Graduate Athens

We were just given towels from the staff to sop up the water on our floor from the air conditioning because there was “nothing to be done about it” and “all the rooms leak.” They said they tilt the ACs so the condensation drips into the rooms instead of out. And just a heads up, this is a motel, not a hotel (room doors open to the outside). The positives are the room is clean and the bar staff was nice and efficient.

I stayed here for a conference held at The Classic Center, so the proximity to the venue was nice. Unfortunately, that's the only positive thing I can say. I understand this is a college town, so I wasn't expecting a boutique hotel experience, but I also wasn't expecting a room that looked like it hadn't been updated since the 1970s. Both beds in my room had terrible mattresses, which made it difficult to sleep. The bathroom light fixture was rusty, the ceiling paint was peeling, and there was mildew in the shower. The toilet seat was so loose that I have to question if the toilet was thoroughly cleaned. I also understand the need to require a parking permit, but charging $12 to park seems pretty steep to me. Especially considering it's a mediocre motel parking lot, half of which was occupied by a large piece of construction equipment when I arrived.

Location has great proximity to downtown Athens. The property is motor court layout and in a safe area with car access to Downton - don't recommend driving. We were first hit with a $12 additional fee to park at the property - nothing stated on the website about parking extra. The room was underwhelming for $250+/night. The door weather stripping was falling off, the room was damp and musty, the lighting was not sufficient, the refrigerator was hot, the a/c shut off in the middle of the night and I had to reset it to control the moisture. Overall nothing better than a Motel 8 layout with a GA bulldog lamp to make it stand out. We stayed many times when it was the Graduate with our two kids, and loved staying there. Now I would look elsewhere unless you want to be underwhelmed. Gave it one star for the room. Did not rate service as we did not interact with any staff expect for check-in.