Short answers, pulled from the story.
Graduate Hotels is a collection of hotels located in college towns, primarily in the United States, with two properties in England. The chain was built by acquiring and remodeling existing hotels rather than constructing new ones, and each property is anchored to a nearby university.
Ben Weprin, a Nashville-based real estate investor, founded Graduate Hotels in 2014 through his firm AJ Capital Partners. The first property opened in Athens, Georgia near the University of Georgia.
Hilton Worldwide Holdings agreed to acquire Graduate Hotels in March 2024. AJ Capital Partners retained real estate ownership of the existing properties, which operate under new long-term Hilton franchise agreements.
The first Graduate Hotel opened in Athens, Georgia in 2014, near the University of Georgia. A second location opened the same year in Tempe, Arizona near Arizona State University.
Graduate Hotels has two properties in England, both opened in 2021. One is in Cambridge near the University of Cambridge; the other is the Randolph Hotel in Oxford, near the University of Oxford.
The Randolph Hotel in Oxford, England is part of the Graduate Hotels collection, opened in 2021 near the University of Oxford. It is the only Graduate property to operate under its own name rather than the Graduate Hotels brand prefix.