Students look to local hotels for residence following campus closure

With remote classes underway for the fall 2020 semester, some students have moved out of residence halls and into nearby Chapel Hill hotels. 

It can be difficult to find a community through online learning and Zoom, but hotels have offered some UNC students a more college-like experience.

Mcclaren Hopper, a first-year student majoring in biomedical and health science engineering, said she is now living in the Graduate Chapel Hill on Franklin Street after moving out of Granville. 

“I’ve lived in the Graduate for a month, and it’s been great,” she said. “It has a bunch of freshmen in my hall, so it feels like a dorm all over again."

Her previous residence hall, Granville Towers, is only a few blocks away from the Graduate Chapel Hill.

The hotel’s location on West Franklin Street provides a bustling, homely feel for students who miss Franklin Street’s vibrant atmosphere and normal campus life, Hopper said. 

Jennifer Norris is the director of sales for Graduate Chapel Hill. 

In an email, she said the hotel is offering semester-long leases for students “looking for alternative housing options this school year.” Norris said that they are currently working on options for students who are looking to stay long-term through the spring 2021 semester. 

The hotel is also in the process of adding some amenities to select packages based on length of stay and room type, Norris said. 

“At Graduate Chapel Hill we’re focused on being a community partner and gathering place,” Norris said. “We deeply value the lessons and relationships that come with campus life, and hope to provide a similar sense of community and belonging while learning stays remote this school year.”

Other students have had to live in hotels for a short-term basis. 

Hallie Turner, a first-year student majoring in environmental sciences, said she moved from Hinton James Residence Hall to the Courtyard by Marriott near the Friday Center in August to quarantine herself after several of her suitemates tested positive for COVID-19. 

“I stayed basically in the hotel room the whole time,” she said. 

Turner said she was in the process of moving her belongings back home before she was notified that she had to quarantine at the Courtyard. She lived there for 12 days before moving back to her permanent residence. 

“Classes were stressful to keep up with while I was moving my stuff in and out of the hotel and then moving back out of my dorm afterwards, but it was still manageable,” she said. 

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