Columbus, Oh.- September 18, 2017- AJ Capital Partners announced its plan to open Graduate Hotels' newest location in Columbus, Ohio in spring 2019 as Graduate Columbus. AJ Capital acquired the Bollinger Tower, formerly an affordable housing complex and now vacant, on North High Street in the Short North neighborhood of Columbus, proximate to both Ohio State University and downtown Columbus. The property will begin renovations in spring 2018 to be converted into a hotel with 171 guestrooms, meeting and event space, two food and beverage outlets and ground floor retail space.

Prominently located in the Short North neighborhood of Columbus, the city's thriving retail, arts and culinary destination, the hotel is situated between several locally owned boutiques and restaurants. It is also conveniently located halfway between downtown Columbus and The Ohio State University's campus.

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, ln.; Iowa City,Ia.; Minneapolis, Mn.; New Haven, Ct.; 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 newest addition to Graduate Hotels in Columbus, Ohio" says Tim Franzen, President of Graduate Hotels. "Columbus is an extremely desirable market for us to enter for many reasons; particularly, do to it being a hub for several major corporations and home to The Ohio State University. It is also a particularly exciting time to join this community with the recent urban revitalization of the city's Short North district where our hotel will reside. We're looking forward to contributing a lodging product unlike any other in Columbus today and one that will serve locals, members of the University community, as well as out of town visitors."

Formerly an affordable housing complex, the property will undergo extensive construction scheduled to begin in coming months. Once complete, the extensive renovation will result in 171 hotel guestrooms, 4,000 square feet of meeting space as well as two food & beverage outlets. Additionally, the hotel's ground floor will offer ample retail space for lease along its High Street frontage.

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