Release your inner college kid at Graduate Richmond, which opened this summer near Virginia Commonwealth University. The hotel’s public spaces are an homage to Richmond native and three-time Grand Slam tennis champion Arthur Ashe. The Brookfield café, named for the park where Ashe honed his early tennis skills, serves craft coffees and grill favorites. Outside the café is a chandelier made from frames inspired by Ashe’s eyewear. Rooftop bar Byrd House (a nod to Richmond founder Col. William Byrd II) serves Southern-style dishes and boozy slushies poolside. Similar to those at sister property Graduate Charlottesville, the 205 guest rooms feature preppy plaid accents, framed prints of American foxhounds (Virginia’s official dog) and old-fashioned dial phones that will befuddle today’s college students.
Rates begin at $160 per night. 301 W. Franklin St., Richmond; 804-644-9871, graduaterichmond.com.
