Hotel UMass

It was wonderful to be back at my Alma Mater! Stayed two nights in connection with my son’s New Student Orientation. It was a terrific stay and it is wonderfully convenient to be situated right on campus.
Having attended in the ‘80s, the hotel always felt aesthetically cold — both inside and out (lots of poured concrete will do that. Housed in the university’s Campus Center, one of the New Student Program tour guides referred to the hotel’s exterior as looking like a «waffle iron.» I had never heard that before, yet it is indeed true.) However, as new buildings continue to rise up around it, the Campus Center building seems to have become more charming over the years.
Inside the hotel they have professionalized their operation and «warmed-​up» the public spaces, redecorated their rooms and offer amenities like a substantial continental breakfast and free wifi (there was no wifi back in the ‘80s :-) There are amazing food options in the new Blue Wall on the Campus Center concourse level. Previously an aged bar on campus, this has been totally redesigned as a state-​of-​the-​art «food court» with eye-​popping selections (a bakery, gelateria, Mexican and Asian stations, sushi, deli, pizza, salad bar, and much more (UMASS’s food service is among the most-​awarded for colleges and universities in the US!)
We stayed in a «pond view» room which offered a stunning (at least it was to me) view of the center of campus. The room was very clean, updated and well-​appointed. The bed was among the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in. The bathroom, which was on the small side making it difficult to close the door once inside, was updated and was serviceable. One small gripe is that they don’t provide bar soap in the shower, instead providing a tiny tube of body wash. I actually ran into the Hotel Manager, Rachelle Allen, during my stay (she could not have been more personable and lovely) and noted this to her. She indicated that this is done in an effort to economize and avoid waste. However, she said she would be happy to send up bar soap if requested.
This was a wonderful and very pleasant stay and it was great to be back on campus. I look forward to many more stays over the next four years!

The view of the campus and Pionner Valley from my window was just what I needed to relax. The rooms are quite clean and I appreciate their «Guests’ Cleaning Bill of Rights» which explained all that they do to prepare a room for guests. More hotels should take cleaning as seriously. The Campus Center concourse on the mall level has a wide variety of food, and the university’s dining services has been recognized as one of the best in the nation. I participated in an event in the Marriott Center located above the hotel. The food and service were top notch, and the view of the sunset over the valley was outstanding. The hotel is a short walk to the downtown area.

We stayed at Hotel UMass the day we moved our only daughter, a freshman into her dorm. It was nice to stay on campus because it gave us a feeling of being closer to her. Emotions aside, we enjoyed our stay. The way to enter the hotel (if arriving by car) is by parking in the garage. There is no street parking near the hotel as far we could see. Just follow the signs in the garage for Hotel UMass, which is on a lower level than where you enter the garage. Once in the building you will enter the Student Union building which houses restaurants, UMass store, etc. Go to the elevators and select «Hotel UMass lobby», level 3. Check-​in was easy and friendly. They offered free cookies, (get the chocolate mint), coffee, tea, water and had a free continental breakfast. The rooms were very nice but small. Bed was a little hard for my taste but the pillows were great. A/​C worked well. The room had a Keurig coffee maker. If you need a fridge, there is an additional charge but it was under $ 15.00. Sufficient enough. The hotel was booked but we heard no noise from the hallways or other rooms. The restaurants in the Student Union closed early because school had not officially opened. Not sure what time they normally close when school is in session. I know there is a pub but it wasn’t open. Room service was served until 9:00PM. Check out is a simple phone call to the front desk. We’ve already booked in advance for family weekend and when picking up and dropping our daughter off. UMass is a small city and it was great to stay on campus!

Rooms were nice. During business hours they have a doorman in the parking garage. We were here for a a lacrosse camp and it was very convenient to just walk to the fields. Great food downstairs for lunch. Lots is things close at 9pm or 10pm around town so plan ahead.
They had a generator test out last morning end the fire alarms went off and we had to «evacuate». We knew about the test from a note we got the night before. I know they have to test but I think they should have picked a better time. 7:30am was too early in the morning.

