The Graduate Hotel in Princeton has yet to open, despite its own website listing the opening date as early June.
The hotel, which began construction in November 2021, was originally set for completion in December 2023. A franchise location of the Graduate Hotel brand, the Princeton branch was set to expand Princeton’s relatively small downtown lodging scene.
The opening was first delayed to March 2024, then delayed again to May 2024, in part due to “structural issues.” As of June 16, the Princeton location’s website still reads, “Opening Early June 2024.”
In an interview with the Daily Princetonian, general manager of the Princeton Graduate Hotel Michael Monarca said, “I am no longer giving out a date just because it keeps getting away from me. What I will say is that I'm very comfortable saying that we will be open before the end of July.”
According to Monarca, unforeseen issues with steelwork in the neighboring building, 20 Nassau, was the primary cause of the delay. Now, the project is dealing with “loose ends that happen in every project.”
One of these loose ends includes obtaining a liquor license, which is limited in the Municipality of Princeton based on population. According to Chapter T3, Article I, Section 4 of the Municipality Code, new retail consumption licenses cannot be issued “unless and until the combined total number of such licenses existing in Princeton is fewer than one for each 3,000 of its population.” Likewise, new plenary distribution licenses cannot be issued “until the combined total number of such licenses existing in Princeton is fewer than one for each 7,500 of its population.”
Princeton Town Council member Michelle Pirone Lambros wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince,’ “We’re looking forward to their opening in July and are happy to support in any way we can. We should have their liquor license resolution on our June 24 agenda.”
According to the Graduate Hotel’s booking website, rooms can be booked for July 29 at the earliest.
Council member Eve Niedergang GS ’85 wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince’ that all she has heard about the opening is that it will occur “by the end of the month.”
The franchise’s Princeton location has imposed several challenges on the surrounding town, including forcing Chambers Street to reduce to a one-lane road, and then subsequently delaying when the street could open to both lanes. At the time, council members expressed frustration with the street’s extended closure, but acknowledged it was necessary for the safety of town residents.
“I feel this is the second time that you’ve come to us with a choice that is not really a choice,” Niedergang said of the street closure during the Council’s Feb. 27 meeting.
Chambers Street reopened as a two-lane road in mid-May.
As to whether the Graduate Hotel will be viable in the Princeton market is yet to be seen. On Concur, the platform the University uses for reimbursements, a “Login Warning” warns users against booking too many rooms due to the hotel’s high rates.
The warning reads, “An allotted number of rooms at the rate of $200 per night will be available via Concur or World Travel. The Graduate may not be used to book University-sponsored groups (10 or more rooms) as they exceed the rate permitted by the University travel policy and are substantially higher than the contracted rates offered by our other Princeton area hotel partners.”
Charlie Roth is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Editor's Note: This piece has been updated to include comment from the Princeton Graduate Hotel.
Read More
Demystifying computational neuropsychiatry: A deep dive into mental health research and resources with Professor Yael Niv
Aanya Kasera and Senna AldouboshHow do computational processes help us understand mental health disorders and precisely tailor treatments to each individual? In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Aanya Kasera sits down with Dr. Yael Niv, a professor and researcher in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute to learn more about computational neuropsychiatry and mental health on campus. Dr. Niv discusses her research in quantifying psychological disorders and her advice for the campus community on improving mental well-being.
How do computational processes help us understand mental health disorders and precisely tailor treatments to each individual? In this episode of Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond, Aanya Kasera sits down with Dr. Yael Niv, a professor and researcher in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute to learn more about computational neuropsychiatry and mental health on campus. Dr. Niv discusses her research in quantifying psychological disorders and her advice for the campus community on improving mental well-being.
Campus pub divides USG presidential candidates in debate
Nico David-Fox and Laila Hartman-SigallThe 2024 USG presidential candidates Enzo Kho ’26, current USG social chair, and Uma Fox ’26, current USG treasurer, participated in a debate hosted by the Whig-Cliosophic Society and The Daily Princetonian.
The 2024 USG presidential candidates Enzo Kho ’26, current USG social chair, and Uma Fox ’26, current USG treasurer, participated in the annual debate hosted by the Whig-Cliosophic Society and The Daily Princetonian.
‘How to Prosecute Genocide?’ panel hosted by Lichtenstein Institute for Self-Determination
Leela HenslerProfessor Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and Anoush Baghdassarian, who currently serves as a clerk on the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals, discussed the ICC’s role in securing justice for victims of genocide on a global scale at a Lichtenstein Institute for Self-Determination (LISD) panel.
Professor Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and Anoush Baghdassarian, who currently serves as a clerk on the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals, discussed the ICC’s role in securing justice for victims of genocide on a global scale at a Lichtenstein Institute for Self-Determination (LISD) panel.
