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The Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh.
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For some Pitt students this fall, hotels will serve as dorm halls

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

For some Pitt students this fall, hotels will serve as dorm halls

University plan to guard against COVID-19 transmission includes buying up hotel space near campus

The University of Pittsburgh will use multiple hotels near campus this fall to enable it to honor housing guarantees for students seeking a residence while reducing density in dorms to guard against COVID-19 transmission.

The property and facilities committee of Pitt’s board of trustees approved the plan as members met Thursday by conference call. 

“Meeting both of these goals — providing space for everyone who wants it and following the public health guidelines on de-densification — was a significant challenge,” said Matthew Sterne, vice chancellor for business services at Pitt.

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In this file photo the Cathedral of Learning, right, towers over the University of Pittsburgh campus in the Oakland.
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“Working with the university’s Healthcare Advisory Group and community partners, we have found a solution to expand campus housing. While plans will continue to evolve as we learn more, this is a critical piece of our ability to bring students back to campus.”

University officials did not identify the hotels or their number. Pitt estimates it will cost $22 million.

About 29,000 students attend classes on Pitt’s main Oakland campus. There are approximately 6,000 residence hall students, according to university data.

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Suite and apartment-style residence halls typically occupied by upperclass students will not need to be de-densified given room configurations, officials said. However, “a significant portion of first-year students will live in hotel residences expected to be within a 15-minute walk of campus,” according to a statement from the university.

Hotels will mimic campus housing, with 24-hour security and resident assistant and resident director staff for supervision, officials said. Pitt plans to update its shuttle routes to include service to those hotels.

Dining services will be revised, and there will be new concepts and choices, officials said. Remote ordering opportunities will be increased.

University officials said they are contacting residence students to apprise them of the changes and how they are impacted.

Jaila Hatcher, a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh, packs her belongings in the car with her grandmother, Perrise Saluhdin, for their trip home to Harrisburg on March 17 in Oakland. The school announced Monday that it plans to resume in-person classes on Aug. 19.
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Jim Perricone, general manager of the Oaklander Hotel, said hotels entered a bid process about two weeks ago to put up rooms for the university. “With our occupancy down so much and the way that’s looking this year, it was a good way to take out some inventory,” he said.

Mr. Perricone said Pitt is looking for about 1,000 rooms, making it all but impossible for just one hotel to carry the load. He said a couple of Oakland-area hotels offered their entire inventory for the Pitt students.

“We’re hoping for more grad students toward our property since it’s a luxury hotel,” he said.

Hotels would have to meet certain requirements, changing the room configurations to two double beds, two desks and two closets.

Mr. Perricone said the bids were confidential between the hotels.

“We think within about two weeks we’ll hear more about what hotels were selected,” he said. “Usually the lowest bid wins.”

The Hampton Inn in Oakland is considering participating, but no official offer has been extended, said Hampton sales manager Brock Dodson. “We’re unsure at this time,” Mr. Dodson said on Thursday.

The numbers will matter. “We’re potentially open to it. It needs to be economically feasible,” he said.

The Hampton Inn, which has 143 guest rooms, has served students in need in the past. Last year when SkyVue Apartments had an electrical fire, the hotel housed a sizable student population. That wasn’t through the university.

Bill Schackner: bschackner@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1977 and on Twitter: @Bschackner.  Ethan Simmons: esimmons@post-gazette.com Pitt has provided a Q&A about housing here

Updated at 3:19 p.m. on June 25, 2020

First Published: June 25, 2020, 4:16 p.m.

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The Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh.  (Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)
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