San Jose State University transforms historic luxury hotel into college dorms

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- What once was a historic downtown San Jose hotel, is now transformed into college dorm rooms. On Thursday, San Jose State University celebrated the opening of Spartan Village on the Paseo.

San Jose State University President Cynthia Teniente-Matson said the project was approved less than a year ago.

"It is unlike anything SJSU has ever built the speed alone and the scope of its completion are unprecedented," President Teniente-Matson said.

Within four months of construction, SJSU converted the south tower of the Signia by Hilton - formerly the Fairmont - into student housing.

The 13-floor (11 residential) luxury hotel tower will house 700 undergraduate students.

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The name of the suites are still on the doors.

The desks, wardrobes and beds are new, but the couches and other furnishings remain from the Signia.

We spoke with residential advisor Paloma Hubbard.

"The curtains for sure, they're like really nice blackout curtains. Now I get a view of the whole city, I can see the hills. It's just a lot more peaceful," Hubbard said.

And once you step inside the marble bathrooms, they scream 'this was a hotel room.'

Residential advisor Aniket Sheth said the moment he opened the doors he thought the room and ensuite bathroom were spacious.

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"Having my own bathroom, I have a shower with a glass door I have a bathtub I have this big vanity sink," Sheth said.

Spartan Village on the Paseo is the region's largest post-pandemic conversion from a commercial space to a residential.

Assemblymember Ash Kalra spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"This is a national model, certainly a statewide model of what you can do in an extremely expensive high cost area to ensure that you can have enough housing for your students. Especially for San Jose State where over the years has had the higher rate of homelessness among students amongst all the CSUs and it's the work like this that turns that around," Kalra said.

Local and state officials are credited with getting the project funded and completed on time.

Several speakers said State Senator David Cortese's support was invaluable.

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"We got to all work together like that, as long as we're all working together like this the skies the limit," Cortese said.

He said Spartan Village on the Paseo is unlike any other student housing project in the Bay Area.

"Most of us have been to San Francisco and seen the integration of universities in the San Francisco urban center this beats them all," Cortese said.

The inaugural students move in Friday; 124 affordable beds are for students in need.

We heard from Charlie Faas, Vice President of Administration and Finance/CFO with SJSU.

"This is going to be a great opportunity into the downtown have a more urban living but also be in a safe campus environment," Faas said.