University hotel specialist secures Alabama site

US-based Graduate Hotels, which specialises in upscale hotels in university towns, has got the financial green light for a new site in Auburn, Alabama.

US-based Graduate Hotels, which specialises in upscale hotels in university towns, has got the financial green light for a new site in Auburn, Alabama.

JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group arranged $40 million in construction financing for the development of the 177-key Graduate Auburn. JLL worked on behalf of project sponsor, Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners (AJ Capital), in securing the five-year, floating-rate loan with Southern States Bank.

Historic references

Upon completion, the hotel will offer a mix of traditional guestrooms and suites, approximately 10,000 sq ft of flexible meeting and event space and two food and beverage outlets, including a rooftop lounge with an outdoor terrace featuring panoramic views of the Auburn campus.

Graduate Auburn, designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architects and AJ Capitals’ in-house interior design team, will reference the storied history of Auburn University and provide an aesthetic designed to appeal to university visitors and locals.

Premier hotel

The JLL Hotels & Hospitality team representing the sponsor was led by executive vice president Jeff Bucaro and senior MD Danny Kaufman.

Bucaro said: “Graduate Auburn will enjoy a substantial competitive advantage as the premier hotel at Auburn University. The combination of amenities, as well as its premier location, will position the hotel as a top choice for Auburn University-related travel.”

Further Graduates

Graduate Auburn will join a collection of 35 other Graduate Hotels and will be the brand’s seventh location in the US Southeastern Conference region.

Also in the pipeline for the chain are several conversion projects: Graduate Palo Alto bringing 100 keys to California by the end of this year; Graduate Dallas, adding 95 guestrooms in Texas in Q3 2023; and Graduate Princeton, a 178-room site completing in Q4 2023.

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Please note: Information regarding project details—including but not limited to opening dates, room counts, and branding—for hotels under development can change as projects progress. The information in this article reflects the most accurate details available at the time of writing and may not be updated afterward.

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