Hotel Durant, a Joie de Vivre Boutique Hotel

Hilton should be embarrassed by this property. Other graduate hotels are fun clean and modern - Madison, Storrs, Providence. Even Palo Alto is ok (if nothing outstanding). Locations are always good, this one too. But the location is the only redeeming feature. It feels tired, rooms are small. First room they gave me had a loudly whining A/c unit. They switched me easily, but to a room that was even smaller. And with perhaps the worst hotel bathroom in CA. The whole thing felt like it was built in 1910 and saw no investment since. Tub was grubby and grey (it started out as white, presumably in the 1940s). Shower pressure was nearly nonexistent. And I kid you not: shower head was 5’ 5” tall. The average American male is 5’9”. How can they charge for a room where the shower head requires a game of limbo? Spend a few thousand on plumbing and raise it to a normal height. The unwillingness to pay to renovate even the basics tells you what you need to know. Tired hotel. Try the Residence Inn near downtown for the same money and a way better set up.

We stayed five nights in May 2026 for a commencement. Our first room had no cold water — only scalding hot, confirmed by the hotel's own engineer — leaving us without a usable shower until we were moved the next evening. Then came a full day of hammering from the room next door. We called the front desk twice; staff denied any work was occurring and said someone would be sent to check. No one came. The next day, the manager acknowledged work was in fact taking place, remarking that the front desk is not expected to know everything happening at the hotel. The photo attached shows what was behind that door: exposed pipes and missing drywall. The hotel's final explanation, given to the corporate? "Engineers replacing a door stopper." The replacement room's AC failed repeatedly across multiple nights — the engineer eventually told us the unit needed to be removed and disassembled to repair, though the hotel's official account blamed a thermostat setting. Housekeeping lapsed repeatedly. And when we raised the fact that we'd confirmed a two-queen room by phone with Hilton twice before arrival, the front desk's answer was that we shouldn't rely on phone promises. The conditions described are documented with photos and video. Hilton's own review confirmed in writing that we were charged for a night the hotel intended to be complimentary. The hotel declined to refund the stay, and Hilton says it cannot intervene with the independent operator. Book with that in mind.

This is our third stay at the graduate and it’s great everytime. The staff are the best part aside from the food! Hallie was so sweet when we arrived and gave us the cutest little treat at check in and helped my husband print some documents.