Purdue’s Aspire living complex provides room options for fans, visitors through Airbnb

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Boilermaker fans and other visitors to West Lafayette and campus have new booking options: rooms in the just-opened Aspire at Discovery Park complex.

Purdue Research Foundation has now made studio apartments at the living complex available through Airbnb. The move comes as Purdue’s Union Club Hotel, the 90-year-old hotel attached to the Purdue Memorial Union, is closed for a year’s worth of renovations.

“We think this is a good solution for fans and visitors who may be looking for a place to stay in the greater Lafayette area rooms,” said Rich Michal, vice president and chief facilities officer for the Purdue Research Foundation.

The Aspire facility includes the Crave Food Hall, an 8,000-square-foot cuisine court with nine different food stations and free surface parking. It is the only Airbnb option on campus during the renovation of the Purdue Memorial Union.

The Research Foundation is leading the development of Pudue’s Discovery Park District, a live-work-play concept on the west side of campus that includes the Aspire student housing complex. Aspire at Discovery Park is the first apartment community on the Purdue campus to feature tech-centric living with an integrated smart home experience for students and residents to meet the growing demand for technology-driven, connected living spaces in the higher education arena.

It is the first development in the $1 billion-plus Discovery Park District, a 450-acre district that will feature 7 million square feet of office and business spaces, housing, parks with trails, research facilities and industrial and manufacturing facilities.

Discovery Park District’s construction plan will take place over a 15- to 20-year period and is a partnership between Purdue Research Foundation and Browning Investments LLC.

The district supports the $120 million State Street Redevelopment Project jointly developed by the city of West Lafayette and Purdue. The project stretches from the Wabash River through downtown West Lafayette, Purdue’s campus and Discovery Park District to State Street’s intersection with U.S. 231.

About Purdue Research Foundation         

The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts, administers trusts, funds scholarships and grants, acquires property, protects Purdue's intellectual property and promotes entrepreneurial activities on behalf of Purdue. The foundation manages the Purdue Foundry, Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization, Purdue Research Park and Purdue Technology Centers.

Media contact: Chris Adam, 765-588-3341, cladam@prf.org