Graduate Columbus

Columbus, Ohio is much more than a college town, but the Short North Arts District, a mile and change from the Ohio State University campus, certainly qualifies as a college-adjacent neighborhood. (It’s also downtown-adjacent, in the other direction.) This slightly less campus-centered location doesn’t cramp the Graduate Columbus’s style, though — the rooms, for example, are every bit as Buckeyes-focused as you’d expect from an installment of the Graduate brand.

The hotel is full of references to Ohio and Columbus history, including and beyond OSU — perhaps an enlargement of a coin commemorating track star Jesse Owens, or an embroidered portrait of native son John Glenn, depicted in full astronaut regalia. Scarlet and gray, the OSU school colors, feature prominently in the décor, but the look transcends school-spirit kitsch, edging into eclectic, contemporary boutique-hotel territory.

As in many Graduates, there’s a Trophy Room café, serving breakfast and coffee in a self-consciously scholastic environment. And while some Graduates feature elaborate campus-themed restaurants and bars, the Graduate Columbus leaves the provision of food and beverages largely to the neighborhood — there’s a Shake Shack in the building, and any number of other worthy restaurants and bars in the greater Short North area.