This is one of my few five stars. This is a 3 – 4 star hotel at best buy it is the best 3 – 4 star I have ever stayed at. Rooms tidy, beds comfy, pillow don’t smell, and bathrooms are clean. Elevators a bit old. Parking garage a bit confusing. Rooms net renovated. Quietest room I have ever stayed at. Ask for a fountain view.

We could not have been happier with the Hotel UMass (and the Newman Center, where we held our ceremony). Sarah Long and her team were consummate professionals, both in planning and execution. Signage all over the campus center was very helpful and welcoming. Very responsive to emails and accommodating with special requests like an early start time (4:00 PM), a local craft beer list, and some specific cheeses for cocktail hour. Sarah did an excellent job coordinating with our vendors, and everything went remarkably smoothly. I honestly can’t recall a single hiccup, and I’m VERY detail oriented, so this says a lot.
The price is really quite competitive compared with the rest of the region, so we were able to invite many more guests than anticipated. They gave us a nice discount on our room block, and wee willing to provide additional rooms at the same discount when the initial block was fully booked. Value for the price seems unparalleled, IMHO.
We were treated like royalty during our complimentary tasting, and were VERY impressed by the food. It scaled up beautifully for our 75 guests – perhaps even better than the private tasting! Many guests (including a CIA-​trained chef) said it was the best wedding fare they’ve ever tasted. I’ll reiterate that the beer list was awesome.
The views from the Hotel UMass ballroom are stunning, and the space itself is pretty classy (tasteful carpet and ceiling, modern lighting fixtures, nice upholstery on the chairs, etc). One possible drawback for some couples is that there is no accessible balcony, but we were quite happy to stay inside for the duration and enjoy the sweeping views of the valley.
We enjoyed a complimentary suite in the hotel on our wedding night. I had no idea the hotel was so nice – apparently they renovated recently. The complimentary continental breakfast is EXCELLENT. Our guests were very impressed by the array of local goods.

Stayed her for a regional conference at UMASS. Most concierges were their hospitality management students who were friendly and helpful. It was everything you would expect from a 3-​star hotel.

We stayed I’m the hotel following our wedding reception in the campus center. We reserved a block of rooms for family and members of the wedding party who lived out of the area. When we arrived the morning of wedding we learned the hotel and shorted our reservation by one room because they were also hosting a student event. Their explanation was people seldom use all the rooms they reserve. The ironic thing was the reservation they canceled was mine and my wife to be ’ s. In the end my parents ended up driving and hour and a half home so we could have a room. In retrospect we should have stayed some where else. We had to be up at 4:30am for our flight so we hoped to get four or so hours of sleep then sleep on the plane. The problem was the guests from the student event thought the hotel were the dorms and we loudly partying in the halls. It was just winding down when we left at 4:30am.
The rooms while very clean and well maintained are what you expect from a roadside motel but they charge prime rates.
Bottom line if you are looking to bring back the dorm experience this is the place if not I would look at the two higher end hotels on Route Nine in Hadley which know how to take care of professionals.

This brings back memories … they last time I was here, I was a senior in college and I just lost my housing and had no where to go. Luckily, every year, my mom would make a reservation here for herself so she could rest up before heading home after dropping me off.
Nice improvements! The rooms are very nice if not still on the small side, but I will take clean over size any day. If you have to be on campus early, I suggest staying here so you can just roll out and go. We had gone to dinner before we checked in and brought back leftovers but … there was no fridge. We looked everywhere because we were so sure there would be one but no. They have complimentary water in the room and they have continental breakfast which is decent.
The –1 star for check in … we got there about 10 pm and we waited but no one was at the desk (and a line was forming behind me). I finally ended up calling the hotel and saying could someone take care of the people at the front desk and they were right on it. Other than that, a good hotel experience.

