BERKELEY — The Durant Hotel has been acquired by a self-described team of counterculture investors.
The venerable hotel, a block south of the UC Berkeley campus, was “a natural fit” for the Graduate Hotel collection, a portfolio of “culturally relevant, supremely located real estate” held by AJ Capital Partners — the initials stand for Adventurous Journeys — based in Chicago, according to a news release from a publicist.
The group launched the Graduate Hotels brand in fall 2014.
“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 towns across the country,” the news release states.
Other Graduate Hotel locations, either existing or slated to open next year, include Oxford, Mississippi; Charlottesville, Virginia; Madison, Wisconsin; Athens, Georgia; Tempe, Arizona; Richmond, Virginia; and Durham, North Carolina, according to the news release.
AJ Capital Partners also develops, owns and operates properties in the United States, Caribbean and Mexico, according to its website.
The Durant Hotel opened in 1928 and is named after Henry Durant, the first president of the University of California. It has 143 guest rooms, three meeting and event rooms, and also is home to Henry’s restaurant and pub.
The hotel will undergo a renovation of its amenities in the coming months, including enhancement of guest rooms and common areas, and the restaurant will receive an updated menu and expanded calendar of social events, the news release promises.
The current manager, Gemstone Hotels and Resorts, will stay on.
Contact Tom Lochner at 510-262-2760. Follow him at Twitter.com/tomlochner.
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