High-end hostels are redefining the experience of living away from home

Many students move away from their homes to bigger towns and cities for higher education.Accommodation is a concern and hostels play a very important role in this phase of a student's life. To most of us, life in a hostel symbolises a tough phase with little amenities and almost no luxury. Modern hostels are trying to change this perception. Companies such as Your Space, Coho, Aarusha Homes, Bright Youth, Campus Student Communities and MSR Student Living are offering air-conditioned rooms with attached bathrooms, recreation areas, laundry and housekeeping services, and all meals — for as little as Rs 8,000 per month. There are 34 million higher education students in India, of which 76% (about 26.6 million) are living away from home. Most of these 26.6 million are concentrated in the metros of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru and in education hubs such as Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.