So its redone, big deal? Yes big deal! Its super clean, the rooms are gorgeous and the staff is very helpful. Centrally located to everything you’ll need on campus and/​or in Amherst. I stay every year for a convention and I think each time that I go I look forward to being there. Also, the new berkshire dining hall is an added bonus. Great place, I look forward to being there this summer. PS, we got the presidential suite one year by accident, BALLLING! lol.

I stayed at the hotel in August 2012. When I checked out of the hotel, I unknowingly left behind an Under Armor sweatshirt on the bed. Housekeeping and laundry services claim they didn’t find it. How does a sweatshirt just disappear? Nice find for them, afterall it was an $ 80 sweatshirt. Thought this hotel staff would be a little more honest, being that they are all students majoring in hotel management, but I thought wrong. What started as a nice stay while I took a week long class for my job, turned out to be a bad experience. When I return next year for a class in the campus center, I likely will not stay at that hotel and instead will stay in town.

I can’t even believe I liked this place so much!!! Came here for a reunion with all my UMASS buddies and we rented the suite on the 6^th floor… they told me it was a king room with a kitchenette/​parlor attached… this place was perfect for our happy hour and still big enough to sleep four of us in total comfort! it had a fridge, micro and huge bar, all granite, two bathrooms, and was essentially two large connecting rooms. One was a kind bedroom and one had a sleep sofa and a bunch of comfy chairs. I think there was even an IPOD docking station (we brought our own speakers so I can’t be sure on that one) Anyway, This hotel used to be a dump when we went to school there decades ago but it is super nice now with great beds, (I wished the pillows were down), ultra modern bathrooms and all around great feel. It was pretty inexpensive too and included a hardy continental breakfast which I would rate as just average (the oatmeal wasn’t good and my friends said the coffee was just OK). Good Orange juice though! Right on campus which could not have been more fun!!! Stay here when you return to UMASS! completely worth it!

So the good: it’s in the middle of the UMass campus, so if you’re doing anything on-​campus, you’ll be centrally located; they have a free Continental breakfast (muffins, croissants, juice, fruit, yogurt, coffee, tea) every morning from 7−10am; the lobby feels NYC boutique — it’s chic and lovely; and the rooms are comfortable, clean, and modern.
The not great: The rooms are NYC size as well (fairly small); room service is from 3−9PM only so if you’re in need of a late night snack, you’ll have to go elsewhere; the building has a bit of the thin-​wall syndrome so you can definitely hear people shuffling up and down the hallways (luckily, I was there on a weeknight and it was fairly quiet).

This place was checked-​in for 1 thing at Zoomass while attending. It was for the mid-​week parties after exams and before the wait of huge parties on the weekend. Usually there are no one checking in on the weekdays so it is perfect to party on the weekends for smaller groups. Make sure you ask for the rooms at the end, especially if you want to turn up some music. Besides that, there is nothing special inside the room other then your standard needs.

Pretty cut-​and-​dry.
$ 189 + taxes for the room during Alumni Weekend.
Clean, modern bathroom with all the amenities.
Good-​sized closet, beds, and room overall.
Large flat-​screen TV with good channel lineup.
All the basics — armchair, desk, bedside tables, suitcase stand, etc.
Express checkout — awesome. You just call and say you’re leaving. Boom! Done.

$ 150 for room
$ 100 for UMass gear
Who knows how much on food
Getting all nostalgic — priceless

I much prefer staying here than the newer-​built hotels up in the town of Amherst. The central campus location of UMass Hotel Campus Center is not only the most convenient, it’s actually picturesque. They offer a view of the little pond and the trees in late autumn are particularly breathtaking — the entrance plaza stairs could even be called artistic.
UMass offers a reduced rate specific for students and their guests. They offer the most convenient location for walking to campus events at the Mullins Center and other facilities. They offer indoor swimming pool access. Would stay here again in a heartbeat. Although simple accommodations, it still makes for a very comfortable setting. Qualifies for my Best of the A10 list… no other hotel in Amherst or Springfield comes close to providing the same convenience or at-​home feeling.

flat screens, modern rooms, right on the campus, quality snacks, beautiful amherst.