While the Memorial Union may be home to the University Book Store, Gold Star Hall and the Zodiac, it is also home to the Hotel Memorial Union, which has been in existence since the MU opened in 1928.

When the Memorial Union first opened, the hotel only consisted of a single floor of rooms. Around the 1950s, those rooms were used as dormitories for female students. Today, the Hotel MU consists of 52 rooms, which makes up fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the building.

All rooms include high-speed Internet and cable TV, as well as a complimentary continental breakfast on the weekends.

Only 28 of the rooms are available as the College of Engineering has taken over the fourth floor of the hotel while Marston Hall, home of the college, undergoes renovations. Career Services and the dean’s office are leasing out the entire floor until they are relocated to Marston Hall in the summer of 2016.

“Sharing space with the College of Engineering fits in with our mission of supporting the Iowa State community,” said Corey Williamson, associate director of the Memorial Union. “We wanted to make sure we supported their needs.”

According to Memorial Union’s website, its mission is to “nurture common ground, enrich and sustain individual lives and to remember.”

Williamson said that sharing space also can cause difficulties, especially during the hotel’s busiest times of the year.

“We also host a lot of weddings, so it can be a challenge because for some parties, 28 rooms aren’t enough and don’t accommodate them,” Williamson said.

Laura Helmus, Hotel Memorial Union’s manager, said that the hotel’s busiest times of the year include football season, summer weekends and during orientation for new students.

Helmus said that the hotel’s occupancy rate has increased to 56 percent in this fiscal year, as opposed to 47 percent last year.

Although the rates vary depending on the day, guests can typically expect to pay about $89 for a single queen or double twin, $99 for a single king and $114 for two full-sized beds, which is what the hotel considers a suite.

Helmus said that from November to March when bad weather hits, she offers students and faculty who commute to campus a discount, so they do not have to drive in unsafe conditions.

A $5 discount is also extended to all ISU students and their families, as well as members of the ISU Alumni Association, ISU Extension and visiting staff from other Big 12 and Iowa universities and colleges.

“We have a very wide variety of clientele,” Helmus said. “We host lots of weddings, conventions, we house families for Dance Marathon, a lot of alumni, reunions and especially parents and visiting students.”

Helmus said that she believes there are four reasons why people should be a guest in the Hotel Memorial Union over other hotels in Ames: the location, to get a feel for student life, little commuting and the overall experience. She believes that if you are looking for a “cookie cutter hotel with lots of modern conveniences” that the Hotel Memorial Union is not the correct choice.

“We really are a central hotel location and it really gives a lot of alumni that on campus feel like back when they were in college,” Williamson said.

Williamson said he also believes the hotel’s rates give them another leg up on their competitors.

The Hotel Memorial Union has about 20 student employees of various majors who work either at the front desk or as part of the housekeeping staff.

Iowa State is not the only one with a hotel on a campus. The University of Iowa also has a hotel in its Memorial Union, called the Iowa House Hotel.

“[The hotel] is definitely a resource students can utilize,” Williamson said. “It’s a great place to go if you just need to study or get away from your current situation for a while.”

For more information on booking a room, contact the hotel’s front desk at 515-296-6846 or at [email protected].