Graduate Madison

For the most part, college-adjacent hotels have no need to try all that hard. They’ve got a captive audience, and guaranteed occupancy, at least at certain times of the year. So what’s remarkable about the Graduate hotels is that they’re, well, remarkable — to put it simply, they’re better than they need to be, and there’s nothing we love more than that. The Graduate Madison is a block from the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin, one of the so-called “Public Ivies” — no provincial college, it’s one of America’s intellectual centers, and deserves a properly cosmopolitan hotel to match.

The rooms at the Graduate pay homage to the postwar golden age of American higher education, but these are contemporary boutique hotel rooms, make no mistake — and with their king and queen beds, their Malin + Goetz bath products, and their free wi-fi, they’re more than a little bit luxurious. The vibe throughout the Graduate is casual and social, as befits the collegiate affiliation — whether you’re a returning alum or a visiting academic, you’re here to mix and mingle. The public spaces lean a little more heavily on outdoorsy plaids, and the rooftop restaurant and bar, Camp Trippalindee, goes all-out on the summer-camp vibe, as does Poindexter, the café with its menu of hand pies.