Ohio State will be housing some students in the campus hotel The Blackwell Inn fall semester in order to decrease residence hall density due to COVID-19. Credit: Sarah Szilagy | Campus Editor
A queen bed with provided linens and a television with a remote may be included amenities for some students living in The Blackwell Inn this year.
The university hotel, located on Tuttle Park Place, will convert to student housing in order to allow for physical distancing in residence halls amid COVID-19, according to the University Housing website. Dave Isaacs, spokesperson for the Office of Student Life, said in an email that the students living in The Blackwell were notified this past weekend of their final room assignments.
The hotel is able to house 264 students, including student employees, in singles and doubles, Isaacs said. Some rooms will have queen beds with linens provided to students upon arrival, and some will have traditional twin XL beds for which students will need to provide their own bedsheets.
Isaacs said the hotel is considered Rate I housing — $3,764 per semester — and will be charged the same as those living in dorms in halls such as Smith-Steeb or Residence on Tenth, according to the University Housing website.
Hotel guests with reservations through the end of August can keep their reservations, but the hotel will be entirely student housing for the rest of the semester. Stefanie Patsiavos, general manager of The Blackwell Inn and Pfahl Conference Center, said in an email that the hotel worked with the Fisher College of Business to contact people with reservations in the fall.
“However, a majority of the guests had released their reservations due to OSU’s announcement of no in-person recruiting on campus and the restriction of the size of events on campus,” Patsiavos said.
It is unclear how much revenue will be lost due to canceled reservations.
Students will enter The Blackwell using their BuckID at the main entrance of the building. Each room will have a university-issued micro-fridge, a built-in desk area, mobile table and a wall-mounted television, according to the University Housing website. Other items commonly found in hotel rooms, like coffee makers and hairdryers, will not be included. Students will be able to access Archer House for laundry.
Patsiavos said some of The Blackwell’s housekeeping staff have been redeployed to Facilities Operations and Development due to the increased sanitation needs across campus. Some original staff will remain at the hotel to clean public spaces and meeting rooms, but students will be responsible for cleaning their own rooms and bathrooms.
The Bistro at Blackwell will not be open for dining services, according to the University Housing website. Students with meal plans will be able to use any dining halls on campus.
