College Dorm That Is A Three Star Hotel

Dorms. When most people think about dorms, they picture small cramped quarters, communal bathrooms and a dingy atmosphere. This is why I was pleasantly surprised when I did a dorm tour at UCLA. A little bit of background, UCLA has four different types of dorms- Classics (small, communal bathrooms, no AC), Deluxe (bigger, AC, communal bathrooms), Plazas (AC, private/shared between 2 room bathrooms) and Suites (large, living room, 2 bedroom with one bath, no AC)

The dorm that I got assigned after months of waiting was a Plaza Double – Private Bath, which is arguably the nicest dorm offered here at UCLA. Now, without further adieu, I will review my dorm and prove how it is a “three star hotel”.

The Room-

I would say the room is a decent size but smaller than your average hotel room. I would guess my room is about 225-250 square feet as is it still way bigger than a cruise ship. There is a nice closet, with ample space, and our room features two twin beds and two desks. Living here for a month already, I haven’t gotten claustrophobic at all yet (maybe because I am in a double with only one roommate, which I was very lucky to get as most freshman get triples, where it is two top bunk beds and one bottom bunk). Noise wise, its generally not too loud, but mainly its the hallway noise, noise from the outdoor courtyard and some thumping from above. Room to room insulation is not bad though!

It truly feels like a hotel to enter our dorms too because it’s all through magnetic key cards!!

The Bathroom-

Now to my favorite part of our dorm: the private bath! It’s a standard bathroom, but I appreciate the cabinets for storage and the many towel hooks/racks. The showerhead has many modes and is really comfortable.

Services+ Amenities-

For starters, our plaza dorms get housekeeping service once a week for our bathrooms. Our private bathrooms are thoroughly cleaned, and we also get a new stock of TP and trash bags. Man, I feel bad how our housekeeper has to clean college kids’ bathrooms. Let’s just say some of my friends’ bathrooms aren’t that pleasant the day before housekeeping comes 😀

Additionally, we have a 24 hour front desk across the main “courtyard” that serves my dorm and our adjacent buildings (all plazas). One can file work orders to fix what may have broke in your room, or give you extra TP when you run out before housekeeping comes. Just like front desk at a hotel. Next to the front desk, we have a small rec room with pool tables, foosball and a (broken) air hockey table.

We do have a fitness center- called B Fit, which is a 3 minute walk from my dorm. And if you want to take a swim, the Sunset Village Pool is only about a 5 minute walk away.

The Verdict-

In case you were wondering, no, you can’t actually book a hotel stay at my dorm. 🙂 UCLA does offer the brand new 4 star Luskin Hotel and Conference Center to stay at or the 3 star UCLA Guest House in case you were wondering.

Overall, I love my dorm, and the Plaza Double-Private Bath can really be a 3 Star Hotel! I honestly feel like it can compete with a Hampton Inn/Fairfield Inn if it were to be converted to a hotel. No wonder UCLA will be housing the athletes if the Olympics comes to LA in 2024.

Here are some of the opinions from my fellow plaza-mates.

My across the hall neighbor Connie says “I really like my dorm. As a girl, it is very important to have a private bath as it makes it much easier to get ready in the morning and for bed. I feel like I’m on vacation every day!”

My friend Edward who is in a Plaza Triple, (same room as mine but with 3 people) says that our dorms have “A decent amount of space and the work area/desks are great! I like having the private bath which makes it like a hotel. But, it sometimes feels like a cruise ship with two other roommates.”

Cheers,

theresorttraveler