maker (on the 4th floor, we were on 17) which worked, again no mention of this during check in. In this case tribal knowledge from the guests distributed the information. Finally, while visiting family in another room, the battery operated fire/smoke alarm began to chirp loudly, signalling that battery needed to be changed. Every minute or so it reported (note this was now 8pm). 45 minutes passed before "engineering" arrived with a ladder, and removed and then replaced the detector. Before departing "engineering" commented that "lately alarms had been chirping at an unusual frequency" and when asked why they just didn\'t proactively replace every detector ...

great - except for the water running from my ceiling the first morning. But the team moved me within a few hours.

We had a flight delay and didn’t get into our room until 1am. When we finally got into our room the air conditioner was running and was extremely loud. It sounded like a car engine. I called the front desk (she was a friendly woman) and she gave me some directions of how to fix it. It didn’t work so she brought up a fan and she said maintenance would come by to repair the AC. Keep in mind the temps in Providence were hot 80+. The fan was loud and didn’t cool the air. I slept awful. The next morning we left for breakfast and returned to our room to use the bathroom before we left for the day. The maintenance worker left our hotel room WIDE OPEN for who knows how long. Our room was right off the elevator too. We waiting the room for 30min just in case they were going to return shortly after and nobody came. We traveled downstairs to tell the woman at the front desk what happened and instead of believing us to made excuses for the staff members. When we came back that night the AC was making a high pitch chirping sound like an alarm going off. While we were at dinner maintenance came by again to fix the AC. After returning the AC worked fine and was quiet for about half the night then started making loud noises again. We paid $200+ a night for this place and our belongings weren’t safe, we didn’t have a quiet or cool room to sleep. We had one more night left and stayed somewhere else because we needed to actually sleep before our flight. Waiting on a refund.

Beautiful building right in downtown PVD. A dream stay!

The old Biltmore is renovated beautifully, it was mostly a pleasure to stay here but I wouldn't come back. Pros: Clean, large suite, comfortable bed, pull out sofa bed was pretty comfortable for a teen, it is close to the river and the mall. Brown U. and Federal Hill are up very steep hills so we drove but they are very close. The desk and cleaning staff were friendly. Cons: They don't have a bar, the "attached" bar from the photos is next door and not a part of the hotel, it was terrible. I ordered a cocktail that was on their menu, the bartender on a slow night said they didn't have any of the ingredients for the cocktail menu but she had wine and beer. We were not allowed to bring a glass of wine into the hotel from the bar, we had to stay and drink it at the sticky tables and people shouting about baseball. The hotel front desk said we could not go out onto the outdoor terrace unless we booked an event. The entrance to the paid parking lot is behind the hotel on the next block, there is no overnight street parking. The bus stop is sketchy, walk on the other side of the road. We were "spare changed" by a crying woman right in the hotel lobby.

The hotel was very convenient, but the area felt unsafe.

Great location and charming. Parking pricey for off site and the area outside the hotel is a little rough. Still it’s my favorite place to stay in Providence.

This place needs a little redo… It’s a bit shabby. Plus you have to park down the block which can be kind of scary when/ if you get in late. The area isn’t great.

beautiful hotel - lovely view of the city. The park across the street is not very nice or safe but there is plenty to do near the hotel. Just stay out of the park.

Such a charming hotel! We loved all the details. Easy to walk to the train station and the Providence Place Mall. Can walk to Brown and RSID , but not with luggage.

The hotel is nice like all Graduate Hotels, however it is opposite the train station and a park which if filled with drug addicts and homeless people. They aggressively greet you in the morning and harass you as you walk to and from the hotel. There were even hypodermic needles on the landscaped grounds of the hotel. At night the sound of the air conditioning could not drown out the screams and ranting of these addicts. DO NOT STAY AT THIS LOCATION.

Nice family college tour. Homeless fighting outside at public transit stop. But inside was lovely. Parking is a pain.

Beautiful historic hotel redo inside. Great location, near the Riverwalk, College Hill, mall etc. Great dining/cafe options nearby and desk staff most helpful. Only 15 minutes from the RI Airport. We will return on our next trip to Historic Providence.

We came to Providence for Waterfire and this hotel is right in the thick of things. Gorgeous hotel and beautifully decorated room! Not your average vanilla box. After Waterfire we had a drink at the bar and a delicious skillet chocolate chip cookie w ice cream. Staff and servers are friendly and efficient. Will definitely come back.

Was comfortable. Coffee shop was great. Can’t recommend the restaurant very bad experience

Unfortunately, the charm of the property was lost in the fact that the place was very dated and was in a very unsafe area. Parking was about a block away from the hotel and in the evening was poorly lit and felt unsafe to walk to. The restaurant staff was terrible and there is no room service. The coffee shop had good quality items but seemed like an inexperienced staff.

This is a gorgeously decorated property, located in an area that is convenient to a number of things. The historic nature and choice of design create a very nice first impression. The staff at check in were friendly. The rest of the experience during my stay was not as good as expected. The room was quite large, and again beautifully decorated. However, the bedding was only a sheet and a paper thin blanket. No comforter and a search of the room did not reveal any extra blankets. Solvable by calling housekeeping. What was NOT solvable was the problems with the TV. There was no channel guide in the room - there were no instructions about ANYTHING anywhere in the room that I would consider essential as a guest, like info about the area, spa menu, other amenities, parking, in room dining, etc. I found a rolling guide on the TV itself but the listed channels did not correspond to what appeared when you selected them on the TV. I called the front desk several times for help and received none. The wifi signal was weak and spotty - impossible to use the for streaming or even basic browsing. The coffee set up in the room was poor. Hot water pot and Instant coffee. Enough said... The second night someone came to look at the TV and was completely stumped. In room dining consisted of placing an order at the sports bar in the lobby and going down to pick it up. Ok, but expensive, very mediocre food. No mention that you had to bring a card with you to pay (no room charge possible).

This is my second stay at a Graduate hotel. Just as the first time, if was a wonderful experience. The history of the Biltmore building was unique and fun to see! The Poindexter Coffee Shop have great breakfast sandwiches.

Very different, but nice. Intriguing decor. Only issue is lack of available dining/bar options in the hotel. No vending machines, and the bar was closed most days. Good place if you’re on a diet. However, lots of options within walking distance - it’s right downtown so plenty of restaurants.

The coffee shop was terrible with extremely limited, mostly unhealthy options. It was hard to get service at the bar. The front desk staff were nice but there were only two for a completely full hotel so the wait times were ridiculous. The internet wasn't working. I would not recommend this hotel.

The bed was extremely comfortable. Towels were really good. I love the architecture. A limited number of channels on the TV and even some that were listed were not available. Food at the restaurant was OK. Had to wait longer than I expected to get our food as there were very few in the restaurant. It was quite cool in the restaurant.

For a quality inn the attached restaurant is terrible. I've been on the road for 57 years and this restaurant is 2nd only to the pre 1992 Russian food. Served cool, sent back, horrible, salad must have been from New Year's Eve, but, this was Jan7th. I should have been leery when we were the only ones in there. Totally disappointed even though it's not yours it reflects upon you

Not having a full service restaurant that serves a full breakfast was not good. My wife and I went to their bar and waited 10 mins to get served a drink that was mediocre at best. The bar was understaffed. The room was small but clean. The bathroom was another story. No hot water. It was warm at best. The tub sides were too high. I had both my knees replaced. It was tough to get in and out of the tub. I wa last at the hotel when it was known as the Biltmore. It was warm a lot better then that it is today. My wife and I will not be coming back.