Study Hotels

What Study Hotels does

Study Hotels is a privately held US boutique hospitality operator that runs a portfolio of four campus-adjacent hotels under 'The Study' sub-brand at the University of Chicago, University City (Philadelphia, near Drexel), Johns Hopkins (Baltimore), and Yale (New Haven). Founded in 2008 and headquartered in New York, NY with 84 employees, the company positions each property as an extension of its host university's culture, emphasizing thoughtful design and a 'sense of place' over generic hotel amenities. The company's primary customers are university community members — visiting families, prospective students, faculty, alumni, and conference attendees — with academic and business travelers as a secondary segment.

The business model is direct-to-consumer lodging revenue. Study Hotels sells room nights through its own websites (studyhotels.com and individual property sites), supported by Instagram, LinkedIn, and an email newsletter that surface campus events and neighborhood partnerships with venues such as Rockefeller Chapel, the Drexel Westphal Visual Studies program, and local restaurants. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and follows standard hospitality variability by season, property, and room type. There is no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed app, and no AI/ML capabilities described; operations rely on industry-standard property management and booking systems. The operating footprint covers the Midwest (Chicago) and Northeast (Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Haven) US markets.

Growth signals are limited in the available data: the company currently operates four properties with no announced new openings, no funding rounds, no acquisitions, no disclosed leadership changes, and no public financial reporting. The most visible recent brand action is a website rebuild initiative paired with a direct-booking push via social channels and email capture.

Name

Study Hotels

Website

https://studyhotels.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Study Hotels is a private US boutique hospitality operator running four campus-adjacent hotels — at the University of Chicago, University City (Drexel), Johns Hopkins, and Yale — serving university visitors, families, faculty, and academic travelers through direct booking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boutique Campus-Adjacent Hotels

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111), Traveler Accommodation (7211), Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (721110)

SIC

Hotels & Motels (7011), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban & Downtown Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

University/Academic Conference Hotels (THAGALAJ), Art & Culture (Gallery/Museum) Hotels (THAGADAC)

Keywords

• Boutique hotel hospitality
• Campus lodging services
• University accommodation
• Hotel property operations
• Hospitality accommodation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York, NY

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Lodging/Hospitality Services: Study Hotels generates revenue primarily through room rentals at their campus-adjacent properties. The company offers stays at four university locations (University of Chicago, University City, Johns Hopkins, and Yale), with pricing varying by season, property, and room type typical of boutique hospitality operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Study Hotels operates a portfolio of four boutique hotel properties located adjacent to major U.S. research universities — University of Chicago, University City (Philadelphia/Drexel), Johns Hopkins, and Yale. The company sells lodging and hospitality services designed to reflect the culture and energy of the surrounding campus, unified under the positioning "Simple, Inspired, Thoughtful by Design." Revenue is generated primarily through room rentals at these campus-adjacent properties, with pricing varying by season, property, and room type.

Product overview

Study Hotels is a hospitality brand operating a portfolio of campus-adjacent hotel properties under the 'The Study' brand. The company offers a unified collection of four individual hotel locations at major universities (University of Chicago, University City, Johns Hopkins, and Yale), each shaped by the spirit and energy of campus life. The properties share a unified design philosophy emphasizing 'Simple, Inspired, and Thoughtful by Design' with a focus on community, connection, and a true sense of place.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Study at University of Chicago: Boutique hotel property at the University of Chicago campus
• The Study at University City
• The Study at Johns Hopkins
• The Study at Yale

Products and services

• The Study at University of Chicago Campus-adjacent boutique hotel property at the University of Chicago offering lodging and hospitality services shaped by the spirit and energy of university life, designed for students, faculty, families, and visitors to the university.
• The Study at University City Campus-adjacent boutique hotel property serving the University City community in Philadelphia (associated with Drexel University), offering thoughtful hospitality with a sense of place and connection to the surrounding academic and cultural environment.
• The Study at Johns Hopkins Campus-adjacent boutique hotel property at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, providing lodging and hospitality services with a focus on university culture, community, and the surrounding neighborhood.
• The Study at Yale Campus-adjacent boutique hotel property at Yale University in New Haven, offering a stay with ease, connection, and the freedom to follow curiosity and creativity in a setting shaped by Yale's academic and cultural environment.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University of ChicagoflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome to The Study at University of Chicago property. The hotel is shaped by and integrated with campus life, culture, and community spirit. Partnership provides convenient accommodations for students, faculty, families, and visitors to the university.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sage Hospitality: Sage Hospitality operates a portfolio of boutique and lifestyle hotels including university-market properties (e.g., The Study at University City is reportedly associated with Sage), making it a directly comparable operator in the campus-boutique segment.
• 21c Museum Hotels: 21c is a boutique hotel brand that combines lodging with rotating contemporary art galleries and cultural programming — closely aligned with Study Hotels' use of galleries (e.g., at University City) and cultural partnerships to differentiate the guest experience.
• Graduate Hotels: Graduate Hotels operated boutique hotels in university towns with a campus-inspired brand identity nearly identical to Study Hotels; it was acquired by Hilton in 2024, making it the most directly comparable historical peer in the campus-boutique niche.
• Ace Hotel: Ace Hotel is an independently-rooted boutique lifestyle brand built around local cultural partnerships and design-forward properties — comparable to Study Hotels in scale, brand-led marketing, and emphasis on community-anchored experiences.
• Pyramid Hotel Group: Pyramid Hotel Group is a third-party hotel operator with a portfolio of boutique and lifestyle urban properties, including university-adjacent assets, offering a directly comparable operating and management model to Study Hotels' asset base.

Broad incumbents

• Hilton: Hilton is a global full-service hotel incumbent that now owns Graduate Hotels — the closest conceptual competitor to Study Hotels — and competes for the same university-adjacent demand with greater scale and loyalty reach.
• Hyatt Centric: Hyatt Centric is Hyatt's boutique urban lifestyle brand targeting travelers who want location-anchored experiences in downtown markets — comparable to Study Hotels on urban, neighborhood-driven positioning though as part of a much larger portfolio.
• The Standard Hotels: The Standard is a boutique lifestyle hotel brand known for design-forward, culture-driven urban properties — comparable to Study Hotels on experiential positioning, though concentrated in larger gateway cities.
• Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants: Kimpton is a scaled boutique lifestyle hotel brand within IHG, offering design-led, community-oriented stays in urban markets — comparable to Study Hotels on positioning, though operating at significantly greater scale and with a loyalty program.
• Marriott International: Marriott operates a broad portfolio including boutique-leaning lifestyle brands (e.g., Autograph, Tribute Portfolio) that compete with Study Hotels for university-market guests and conference business, with materially greater distribution and loyalty infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studyhotels
• Instagraminstagram.com/studyhotels/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Study Hotels