Dear Student,

Earlier this fall, we shared that Brown was exploring the possibility of leasing hotel rooms to supplement existing University-owned and University-leased housing with the goal of bringing back as many students as we can safely accommodate for the spring semester. We write today to confirm that Brown will be leasing rooms at a downtown Providence hotel for students on the housing waitlist for Spring 2021.

The University will lease enough rooms in a hotel to provide housing for all students on the University housing waitlist who are interested in this option. At the same time, we will continue to maintain the waitlist for the spring, and if an assignment in an on-campus residence or leased off-campus apartment becomes available, it will be offered to the next student on the waitlist (regardless of whether the student chose the hotel option).

Hotel Features and Next Steps

While the specific property will be confirmed in students’ housing assignment confirmations, the hotel will be either a Hilton, Marriott or Omni hotel property. These will be single-occupancy rooms (i.e., students will not share a room) in an area of the hotel occupied only by Brown students. 

The hotel will have regular, reduced-occupancy service by the Brown University Shuttle to campus. Dining Services will deliver meals to the hotel for all student occupants from arrival through the Quiet Period — the period from Jan. 9 to 26, when students leave their residences only for essential purposes — and to students on a meal plan thereafter. Every room will have a microwave and mini refrigerator, and laundry service will be available, at a cost comparable to on-campus laundry. There is no difference in the room fee for students assigned to an on-campus room or to a hotel. 

You now need to complete (or update) your Housing Questionnaire no later than 11:59 pm EST on Friday, Dec. 11. In the Housing Questionnaire, you can indicate your housing preferences, including the option to identify up to three preferred neighbors. You would only be assigned near preferred neighbors who mutually identify you as a preferred neighbor. These preferences are not guarantees, but we will make every effort to assign as many mutually identified neighbors near each other as possible. Please note that you may only request students on the waitlist who have also indicated that they would accept a hotel assignment. 

Spring 2021 housing assignments will be communicated before the University offices close for Winter Break on Friday, Dec. 18, at 5:00 p.m. EST. When you receive your Spring 2021 housing assignment, you will be able to select an arrival time on one of the four move-in dates (Jan. 9-12, 2021).

In Closing

If your plans have changed and you will not require on-campus housing, please email spring2021@brown.edu as soon as possible to adjust your location of study. 

Sincerely,

Office of Residential Life