Langdell Hall Establishes Temporary Accommodations at Hampton Inn

By CARLY CANSECO, LOGAN LIU, and HENRY WISE

Move-in day for most students is Sept. 4 and entails heaving heavy luggage up and down stairs, reuniting with friends, and meeting dorm faculty. Usually, the setting of this ordeal is at a student’s dorm, but for Langdell, this was at the Exeter Hampton Inn, right next to the Dunkin Donuts on Portsmouth Avenue. 

For some, living in a hotel with a pool, TV in the room, air conditioning, and queen beds was appealing. “Staying at the Hampton Inn has been a great experience for us Langdell residents,” lower William Inoue said. “It’s a unique opportunity to build a dorm community and overcome challenges together. The facilities are top-notch, which is a huge plus.” 

Senior Farhan Salami expressed a similar sentiment. “It’s a hotel, so the beds are nice and comfy. There is a freezer and microwave in the rooms. There is also a private bathroom, which is very convenient. Finally, the hotel breakfast is good. The walks to campus are good for getting steps in.”

However, for others, living in a dorm sounded more appealing. Segun Salami commented,  “The walk can be annoying since you can’t just dash back to the Inn if you leave something. The room is aesthetically pleasing, but in a dorm, you can personalize your actual dorm room.”

To get to and from campus, students in Langdell/Hotel shuttle to Tan Lane. “I would say the experience isn’t the best,” upper Adriano Bozzo said. “The shuttles are only at certain times and are not the best times. In the morning, there’s only a 7:15 and  8:15 shuttle. So if you have a sleep-in, and class is not until 8:55, you still have to wake up. The evening ones are also not good. I have practice until six. We get to the dining hall, and we’re done eating by 6:45, and there’s no shuttle till 7:45, so it’s either you wait the hour and waste time, or you have to walk back.”

Lower Simon Taylor described the same experiences. “Sometimes you just have to walk because they don’t come. Yesterday, the 8:15 one never showed up. And then the 7:15 one showed up at 7:40, so the buses are not punctual. Sometimes, if too many students fit in the bus, they don’t even return and get them like they just go once.”

“I think I’ve taken like 20 walks so far. 18 minutes each 20, because I came here during preseason,” upper Joe Kim said. “I’ve had to walk there multiple times after practice. I get cramps all the time.”

As the newest boys’ dorm on campus, there is an overwhelming majority of new students. The inaugural period for new Exonains is usually the most important and involves meeting new people, exploring campus, and personalizing your dorm room. 

For some Langdell residents, their temporary relocation has felt like an obstruction to this experience. The first couple days were tough because I have to move twice,” Bozzo said. “My parents came to move me in from Canada. They were supposed to move me into my dorm, but we had to move into the hotel and now they have to come again to move me into my dorm. Adjusting and setting those routines are also difficult because I’m not on campus and once I get on campus, I have to change a lot.”

Others didn’t feel much of an effect. “I think it does hinder it in the aspect that I’m losing time in between the travel time and also having to get there and everything like that,” Kim said. “But other than that, I think it’s fine. I think I’m adjusting decently well.”

Since many residents are new students, many believe their similar situations have brought them closer together. “I think Langdell has a pretty tight dorm community as we are all in the same boat as far as our living situation is concerned, and the dorm is mostly full of new kids,” lower Myles Oluwo said.

“I think our community is pretty strong,” Taylor noted. “I think we have some stuff planned. There’s something about Indian food that we might do as a dorm DoorDash Indian food on Saturday.”

Whether or not Langdell’s residents enjoy the Hampton Inn, they will soon move into a completed Langdell Hall, which is expected Friday, September 20th. Their new dorm will still come with its own challenges, though, as Wetherell Dining Hall is still under construction. However, once Wetherell is completed, Langdell’s residents will benefit from direct access to the newest dining hall and a quick walk to all of their classes.