Three hotels leased by Pitt will be exclusively for students

By SUSAN JONES

Pitt will take over three entire hotels in Oakland this fall in an effort to de-densify residence halls that have communal bathrooms. The three hotels, which were announced today, are:

  • Residence Inn Pittsburgh University Medical Center at 3896 Bigelow Blvd.

  • Residence Inn Pittsburgh University Place at 3341 Forbes Ave.

  • Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center at 100 Lytton Ave.

Pitt announced in June that it would pay an estimated $22 million to lease space in hotels for students. The leases will most likely continue throughout the 2020-21 school term.

Students were notified of their housing assignments today. An estimated 25 percent of first-year students will live in the hotels. All are within a 15-minute walk of the Cathedral of Learning, with the Residence Inn on Bigelow being at the outside edge of that distance and the Wyndham, which is behind Alumni Hall, being the closest.

Each hotel, which the University is calling a Pitt Experience partner property, will operate in the same way as campus housing, with 24-hour security as well as resident assistants and resident directors to provide supervision and support. University shuttle routes also will be updated to provide service to these locations. 

According to Hotels.com, the three Oakland hotels have approximately 560 rooms combined. Most students living in the hotels will have a roommate with which they’ll share a private bathroom.

The majority of rooms will utilize University furniture, and students will not have access to the hotels’ pools.

These hotels were selected, according to an FAQ from Panther Central, because of their “commitment to support a personalized Pitt Experience tailored to first-year students, overall quality, proximity to campus and adherence to all safety protocols.”

Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 412-648-4294.

 

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