POSH Place #7: Graduate Richmond
The Caroline Doll, CEO of POSH PR®, visits Graduate Richmond, a hotel where smart never goes out of style!
For our four year dating anniversary, my husband Costa and I recently had a staycation at Richmond’s newest hotel, Graduate Richmond.
Prior to their opening, I was aware there was a hotel coming to the downtown area, and was under the impression it was meant to cater specifically to college sports teams coming to play at Virginia Commonwealth University. In my mind, I pictured a fun sports bar-esque hotel, with throngs of college kids treading through the lobby. Essentially, the opposite of Quirk Hotel, my absolute favorite pretty and pink boutique hotel in Richmond. But after hearing more and more reviews I was curious to visit!
Graduate Hotel has definitely done their homework, dolls. Their mission is to make “you feel like a local, at home again — even if it’s your first time in town.” Rather than sports jerseys and dark leather club chairs, the lobby was filled with touches of southern style, reflecting the personality of Virginia’s capital. Throughout the hotel, the decor was the perfect combination of southern elegance combined with old-world sport!
A carpet of green turf paired with buffalo checkered side chairs welcome you to rest in the lobby, while the valet parks your car. Grabbing a pop of champagne at Brookfield, their in-house café, and chatting with their friendly baristas was so enjoyable. Another nook I loved consists of eight high back houndstooth wing chairs, where they have an array of coffee table books, complete with the works of Cy Twombly, an ode to the Virginia-born abstract artist!
Our room took me by a pleasant surprise! They left the sweetest anniversary card for Costa and I, just beside a composition notebook — a throwback to middle school! They say the difference between moderate and luxury is in the details, and Graduate Richmond paid special attention to the quality of their detailed decor! Costa made fun of me for feeling every fabric from the heavy cotton bedding and double-lined curtains to the olive green velvet sofa and plaid wool-like carpeting. Instagrammable vignettes were present throughout the hotel, an unsaid necessity in today’s digital world!
Graduate Richmond was the ninth of a collection of hotels intentionally designed to capture the culture and history of the city it’s in. For the newcomer coming to visit, or the Richmond-native visiting family for the weekend, I would fully recommend a stay at Graduate Richmond– “where smart never goes out of style!”
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