Accommodations Can Be a Class Act in University Dormitories in Britain

To a greater extent than colleges in the United States do, British colleges make a little extra cash renting out dorm rooms while students are away for the summer.

Until classes resume in mid-to late September, many schools in England, Wales and Scotland market their residence halls as budget hotels, promising clean and well-located rooms at reasonable prices.

Financially, the programs make sense for both schools and travelers. “Quite often, especially in London, prices for hotels are expensive. But universities have a lot of accommodations available during these peak tourist periods,” explains David Walkden, marketing and communications manager for Venuemasters, an organization that promotes the residence facilities at scores of campuses in Britain. Although its focus is primarily on conferences and group bookings, Venuemasters also facilitates individual business at 21 colleges in 16 British cities.

Dorm rooms might not be the ultimate in luxury, but even the most basic ones will include everything you really need: a bed, access to a bathroom, daily cleaning and, in most cases, breakfast. The setup, created with student interaction in mind, allows you to meet other tourists easily if you wish.

The Venuemasters Web site, https://www.venuemasters.co.uk, lists contact information for its schools. On average, they charge $32 for a single room, but rates vary among cities and even within universities, depending on the residence hall and type of accommodation.

London, with the most student rooms, has the greatest number of options. Recently posted prices start at $25 for a single at the Hampstead campus of King’s College, one of the city’s major schools, by the Finchley Road Tube station. Twin rooms range from $44 a night at the simple, dorm-style Hampstead Residence to $66 at the Great Dover Street Apartments, self-contained flats.

The London School of Economics has five halls available for summer bookings. For the lowest prices--$35 for a single, $65 for a twin--you can try the Passfield Residence, a row of late Georgian houses in Bloomsbury.

Venuemasters represents these and four other schools in London: Middlesex University, Queen Mary College, University College and the University of North London.

Several other London colleges handle their rentals independently of Venuemasters. London’s City University has four properties with prices in the $30 range for singles and twins. Call its event management services office at 011-44-20-7040-8822 or check out https://www.city.ac.uk/ems.

Having a student ID might lower the cost even more. At Imperial College, students pay just $120 per week for a room in the Evelyn Gardens Hall of Residence in South Kensington. Online booking is available for any of Imperial College’s accommodations at https://www.ad.ic.ac.uk/conferences, or call 011-44-20-7594-9507.

For vacationers who want to venture outside London, Venuemasters also represents schools in Bath, Bristol, Durham, Exeter, Liverpool, Luton, Portsmouth and York in England; Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrews and Stirling, Scotland; and Aberystwyth and Cardiff, Wales.

The big university towns of Cambridge and Oxford deal with accommodations on their own. Conference Cambridge (tel. 011-44-1223-740-578, https://www.confercambridge.co.uk) only reluctantly allows individuals to reserve rooms. “It’s not something they’re trying to promote,” said Emma Rintoul, Conference Cambridge manager. “The thing to do is talk to the colleges individually.”

Among the best bets: Girton College (011-44-1223-338-975) and St. Catharine’s College (011-44-1223-338-381). Conference Oxford (011-44-1865-276-190, https://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/conference/) fills a similar role for Oxford’s 36 colleges. The top choice for individuals is Lincoln College, which has 70 rooms during summer in its Mitre building. Single rooms cost $37, twins $68 and triples $90. To book, call 011-44-1865-279-821 and ask for the Mitre rooms.

Summer is not the only time to take advantage of these residence hall deals. Many colleges open up rooms to tourists for parts of March and April--spring break--and often at less than the summer rates. A few schools also take in guests during the shorter Christmas vacation. And the University of Bath and the University of York are open to vacationers all year long.