Graduate Providence

“Hotel is One in a Million”

This hotel is hands down the BEST hotel in Providence. From the moment we walked in, we were blown away by the hospitality and caring attention of the professionals that work there, from the smiling concierge to the front desk agents who checked us in. The young lady at the desk was very thorough... more

This hotel is hands down the BEST hotel in Providence. From the moment we walked in, we were blown away by the hospitality and caring attention of the professionals that work there, from the smiling concierge to the front desk agents who checked us in. The young lady at the desk was very thorough in providing a warm reception. She explained all of the hotel features very succinctly and offered us complimentary water. The parking was very easy to use with in and out privileges. To top it all off, the hotel manager approached us in the lobby to ensure that our journey to our room after our arrival was seamless. My wife and I explained we were staying at the hotel for our first year anniversary, and Arnaldo - that was the manager's name - seemed genuinely honored that we chose his hotel for the occasion. It was a very authentic start to our trip. Now about the hotel - it is just minutes walk from restaurants (there are many MANY good restaurants but Japanese, Italian, and American Bar & Grill are some cuisines that we noticed), ATMs, public transit, libraries, electric car charging ports, parks (good for dogs and hotel IS pet friendly), areas where kids can play, gyms, shopping malls (some larger department stores and also boutique shops), the Rhode Island Convention Center, several universities and their campuses, churches and chapel spaces to pray and attend service, art/gallery spaces, bars, night life clubs, convenience stores. Basically, it is in prime time downtown Providence and everything is nearby. It is also a very beautiful district with classical architecture, public fountains and statues, and historic buildings like the city hall. The former Biltmore itself is a historic building - it was constructed in 1922 from funds crowdsourced from prohibition-era residents of the city. At the time it was the city's only luxury hotel. Later in the 70s it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and it is a bonified member of Historic Hotels of America). We only stayed one night and unfortunately we did not have an opportunity to use the Norwich Spa located inside the hotel. However, when we looked inside the spa it was spotlessly clean so we will be sure to go next time. Also located inside the hotel is Reiner's Bar & Game Room. We saw many patrons enjoying different pub fare with large portions. Seems like a good value and they had several gaming interfaces that looked to be virtual reality but I could be wrong. Very futuristic with HUGE screens taking up the whole wall. For breakfast guests have the option to purchase delicious breakfast items and piping hot coffee beverages from Poindexter Coffee located in the lobby. I ordered a breakfast sandwich from there and it was absolutely loaded with eggs and delicious artisanal cheese. The hotel's fitness center is very complete. It features several treadmills, bikes and strength-training equipment stations. Unlike a lot of modern hotel fitness centers, it had pullup bars which I think a lot of fitness lovers will appreciate. Our room was VERY large. The hotel management was kind enough to upgrade us to a suite at no extra cost. The square footage was totally off the charts. We had plenty space to change, shower, sleep, lounge, watch TV and spread our stuff all over the place. There was even a walk-in closet with luggage racks. The style of the room is similar to the theme of the hotel. Kind of quirky with intentional clashing colors and very "ivy league college" meets colonial meets turn of the 20th century America. The hotel keys feature famous people who graduated from universities in Providence, such as John W. Heisman. It had me feeling like I wanted to smoke a cigar, invest in Standard Oil, and go to the Brown game all in one. Check out the pictures attached to this review to see the amazing view we were lucky to have from our room on the 10th floor. The housekeepers had done an immaculate job with our room prior to arrival. They must have given it a white glove inspection because we could not find a spec of dirt, it was all spotlessly clean from the bathroom to the bedroom. Shower amenities and soap were on point with fresh earthy scents. Bathtub was available. In-room coffee set up was a nice touch and the fridge was huge. In fact, all appliances (phone lamps, two large TVs, charging ports) were in good shape and made it easy to function. From the time we checked, in had everything we need and found ourselves in a state of comfort and bliss. In conclusion, our stay at the Graduate Providence was nothing short of exceptional. The combination of impeccable service, prime location, and thoughtful amenities created a memorable experience that exceeded our expectations. From the rich historical charm to the modern comforts, every detail of our stay was meticulously attended to. Whether you are in Providence for business, leisure, or a bit of both, this hotel offers a perfect blend of luxury, convenience, and character. We highly recommend the Graduate Providence for anyone seeking an unforgettable stay in the heart of this vibrant city. Book your stay today and discover the unparalleled hospitality that sets this hotel apart.

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“A Quirky Hotel”

The Graduate Hotel in downtown Providence, Rhode Island, was very quirky. It was originally known as the Biltmore and in fact still had the large sign intact on the roof. The hotel had been refitted on the theme of graduation/college, while many of the historical elements of the hotel had been re... more

The Graduate Hotel in downtown Providence, Rhode Island, was very quirky. It was originally known as the Biltmore and in fact still had the large sign intact on the roof. The hotel had been refitted on the theme of graduation/college, while many of the historical elements of the hotel had been retained. Quirky indeed: our room keys were themed as student ID cards. We had Seth MacFarlane and Emma Watson. Our room turned out to be a suite made up of multiple rooms: - Large bedroom with 2 king beds and a “possessed” TV - Lounge area with table, sofa, chair, closet and another TV - Kitchen area with a sink and many cupboards plus refrigerator - Bathroom Our overnight stay cost as follows (booked via a well-known Booking website): 🏨 1 junior suite inc. 😢 Tax at 13% 😢 City Tax at 2% 😳 Resort Fee = $10.70 resort fee 💰 Total = $278.76 The hotel was very clean but we did have a feeling that our suite was damp, as even though the air-conditioning unit was on high (the way we like it) things still felt a bit damp to the touch. To be fair, humidity had been high in New England of recent. We also had a weird experience with the TV; we were watching a show for a few minutes and all of a sudden the TV turned itself off, then it turned itself back on, then it went off, then back on! It did this for hours! We tried everything to rectify it to no avail, so thought we had better report it to the front desk when we went out for our evening meal, just in case we got the blame for the TV being broken. We were assured that an engineer would look at it. When we got back to our room for the night, the TV was still flashing on and off, on and off, on and off - no engineer had been. We ended up having to lift it off the wall and pull out the power supply at the back, as the flashing screen would’ve kept us awake all night. Once again we reported it the next day upon our checkout to make sure we did not get the blame for the broken TV. We would recommend a stay at the Graduate Hotel. It is clearly an historic building and we do wonder if a ghost was at play with our television!

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