Ross Hall is being renovated for the new boutique hotel. Photo by Lauren Jindrich.
AIDAN GREGG | SENIOR EDITOR | [email protected]
After two years of disuse, Ross Hall will reopen its doors as a boutique hotel in the 2026-2027 academic year. After the restoration workThe university and Hilton plan to begin construction on the hotel in spring 2025.
The hotel – developed in partnership with Hilton Curio Collection — will feature 105 rooms and suites, a restaurant and meeting rooms. This will be the Curio Collection’s first hotel in Indiana. The boutique hotel concept took shape in 2022 as the “Bulldog Hotel” and was to be built on the site of the former Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house.
Although the dormitory was officially closed in 2019, it remained in operation from 2020 to 2022 as Accommodation for students suffering from COVID-19In the years before the dormitory closed various maintenance problems plagued the building and eventually led to it no longer being used for long-term housing. In 2023, the university announced plans to demolish Ross Hall, which will now no longer take place.
The hotel is developed and operated by Purpose Accommodation under the Hilton Curio Collection brand. Purpose Lodging covers the construction costs, while Butler provides the land.
University President Jim Danko hopes that the renovation of Ross Hall into a hotel will enhance the university’s reputation and attract students to campus.
“These are more steps to becoming a more and more first-class school, a quality institution where you have amenities like a hotel,” Danko said. “(The goal) with all of these measures is really to have more action on campus, higher quality things, amenities that make it an attractive university for students.”
The introduction of a hotel on campus is part of the Gateway project. The goals of this project include proposals for an additional parking structure behind Ross Hall and Sigma Chi, a new house for university presidents and Residential buildings for juniors, seniors and recent alumni. According to the university, the Gateway Project aims to “create a vibrant, connected community between Butler University and Midtown Indianapolis.” Butler will use a $22.5 million grant to fund part of the Gateway Project.
Danko believes the boutique hotel will attract many people who want to come to campus for shows at Clowes Memorial Hall, sports competitions and other campus events.
“I don’t see this as a cheap university hotel that meets all the needs of the university,” Danko said. “I see it as a hotel that meets broader needs, a nicer hotel that attracts certain people here on campus. So it’s more of a nice hotel on a university campus rather than a university hotel that’s meant to serve the community.”
Although he admitted that it is difficult to estimate prices several years in advance, Danko estimated the cost of a stay at the hotel to be about the same as Ironworks And Bottleworks – two hotels in Indianapolis. The price per night for a stay at one of these hotels is typically between $200 and $400 before taxes, with the cheapest rooms costing just under $200 and the most expensive over $1,000.
When plans for the hotel were announced, some students at the university shared their thoughts on Instagram. Logan Goettemoeller, a junior majoring in music industry and English, is one of those students who expressed concerns about who exactly the hotel will serve.
“(The hotel) encourages students with greater financial privilege to give their families the opportunity to stay on campus and eat at a fancy restaurant,” Goettemoeller said. “It adds value to the campus because they have more money and more wealth – whereas I, as someone who comes from a small town, don’t know if my family could afford to stay at this hotel.”
Former students have expressed similar concerns. Class of 2023 graduate Owen Madrigal was one of the last students to live full-time in Ross Hall in 2019. Madrigal acknowledged that Ross Hall had many problems toward the end of its use, but was saddened to hear that it would be demolished. However, he does not like the idea of the hotel and has no plans to live there in the future.
“I couldn’t afford (to stay at the hotel) even if I wanted to,” Madrigal said. “I was part of the last generation of Ross Hall, a legacy I carry with great pride, but it’s frustrating to see how little it was taken care of until Butler saw the opportunity to make money.”
In addition to revenue from attendees at Butler events, the university also expects to make some profit from hotel guests. However, the hotel must reach a certain break-even point before the university receives any revenue.
Elizabeth Reed, a final-year accounting student, is skeptical about the university’s business model regarding the hotel.
“Maybe Butler is doing it because of the money that comes from the collaboration, not from the mindset of, ‘Let’s do something to give alumni or parents a place to stay on campus,’ but because of the money that the collaboration brings to the campus.”
Despite the financial concerns, the students were interested in the opportunity to work at the hotel. Eleanor Waiss, a final year maths and actuarial studies student, believes the hotel will provide job opportunities and income for the butler students.
“There is a shortage of jobs in the area,” Waiss said. “So I think if the Ross Hall Hotel can provide that employment opportunity for students, it would be a huge blessing.”
During the university discussions about the hotel, the possibility of employing students in the hotel and restaurant was also discussed.
In addition, the question was raised as to whether a hotel would be the best use of the Ross Hall site.
“They still have trouble getting space on campus because they lack some options, like affordable food,” Madrigal said. “Since the building was vacant, I’ve heard of at least 20 better uses for the property than a boutique hotel.”
However, some students were also concerned about the potential increase in traffic on campus. Waiss said she feared that more visitors to campus and more events would exacerbate existing traffic problems.
“We’re in a heavily built-up area and the campus as a whole is relatively inaccessible,” Waiss said. “The traffic flow on Clarendon, the traffic flow on West Hampton, the traffic flow on Sunset is already pretty bad during events and I can only imagine it getting worse if it’s not managed properly.”
Although the goal of the Gateway Project is to increase safety on campus and in the community, Goettemoeller added that increased traffic poses a potential safety risk, especially at night and on streets with heavy pedestrian traffic. Waiss agreed, saying that loading more people onto campus could pose a safety risk.
Danko sought to reassure students that the hotel would not worsen traffic on campus. He said the university plans to renovate West Hampton Drive before the hotel is completed, which would relocate curbside parking elsewhere, ideally to the planned new parking garage.
“After the hotel is built and all the cars are out of Hampton, the traffic flow is much better than it’s ever been,” Danko said. “In fact, I expect it to be much safer and the traffic flow on campus to be much smoother.”
The university will continue to work with the city of Indianapolis to fund road construction. Other proposed security measures include relocating and expanding the Butler University Police Department.
To address students’ general concerns about the upcoming hotel project, Danko encouraged them to think about the long-term impact of the renovations.
“When you add value to your university, the value of your degree goes up,” Danko said. “So people may not understand, ‘Does a hotel directly benefit me? I wish they would build a pizza place or Dunkin’ Donuts.’ What we’re trying to do is increase the value and quality of Butler University.”
Goettemoeller is aware of the potential benefits for future students and the value of his degree, but he believes this addition will not significantly impact his experience at Butler.
“When I apply for a job … they might say, ‘Oh yeah, Butler, that’s a nice campus,'” Goettemoeller said. “But in terms of actually contributing to my education, once I feel like I’ve graduated, it really doesn’t do anything for me.”
Ultimately, students cited the lack of adequate communication, student participation and transparency as their biggest concerns regarding the hotel announcement.
“We – the campus community – are, in my view, just frustrated with the communication on this issue,” Waiss said. “It seems like the students’ voices have not been heard at all. It seems like the matter is a done deal and there is nothing we can do about it.”
The Butler Collegian will continue to investigate and report on this story..
