HotelChatter

The hotel's lobby also often features products put out by Yale alumni like books, art and even wines which guests can purchase if they like. And the product placement gets ramped up a notch during the always sold-out commencement weekend. For the past two years, McGowan (who actually is not a Yalie himself) said the Study at Yale has given their guests copies of the books written by commencement speakers such as Bill Clinton and Chris Buckley. When guests returned from the commencement festivities, the complimentary books were waiting on their bed.

Indeed, reading is at the top of the hotel's priorities. McGowan told us the hotel aims to offer an intellectual experience anchored by three tenets--read, reflect and rest, hence the leather chairs, ottomans and reading lamps in the rooms.

But the hotel also tries to weave in the cultural offerings of New Haven, not just whatever is going on at Yale. Currently, the hotel offers a New Haven Symphony Orchestra package which includes accommodations, complimentary parking, two tickets to a concert, a New Haven Symphony Orchestra CD and two drink vouchers for the hotel's Heirloom bar. We never knew "studying" could be this fun.

So will there be more studying in our future? McGowan says its possible.

"Most people visiting are here for some intellectual experience like visiting professors, potential grad students, alumni returning back to campus and parents of current students. These are sophisticated people, affluent, but generally not pretentious and we thought they would respond well to a product that was organic and tied to the campus. These are attributes that we could brand and take from one market to another."

Wherever the Study opens next, we highly suggest you get on the waiting list. Much like that popular "easy A" class in college, this hotel fills up fast on big weekends like Homecoming, Graduation and Parents Weekend, sometimes a year in advance. If you manage to visit on an off-weekend, rooms are around $239 a night.