Facebook (Summerstrand Hotel)
The old Summerstrand Hotel, a Port Elizabeth landmark, is being converted into a 500-bed residence for students at Nelson Mandela University (NMU).
The residence, which is due to open in March this year aims to provide safe and affordable accommodation that is close to campus particularly for those on financial aid.
The iconic Hotel was sold at an auction in 2019 for R88 million.
The Director of the student accommodation group STAG African, John Schooling says the University has 29 000 students but only have 3 299 beds in the university-owned residences, which means that only 12% of students can be accommodated.
Students who live on these newly furnished premises will have self-catering cooking facilities, catered meals, laundry facilities, wi-fi, a swimming pool and a student centre for social events.
Rooms measure up to 27 metres squared owing to the building’s previous use as a hotel and include an en-suite bathroom.
Applications for accommodation at the Summerstrand Student Village for the 2021 academic year, are currently open.
