Student housing being converted hotels: the exception or the norm?

College Life
1

<p>I went to GWU a few days ago for a parliamentary debate tournament and realised that much of their student housing entails living in former hotels that have been converted for dormitory use. Maybe this is a known fact, but it surprises me. </p>

<p>I mean, the lobby of the one I went to still had all the aromas of a luxury hotel and it seemed that housekeeping still bothered to polish the marble. On top of all this, the hosting student and roommate didn't live in a tiny 16'x12' room -- it's like living in a suite, without the other people. On top of effectively a very large living room, expensive furniture and entertainment system, their own bathroom and kitchen, high-rise views and so forth, they also get housekeeping service that gives them new towels and sheets every morning. </p>

<p>No, I was just kidding about the last one. But what else do you need to complete the perfect dorm experience? Even their version of off-Grounds housing, which they called "apartments", seemed to be all forms of converted/retrofitted hotels one way or the other. Presence of elevator ==> no need to haul luggage and packages all the way up the stairs. </p>

<p>I'm so jealous. Despite my school's better-equipped budget, Charlottesville's lower land prices and more expansive land availability, much of student housing seems to entail living in space-tight carpetless whitewashed rooms, where the shield bugs like to sneak through the mosquito netting. And I was perfectly content -- way better than housing arrangements back home. And for a while I thought this was the norm all around the country.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I suppose it might be more difficult to implement a residential college system in a hotel. So poll: how luxurious are your housing arrangements?</p>

2

<p>I know one college that uses actual hotels as student housing (they get a special rate, and it’s offseason for the hotel anyway so most of the rooms would be empty anyway.) There’s a little kitchen in each one and it seemed like it’d be pretty nice. Most hotels don’t have kitchens, and that’d probably be the worst thing about living in a converted one unless they put one in.</p>

<p>As for my school, Virginia Tech, dorms range from bad (no AC, 2 people to each room, etc.) to excellent (AC suite or apartment style dorms.) It depends on how lucky you are and how much you feel like paying.</p>

3

<p>My brother lived in a dorm at the University of Pittsburgh his freshman year that felt exactly like a hotel in the hallways, but was very much a dorm in the rooms and bathrooms. All of my dorms at CMU were standard college dorms.</p>

4

<p>My dorm used to be a Howard Johnson and some of the students are housed in the Hyatt but can only stay there for one semester. The Hyatt is still a hotel, but one of the floors is for students or something. I don’t think it’s weird, in fact, I think it’s less costly. I mean, converting a hotel would be much easier since people already sleep in those. But since my dorm used to be a hotel, it’s one of the few that have private bathrooms. Some of the bigger dorms have to share a bathroom per floor.</p>

5

<p>yeah, one of the dormitories on campus was a former hotel. they have their own bathrooms and kitchens</p>

6

<p>we get a decently sized kitchen/living room with a stove, sink, fridge, and AC, and its the cheapest of 2 count them two options here.</p>