Hostella
A complete Property Management System for hostel owners and custodians — deployed and in active use.
The Problem
Hostel managers run operations on paper registers and WhatsApp messages. Partial payments, refunds, and room transfers are tracked manually and frequently inconsistent.
Value Proposition
Give administrators a single system to answer who is in which room, what they owe, and which beds are available — with a full audit trail for payments and refunds.
What We Built
A full-stack property management platform built around two core concepts: the Resident (a person who may stay multiple times) and the Stay (a single occupancy tied to a room, dates, and payment state). Administrators manage bookings, allocations, payments, refunds, inventory, and maintenance requests through a Django admin portal. Room status transitions automatically on check-in and checkout. Residents receive email notifications at key points via Brevo.
Key Features
Built for actual operations.
Returning residents keep profile and history across multiple stays.
Rooms move through Available, Occupied, Maintenance, and Reserved automatically.
Reservations captured and tracked from request through check-in and checkout.
Running balance against total due per stay — outstanding amounts always clear.
Admin-approved refunds with full audit trail before funds are marked returned.
Property inventory — furniture, appliances, supplies — logged and monitored per unit.
Issues logged, assigned, and tracked through resolution instead of getting lost in chat threads.
Automated booking, payment, and checkout emails via Brevo.
Built For
- Hostel operators
- Student accommodation providers
- Rental property administrators
Technology Stack
Built with a modern, production-ready stack ensuring scalability, security, and long-term maintainability.
A production property management platform for hostel owners and custodians.