Wollongong's Ibis hotel will be officially relaunched as Marketview today.Marketview, named for its Market St vista, has been acquired by the University of Wollongong to help meet an acute shortage of student accommodation.It will cater specifically to domestic and overseas students.Vice-Chancellor Professor Gerard Sutton, who will launch the rebranded hotel, said the students would start moving in from February, at the start of the 2012 academic year.Until then, the 144-place hotel would be open for general visitor bookings, to capitalise on the summer holiday market."UOW is conscious that Wollongong is an important holiday destination for visitors and it will continue working with Wollongong City Council and the Wollongong Tourism Board to promote the city's attractions," Prof Sutton said."For this reason, we took a strategic decision to continue to operate this facility as a hotel in the summer months."Prof Sutton said the university was also conscious the site, which is owned by the Anglican Church, had heritage significance."The magnificent buildings are recognised by the NSW Heritage Council as the core components of the Market Street Conservation Area," he said."The 'Church on the Hill' has a long history at the heart of the Wollongong City, dating back to 1834, when the Market St square was reserved for the church."Nigel Pennington, general manager of Accommodation Services at UOW, said Marketview would be open for business from next Wednesday, December 14, and was taking bookings for December and January.Bookings can be made by contacting 4252 8242 or email marketview@uow.edu.au and see www.marketviewaccommodation.com.au.