SJSU students move in to newly converted downtown hotel
Stepping inside the new Spartan Village on the Paseo in San Jose, it's almost hard to remember the building used to be a hotel.
"This is all dining services for the residents. So you have a nice cafe here. Lots of different seating options," said Traci Ferdolage, an administrator at San Jose State University.
The 13 story building has been fully renovated into a chic new dorm with everything from dining, to a fitness center, even a gaming room.
"And all of this stuff can be integrated so that you can have competitions," said Ferdolage.
The only remnants of the old Fairmont Hotel are small plaques on some of the dorm rooms that used to be hotel suites.
"We thought it would be a nice connection to the past history of the building. But this is a suite set up," said Ferdolage.
Close to 700 students, including Sophomore Angela Makihele, are lucky enough to be the building's first residents.
"Like I think this one personally beats all the dorms. The amenities that they have and the offer for the school year as well as just the room style, it's a hotel room so it's pretty much amazing, and then everything that they offer is just so amazing compared to other dorms," said Makihele.
It's not just the students and university officials excited about this new dorm, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan says the city itself will benefit tremendously from having these students in the heart of downtown.
"To have 700 students, Spartans, our future leaders living and learning and working right here in our downtown is going to to make the downtown more vibrant," said Mayor Mahan.
That's exactly what students like Makihele plan to do.
"I love going into downtown. I love eating in downtown, so it's just amazing," she said.