New Haven, Conn. – September 13, 2017 – AJ Capital Partners announced today that it has acquired the storied Hotel Duncan in New Haven, Connecticut. In spring 2018, the hotel will close for a comprehensive renovation and reopen in early 2019 as Graduate New Haven. Following the renovation, the five-story hotel will offer 72 rooms, a game room, lobby coffee shop and subterranean restaurant. Located on Chapel Street adjacent to Yale University’s campus, Graduate New Haven will be the ideal location for University visitors and those traveling to New Haven for its unique history and diverse businesses.

Prominently situated in the center of Yale’s Arts Campus, a half block from Yale Center for British Arts and The Yale University Art Gallery, the hotel is easily accessible to campus and downtown New Haven’s numerous bars, restaurants and boutiques. The hotel is also a short walk to Yale New Haven Hospital, one of the country’s most elite teaching hospitals.

Created for travelers who seek memory-making journeys, Graduate Hotels are part of a well-curated, thoughtfully crafted collection of hotels that reside in the most dynamic, university-anchored cities across the country. Every property celebrates and commemorates the optimistic energy of its community, while offering an extended retreat to places that often played host to the best days of our lives. Locations include Ann Arbor, Mi.; Athens, Ga.; Berkeley, Ca.; Charlottesville, Va.; Lincoln, Ne.; Madison, Wi.; Oxford, Ms.; Richmond, Va and Tempe, Az., as well as Bloomington, In.; Iowa City, Ia.; Minneapolis, Mn.; Seattle, Wa.; and New York City’s Roosevelt Island as part of the Cornell Tech campus are slated to open in 2018 and 2019.

"We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of the Hotel Duncan,” says Tim Franzen, President of Graduate Hotels. “Built in 1894, the hotel has been a prominent fixture in the New Haven community. We look forward to celebrating some of the hotel’s treasured history, restoring and reintroducing the community to parts of the hotel that have been lost over time, and bringing Graduate Hotels to New Haven. We are truly honored to be stewards of this precious gem for many, many years to come.”

The hotel will undergo a comprehensive renovation, which will touch all guestrooms, common areas, and the hotel lobby, as well as preserving the hotel’s manually operated elevator – the oldest in the state. In addition, Graduate Hotels will introduce a lobby coffee shop, as well as a sophisticated game room and lounge in the hotel’s former ballroom.

For more information on Graduate Hotels, please visit www.graduatehotels.com.