Graduate by Hilton East Lansing

About Graduate by Hilton East Lansing

If you know the Graduate hotels, you won’t be surprised to find the lobby of the Graduate East Lansing decked out in Spartans emerald green, with a portrait of Michigan State alum Magic Johnson — made from shoelaces — hanging above the reception desk. The hotel, set just across Grand River Road from the Michigan State University campus, has something of a captive audience, and it knows it well; not a single opportunity to refer to the university’s history is missed, right down to the initials woven into the patterned carpets and the basketball-themed wallpaper hanging in the bathrooms. In the rooms, the décor ventures out to rural Michigan, with plaid blankets and artwork depicting nature scenes; the walls are papered in regulation Pantone 567 green, and the headboards are what you might call a Spartan tartan. Meanwhile, the closer you get to the rooftop Graduate Rock Bar — named for its centerpiece, a replica of The Rock, a campus monument — the more you’re surrounded by artifacts from MSU’s sporting history, especially its championship basketball squads. And Poindexter, on the ground floor, is something all Graduate hotels have in common: a café with a self-consciously bookish vibe, perfect for co-working or even some actual studying.

Recognized By

2025 Michelin Selected Hotels

Michelin

2025