September is upon us once again, which means that the summer is soon to be but a memory. But while most of us would consider September to be an autumnal month, Cambridge has a different tradition. In Cambridge, September is still part of the summer. Something that we at the Varsity Hotel Cambridge with our iconic open air Roof Terrace can certainly get behind.
September is Summer?
At first glance this assertion might seem…a little odd. September is clearly when the weather starts to change, the temperature falls and autumn begins. All true. But in Cambridge summer is more of a cultural aspect of the city rather than strictly a question of weather. Besides, as any Englishman can tell you, just because the sun is supposed to be shining brightly in July doesn’t mean it will.
For Cambridge is a small city relative to the size of the University and the sheer number of students that flood into it during term time. We’re talking 15,000 students. That’s a 10-15% increase in total population. But which also tends to be concentrated into the city centre to a large degree.
In other words, the presence or absence of students has an even greater impact on the nature of the city than any change in weather can. And the new academic year doesn’t begin until October, making the city in September feel like it does in July and August.
Empty Colleges?
But this does raise the question about what happens to all those empty Colleges during the summer. The streets themselves tend to fill up with a combination of tourists and English language students. But what of the echoing quads, the spacious gardens and the student accommodation in the centre of town?
For some of the Colleges, they are tourist destinations par excellence already. So they take the opportunity to more fully open up to tourists in a way they simply can’t during term time. This applies to many of the older and more centrally located Colleges such as Trinity, King’s and St. John’s. And some will also offer up their spacious grounds for events such as the annual outdoor Shakespeare Festival.
But there’s also one key answer: conferences. The Colleges each have a large number of rooms designed for simple, single occupancy. Plus a large number of rooms, great and small for meetings and presentations of all sizes. Ideal for conferences.
However, the downside is that the Colleges are only available for conferences, business meetings or other getaways during the summer. But there’s another venue also ideal for conferences open all year round – The Varsity Hotel.
Whether you’re looking to have a small department size meeting/team bonding event or a full scale company wide conference, the Varsity Hotel has what you need. Plenty of rooms large and small for meetings and presentations. Two restaurants, a Spa/Gym and an incredible Roof Terrace. Available all year round.
