There are only 7 Downtown ASU students still living in the Westin Phoenix Downtown as of Wednesday night, but the short stay still caused some students to feel disconnected from their classmates.
Of the 27 students who moved into the hotel over the weekend due to overbooking at Taylor Place, 20 have already been relocated into the dorms — a drop that shocked some ASU officials.
“I’m very surprised myself,” said Downtown campus spokesman Marshall Terrill. “I thought it would be a little slower than that, but I guess we had space open up more quickly.”
ASU officials originally estimated that there would be around 40 students living in the Westin and it would take until Aug. 26 to place all of them in the dorms.
Every year, 3-5 percent of students don’t show up on campus to move in, according to an email Downtown Dean of Students Georgeana Montoya wrote to the other Downtown deans on July 25.
ASU officials said that Taylor Place being at capacity for the first time since it opened in 2008 is a good sign for the campus, because it shows the programs Downtown are increasingly popular.
Housing students in a hotel until space becomes available is common on the Tempe campus, but this is the first time Taylor Place has experienced an overflow.
Even a brief stay in the Westin has been detrimental to some incoming freshmen.
Journalism freshman Guillermo Salcido said his time in the hotel disconnected him from other members of his class. He was looking forward to socializing often, and living outside the dorms doesn’t allow him to do that.
“I didn’t anticipate falling behind getting to know people,” Salcido said.
Salcido is one of the seven students still in the Westin as of Wednesday night. Two students shared each room furnished with two queen beds. ASU is paying $100 per night per room.
Journalism freshman Gabriel Vasquez moved into Taylor Place Wednesday morning and agreed that it felt like he missed out on beginning-of-school activities.
He is looking forward to meeting more people and getting involved on campus, but he admits that the Westin was “really nice.”
Health sciences pre-professional freshman Anthony Johnson was happy about moving into Taylor Place Wednesday morning, but also said he had a good experience at the hotel. The turndown service and nicer rooms will be hard to give up.
“It’ll be a downgrade, but it’ll be cool,” he said about living in the dorms.
Downtown community coordinator Irma Canseco is staying in the Westin with the overflow students. She also is among the group of ASU Residential Life employees who are moving students from the Westin into Taylor Place.
When asked how it was to live at the hotel, Canseco said, “Well, it’s the Westin,” and wouldn’t elaborate or answer additional questions.
Vasquez and Salcido both said that the Westin was probably the best option for students since ASU had overbooked the dorms.
“I don’t think (overbooking) was a good idea, but I think they did a good job for what they messed up on,” Vasquez said. “They did a good job fixing it. I moved in pretty fast.”
Contact the reporter at connor.radnovich@asu.edu
