Graduate by Hilton Iowa City Hotel

On April 1st, 2026, I cut my hand, and the front desk associate was EMT trained and bandaged it right away. That kindness made a great stay even better. It's a beautiful, very distinctive hotel, an easy walk from downtown and lots of places to visit. The coffee shop was top notch too.

Parking is a paid ramp, about $20 a night with in and out privileges, and the outside of the hotel is pretty plain. Inside, the lobby and check-in area are warm, inviting, and visually interesting. Check-in was smooth, efficient, and friendly. The hotel is close to campus, shops, and restaurants, with a nice walking tunnel just outside on the hard right that leads to many downtown spots. The rooms are quiet and a good size, with plenty of space. The look is retro, old school, and a little student-themed, with quirky details and artwork I liked. Parents visiting their college kids seem to stay here a lot. Room touches include a sharpened pencil and notepad in 2026, which is a yes from me. The instant coffee, regular and decaf, was surprisingly good. The HVAC was the weak point: the wall buttons didn't work, and the whole hotel seemed to be running warm.

We'd stayed at the Graduate many times in past years, but this visit was a real letdown. The bathroom was dirty, and the HVAC unit had exposed wires covered by a cheap wood board. I paid for a rate that included breakfast and followed the process I was given at check-in, but the hotel didn't credit the breakfast cost until I called to complain. They also don't give Hilton Hhonors Silver members bottles of water. The property seems to have gone downhill in cleanliness and maintenance since our last stay. I've seen this kind of neglect at hotels before a sale, though I don't know if that's what's happening here. It doesn't seem like this hotel belongs in the Hilton family anymore. We'll go to another Hilton where guests are respected and the property is managed properly. We won't return to this one.

The location is nice, but the rooms were dirty and didn't look vacuumed. My bigger problem was being charged for three reservations when I had booked one room for two nights, 9/7-9/9, for a quick 1-1/2 day business meeting by myself. At check-in, Nick asked if I was checking in to all three rooms. I showed him my confirmation for one, and he said he'd take care of the extra reservations but didn't know how they'd been charged to me. At checkout I returned my keys and spoke with another man, who said Nick hadn't done anything but that he'd handle it that day. By then, my card had been charged for all three. I contacted the hotel and got no response. After I submitted a review, a third-party company contacted me to say the front desk claimed I wouldn't be refunded because all three rooms were checked in and checked out. That's impossible. They can check security cameras to see I wasn't in three rooms at once, and check the contact information on the other two rooms' keys. I've still heard nothing from the hotel. It's extremely frustrating and poor service. My confirmation clearly shows one room.