Lounge and BBQ Pit Reservation

General Shared Use without reservation

24th Floor Lounge: The lounge is open to Tang Hall residents without any reservations for shared use unless the lounge is reserved for a private resident party or for an official Tang Hall function beforehand. The lounge is often used for quiet study during the week (Mon-Thurs), and we ask residents to maintain a library-quiet atmosphere when others are using the space for that purpose. On weekends (Fri-Sun), the lounge is often used more socially (e.g., for board games or small meetings of friends), and we ask residents to maintain conversational levels that allow groups to comfortably maintain similar conversational levels at neighboring tables or spaces.

Current THRA and private reservations (Fri-Sun only) can be seen on the reservations calendar.

When is a reservation required?

Reservations are required in advance in the following cases.

  • The party using the lounge is a group of 9+ people.
  • The usage of the lounge is not compatible with sharing the space.

Note that alcohol is NOT permitted in the 24th floor lounge at anytime.

BBQ Pits: Any usage of Tang Hall BBQ pits require reservation.

Who can reserve the lounge?

  • 24th Floor Lounge: Tang residents only. Westgate residents are only allowed to reserve the BBQ pits.
  • BBQ Pits: Tang residents (free) and Westgate residents ($40).

When can the space be reserved?

  • 24th Floor Lounge: Generally, for periods up to 5 hours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays excluding Holidays, during non-quiet hours. Private reservations of the 24th Floor Lounge are not allowed on Monday-Thursday.
  • BBQ Pits: Flexible outside of quiet hours.
  • Please note that the THRA may decline additional reservation requests during periods of high demand to ensure that the general community has reasonable access to the lounge over the weekend.

What are the rules for reservations?

  • Reservation requests must be submitted at least 4 days before the proposed event.
  • Maximum duration is 5 hours including setup and clean-up.
  • Maximum 25 people are allowed in the 24th floor lounge.
  • Private groups only. Events with an “open invitation” to more than 25 people are not allowed (with the exception of official Tang Hall sponsored events).
  • No alcohol in the 24th floor lounge.
  • No smoking anywhere in or near Tang Hall including the lawns.
  • Noise levels – 24th floor lounge: The noise stays in the room. BBQ pits: Be respectful to neighbors in apartments above.
  • Clean the lounge or lawn before your reserved time ends – nothing broken, no mess.
  • Be prompt – include clean-up time and depart afterward.
  • Monitor – the reserving resident must be present and is responsible for guest behavior.
  • Your guests are not to congregate in the hallway in front of the 24th floor lounge.
  • In case of lounge reservation, please post a sign on the lounge door 2 to 24 hours before the event. The post should notify others that the lounge is reserved and not available for shared use during your reserved slot. Remove the sign after the event.

In general, be respectful of your fellow residents and the property. Fines may be assessed for non-compliance or damage (see Additional Rules).

How can the lounge be reserved?

Check that the desired time is available. See reservations calendar.

To reserve the 24th floor lounge or the BBQ Pit, send an email to tang-scheduling-chair@mit.edu with the following information:

  • Tang Apartment Number of requester (Host):
  • Host US phone number: 
  • Purpose of event: 
  • Date of event (must be 4+ days from request date):
  • Day of the week (must be Fri, Sat, or Sun): 
  • Time of event (including setup and clean-up, <= 5 hrs): 
  • Expected number of guests (no more than 25): 
  • Event affiliation with another MIT group, if any: 
  • Will there be non-MIT attendees?  If yes, how many?:
  • Confirmation that it is private group (no open invitation): 
  • Acknowledgement that alcohol not allowed:

The reservation is not approved until the Scheduler confirms the details and sends a Confirmation email.

If you do not receive any response within two days of filling out the form, email tang-scheduling-chair [AT] mit [DOT] edu.

Want to cancel your reservation? Email tang-scheduling-chair [AT] mit [DOT] edu.

Additional rules

  • Non-compliance: Fines of up to $100 each may be charged to the reserving resident for non-compliance with EACH of the rules.
  • The reserving resident may additionally be charged for damage to the property.  If property is damaged upon arrival, reservation holders are encouraged to document the damage at the time of arrival and notify tang-scheduling-chair@mit.edu to avoid charges.
  • Persons may be fined for using common areas without a reservation if a reservation would typically be needed (e.g., 9+ people)
  • Under extreme circumstances, reservations may be revoked by the Heads of House, House Manager or the THRA without prior notice.
  • Tang Hall is not responsible for any injuries that may occur during the event.

Other Notes

  • Why are private reservations not allowed on Monday through Thursday?
    • Tang Hall is unfortunately quite limited in its common space–the 24th floor lounge is the only common space with tables suitable for studying and eating, and with a microwave. Private reservations are not allowed on Monday through Thursday so that any residents who wish to study, eat with guests, use the microwave, get coffee, or socialize quietly (e.g., play board games, converse) know with certainty that they can use the space. The space is reserved for common use on these days, with a focus on ensuring that 300+ residents in the dorm have access to a quiet place to study if they need it.
  • Why are reservation requests due 4 days before the proposed event?
    • The 4+ days lead time allows the scheduling team adequate time to get any necessary approvals behind the scenes and respond to the requester, ideally well in advance of the proposed event in case the request cannot be approved for any reason. The lead time also allows 300+ residents of the dorm to know ahead of time (via the calendar) whether the space will be open for common use or not, in case they had plans to use the space in a way that does not require a reservation.
  • What is a “private group” versus “open invitation”?
    • In the context of Tang Hall reservations, a “private group” is a group where invitations are extended to a limited number of people and the attendee list (no more than 25) is fixed in advance. In contrast, an “open invitation” might be sent to a large mailing list to advertise an event, or might allow invitees to share the invitation with others (e.g., “come join us!”, “bring your friends!”), without an RSVP to register participants within the capacity limit.
  • Why are “open invitations” not allowed?
    • “Open invitations” are not allowed in the 24th Floor Lounge to protect the security of Tang Hall and ensure that capacity limits are not exceeded. Regarding security, the host is responsible for the behavior of all guests, and should be aware of who those guests are when bringing them into the building. Regarding capacity, even if 20-25 is the typical attendance number for similar events with “open invitations”, expecting a certain number of attendees is not the same as ensuring it. Hosts are therefore required to coordinate or advertise their events in the 24th Floor Lounge such that the host knows the expected attendee list (no more than 25) in advance, whether through limiting the total number of invitations or via an RSVP list managed by the host.