Graduate by Hilton State College

This is a very convenient property close to campus and downtown. The decor is fun, and the rooms are very nicely appointed and roomy. Free parking is a plus. However, be forewarned that the elevators are VERY slow. Also, I ate dinner one night at the bar, and the food was BELOW average so take advantage of other nearby options.

Great staff at desk, bar, and cleaning crew.

Everything about The Graduate (formerly Atherton Hotel) was wonderful. There's a feeling of both sophistication and school spirit permeating the atmosphere. Best of all are the little personal touches, like one bed having a pillow stitched "We Are..." and the pillow on the other bed stitched "...Penn State!" It doesn't feel like the generic hotel chains at all.

So cute!

Loved the decor. Lots of thought put into it. Hated that there is no maid service. No dining, only a bar. Very tight parking spaces that I had to pay for each night, but they have no liability. Too many added charges and hidden fees.

Really lovely room, great facilities and comfortable modern lobby. Kitchenette was a great little bonus though I didn’t use it. Fab overhead seemed at first to be really strong but was pretty quiet though the night. My stay at this hotel pinned it for my future stays in State College!

Great location - short walk to PSU, restaurants and stores. Hotel has PSU decor - really cute. Staff very friendly. Hotel very clean. I would definitely book here again.

To be fair, I believe we were there during a huge employee issue. The first night the restaurant closed down early with a very disgruntled employee getting upset and vaguely making threats or unwell wishes as he quit. The second night as we returned there was a heavy police presence blocking the entrance causing us to figure out parking alternatives. While we were there the front desk was unattended at least once with no indication of when someone would return and overall employee interaction was sub par throughout the visit. Again perhaps because of the incident the night before. We will be visiting the area frequently in the next few years and will not be back to this hotel as the vibe was very uncomfortable. I was told the manager would contact me to reassure me, but I never heard anything. My husband wasn’t on the trip, just me and my teenage son. The overall hotel was ok. The room decor was adorable and the room itself was very clean. Pillows were fantastic.