Graduate Hotels has made its foray into the California market with the debut of the 144-room Graduate Berkeley.
Formerly the Hotel Durant, the new Graduate space taps into a hodgepodge of textiles and patterns: bold colors, embroidered pillows, vintage style reupholstering. This is the first move into California for Graduate, which also announced two recent acquisitions in Bloomington, Indiana and Seattle, Washington: both set to open by 2019.
The hotel’s design deliberately pays homage to the building’s roots and UC Berkeley founder, Henry Durant, specifically through its revitalization of Henry’s, the hotel’s restaurant and bar, known for being a neighborhood staple for Berkley college sports fans and hotel guests.
In the lobby, guests get hit with a one-two punch of printed velvet walls with Persian motifs, a feature wall of thousands of National Geographic magazines, and murals by local artist Chris Lux. In both the public spaces and guest rooms, furniture and art are curated to feel residential, eccentrically preppy, global and curated from different eras.
Additionally, Graduate Hotels is working in partnership with two industry vets restaurateurs Bill Chait and Carl Schuster (longtime managing partner of Wolfgang Puck Catering) to create an elevated take on traditional pub fare.
