Hostella
End-to-end hostel operations for modern campuses.
- Client
- Hostella
- Year
- 2025
- Role
- Product design & full-stack engineering
- Status
- Completed · Live
A full-stack hostel management platform that unifies room booking, fee collection, and student self-service, replacing fragmented spreadsheets and manual queues with a single, reliable system.
The challenge
University and private hostels were running on paper ledgers, WhatsApp threads, and ad-hoc payment tracking. Students queued for room assignments; administrators reconciled fees by hand. The client needed a trustworthy platform that could handle bookings, payments, and reporting without adding operational overhead.
- Fragmented booking and payment workflows across channels
- No single source of truth for room availability and occupancy
- Manual reconciliation of hostel fees and student records
- Limited visibility for students on booking status and payments
Our approach
We started with operational mapping; shadowing admin workflows and identifying the minimum viable path from inquiry to confirmed booking and paid fees. Architecture favoured a clear separation between the student-facing app and the admin console, with PostgreSQL as the system of record and Paystack for secure payments.
- Mapped admin and student journeys before writing production code
- Designed a role-aware data model for rooms, beds, and allocations
- Prioritised mobile-friendly flows for students on campus networks
- Integrated live chat support for onboarding and student enquiries
What we built
Hostella delivers a student portal for browsing availability, reserving rooms, and paying fees, alongside an admin dashboard for allocations, occupancy, and financial reporting. Real-time validation prevents double-booking; payment webhooks keep ledger state in sync.
- Room and bed inventory with live availability
- Secure online payments via Paystack
- Student booking history and receipt access
- Admin dashboards for occupancy and fee tracking
- Embedded support chat for student assistance
Outcomes
The platform replaced manual coordination with a single operational hub. Students complete bookings and payments independently; administrators gain accurate occupancy and revenue visibility from day one.
- Streamlined end-to-end booking and payment flow
- Reduced admin time spent on manual reconciliation
- Improved student experience with transparent status updates
- Scalable foundation for additional hostels and campuses
Screens & surfaces.
Key views from the project.
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