Graduate by Hilton Dallas — Hotel in University Park

Disappointing Stay – Not Worth the Price or Points

I’m a long-time Hilton Diamond member and frequent international business traveler. I stayed at Graduate by Hilton Dallas expecting a premium boutique experience, especially at $450/night or 80,000 Hilton Honors points. Unfortunately, the stay didn’t meet expectations.

Check-in was polite but underwhelming. I inquired about my Diamond benefits, and while the front desk promised a follow-up, no one got back to me — even after passing by the desk twice.

The room smelled like fresh paint and, while decorated nicely with SMU themes, lacked modern touches. No in-room coffee maker (just instant), no complimentary bottled water (standard for Diamond status), and poor shower water pressure.

Breakfast was the biggest letdown: $5 for basic coffee, $10 for a small oatmeal with plastic utensils, and no continental or buffet options. Even Hampton Inn offers more — for free. I used the $15 food credit, but still felt it wasn’t worth it.

Thankfully, I avoided the $40 valet fee by parking elsewhere.

Overall, the hotel’s only real advantage is its location right next to SMU. It might be suitable for campus visits or graduation weekends and diehard Mustang fans, but for the price and as a Hilton property, it falls short. I’d rather stay 10 minutes away at another Hilton and enjoy the free parking...

DO NOT STAY HERE UNTIL THEY HAVE COMPLETED THEIR RENOVATION! The Lumen is under/or soon will be under new ownership and will be called, The Graduate Hotel. The room itself was clean but the toilet tank wouldn't fill. So every time we wanted to use the toilet, in order for it to flush, my husband had to take the lid off and jiggle something in the tank to make it fill up with water, enabling it to flush. The door to the bathroom - which is a bi- fold door - was missing a hinge so the door never closed fully and was barely attached. We were only at the hotel for a night so we just rolled with it for our 14 hour stay. The next morning I complained to the front desk. The very disinterested young man made a note of the things wrong with the room and said there wasn't anything else he could do. No discount and certainly not any sort of apology. Honestly, we would've had a better experience at a Motel 6. Didi at the bar was great and the valet guy (didn't get his name) was also great. The location is fabulous but nothing else redeeming about this joke of a hotel, which is too bad because it used...

Grossly disappointed for what was once the “it” hotel near SMU. We decided to stay here and what a bad idea. The hotel switched ownership and it shows. From start to finish it has been a mess. First check in, where our room was not ready…our fault, we were early but as we sat in the lobby patiently waiting we watched people call for the manager and be immediately placed in rooms ahead of us. Then they tried to give us a smaller room in order to get us into our room, which we declined. When we got into our room it was ok, special. Though we were told it had a lovely balcony. A balcony that looks out at an alley with the trash. There is clearly water damage on the ceiling, the shower does not drain properly, no towel racks in bathroom….the list could go on. The lobby is lacking, the restaurant is closed. The hotel sounds haunted as the elevator makes a hideous noise when someone is on it which can be heard all night in the rooms. Overall clearly not impressed, Hilton has a lot to do to bring it back to its glory. I’ll stay...