Back in the Stone Age, the best dorm I lived in was also the oldest. Rooms were HUGE. Built in closets and dressers, and very nice old woodwork. No cement blocks that were visible anyway.
My next college built 16 suite style dorms that opened in 1970. When I transferred there, I didn’t get to live in these…I lived in adjacent older traditional style dorm rooms. Well…fast forward to 2015. The school was in the process of tearing down the “new suite style dorms” and were renovating my two old traditional dorms. They had built new apartment style housing for grad and upper class students.
Honestly, I think it’s nice that these dorms are nice. It’s where the students live. And yes, I know the public places need to be nice too…but it’s nice to “go home” to decent lodging.