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Rochester · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels near University of Rochester

Hana Okada

Hana Okada The Low Countries

Updated 1 September 2026 · 7 Rochester hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Rochester, out of the 7 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.9 down to 4.

All five are within 2.7 km of University of Rochester.

The Ellwanger Estate

Highest rated of the five

The Ellwanger Estate

★★★★★4.9 from 121 reviews

The Ellwanger Estate comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.9 from 121 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is found under poi.

7 hotels in Rochester qualified for this list and five made it. Staybridge Suites Rochester University by IHG is the one I would book if the first is full.

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All five, ranked

  1. The Ellwanger Estate1

    The Ellwanger Estate

    ★★★★★4.9 from 121 reviews

    1.2 km from University of Rochester, about a 15 minute walk

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    • Staybridge Suites Rochester University by IHG2

      Staybridge Suites Rochester University by IHG

      ★★★★★4.4 from 980 reviews

      800 m from University of Rochester, about a 10 minute walk

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      • Hilton Garden Inn Rochester/University & Medical Center3

        Hilton Garden Inn Rochester/University & Medical Center

        ★★★★★4.3 from 877 reviews

        900 m from University of Rochester, about a 11 minute walk

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        • Courtyard by Marriott Rochester Brighton4

          Courtyard by Marriott Rochester Brighton

          ★★★★★4.1 from 780 reviews

          2.7 km from University of Rochester

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          • Holiday Inn Express Rochester - University Area5

            Holiday Inn Express Rochester - University Area

            ★★★★★4 from 819 reviews

            2.7 km from University of Rochester

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            How this list was put together

            7 Rochester hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating first and on how close they are to University of Rochester second, then took the top five.

            Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

            The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

            What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

            Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

            Hana Okada

            Hana Okada The Low Countries

            Plans trips around bridges and old infrastructure. Thirty-one named bridges in 14 countries, each photographed, with sketches kept in numbered notebooks.

            Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.