In the spring of 2021, the Andover Inn became an underclassmen dormitory to accommodate for over enrollment. Since then, the Inn served as a dormitory for over a year, closing its doors to student residents starting this fall. Following current renovations, the Andover Inn will reopen as a hotel to welcome outside guests onto campus.
Eleanor Dehoog ’24 (she/her)
“I’m really excited to see what it will be like. I saw it when it was in total chaos as a freshmen and lower boys dorm, so I think it will be really fun to see it in a more professional space. I also stayed there when I was doing my tour, so I know what it was like before it was a dorm. I’m excited to see what they do with it after. I guess [having the inn as a dorm] created more space for people, [but] I feel like hotels can kind of feel a bit hospital-like after being there for a week or two, so I feel that would be a bit difficult. If we don’t need it as a dorm space, I think it’s important for it to reopen as it gives a space for touring families to stay.”
Brandon Fu ’25 (he/him)
“Being one of the few residents of the Inn has been a privilege, a privilege that I don’t know if I can express what it has done for me. But at the same time, there are drawbacks to being in the Inn as well. I think one of the main drawbacks is social communication and the ability to be with friends. Because [the] rooms are good, people were [less] willing to step outside of their rooms. I do believe that now at this point in time, I don’t know if there’s a huge demand for hotel space at Andover considering we’ve just finished family weekend and considering, of course, there’s still sickness going around campus, whether that’s [Covid-19] or a campus cold. Though one thing I would say is as long as Samuel’s is open for campus kids to eat at, I’d be very happy if I were able to go eat there.”
Jonas Giannoni ’25 (he/him)
“It’s a great place, especially if it’s a hotel. I mean if you want to go, it’s just like any other hotel. But it’s nice as it’s close to campus, so you can pretty much go wherever you want. It’s really accessible. [When I lived in the Andover Inn previously,] the air conditioning was pretty nice, coming back to a warm room in the winter was pretty cool, and I knew that if I ever needed a place to study, that could be like my own little space.”
Daryn Burnette ’26 (she/her)
“I think it should be interesting. I hope that it doesn’t bring a bunch of [Covid-19] cases this time, with people staying on campus who were originally off campus, so I’m nervous that it might bring a [Covid-19] surge. I think it’s nice that people can come back on campus after having [Covid-19] these past couple of years. I feel like [the reopening] should wait till at least after Winter term, when everything’s really settled and everyone’s fully comfortable after visiting their family, because there are people still trying to settle in and we have finals, then we’re going to have a bunch of breaks and only a few weeks in between.”
Ginny Marshall ’25 (she/her)
“The Inn is really nostalgic for me because my Grandmother used to stay there and I used to eat at the restaurant a lot. For me, the Inn is a symbol of warmth and community…I’m excited because when the Inn is open I feel like there’s a sense of engagement with the outside world from school, [so] it’s not totally excluded. It’ll be nice for the holiday season to have families able to stay near their kids while they’re still here. [When the Inn became a dorm,] it was a good solution, [but] some negatives are it seems that some students are not used to the actual dorms and the actual dorm living in the spaces because the Inn was really nice.”
