A small number of University of Maryland students have found an unusual solution to the coronavirus pandemic: Renting rooms at nearby hotels instead of staying in dorms.

The Hotel at the University of Maryland and the Cambria Hotel told CNBC recently that they have rented out rooms to about a dozen students for at least 60 days during the fall semester.

When that time is up, the students have an option to stay an additional 30 days or leave.

The living arrangement has a few advantages: It fills hotel rooms left empty by the downturn in travel, it gives students a less crowded housing option that is professionally cleaned regularly and it’s more flexible than traditional dorms and off-campus housing.

Jeff Brainard, vice president of sales and marketing for Southern Management Corporation, said that costs vary according to the room and the frequency of services like cleaning but the range is from $1,700 to $2,000 per month.

Other students who signed leases for housing in the fall semester before the pandemic moved many classes online are now finding that they are stuck with the contract.