Schools like Swarthmore and Villanova have opened new hotels or renovated old ones to create a new hotel experience in line with their individual college brand, writes Andrew Sessa for bloomburg.com.

“Everyone is looking to do hotels right now,” said Matthew Arrants, an executive vice president at hospitality consultancy Pinnacle Advisory Group. “You had properties before, but they were just very tired.”

Not any more.

Universities are making big investments to redevelop or upgrade campus lodging, control the experience, and build the brand of the school, says Arrants.

The hope is to attract potential faculty, researchers, and donors, prospective students and their families.

The idea is to have a college-sponsored hotel that has the same characteristics and flavor as the school.

Several boutique brands have also entered the college hotel market.

Graduate Hotels, launched in 2014, leads the pack with 19 hotels.  At every Graduate Hotel there are nods to the college community: keycards that look like student IDs of famous alums or a reception desk that doubles as a display case for rare, big-ticket, vintage sneakers.

Hotels are also a good investment in college towns because they do well in economic downturns.

Read more about this hotel trend here.

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