Accommodations
Written by: Stephanie Coolen
If you've always wanted to study abroad but the thought of having to share a shower with every tenant staying on your floor has held you back then there are some new developments in the accommodations industry that you will be happy to hear about.
UniLodge is the largest provider of student accommodations in Australasia, providing accommodations for over 3000 students in 5 locations each year. "I think there's been quite a lot of growth in the diversity of accommodations students require," says Marion Moore, Group Marketing Manager of UniLodge, Australasia.
"The traditional model of student housing in Australia was the residential halls where students had their own rooms, shared a bathroom and went down to the main dining room for meals. Many campuses still provide that but there's a lot of students who want to be more independent."
"Now companies like UniLodge, provide students with accommodations that allow for an independent lifestyle with the security of a hotel with residential advisors," says Moore. "They can virtually come and go as they please. As long as they don't disturb other people they're treated as adults. There are secure locks on every apartment door."
Most of the UniLodge properties have a self-contained kitchen, a bathroom, and offer studios, one, two, three or four bedroom suites. Students share a living room and dining room but have individual bedrooms.
"The other thing that UniLodge provides," adds Moore, "is common areas for students to just hang out so that they've got somewhere they can go to relax. There's also a lounge area, a gym, pool, sauna and an outdoor area."
Don DeGrazia, a student of Rutgers University in New Jersey who stayed at UniLodge in Brisbane appreciated the access to these type of facilities. "When I wanted to just kick back and relax I hung out with my mates in the lounge, pool and sauna area."
Adds DeGrazia, "Not only are the facilities at UniLodge great but staying there gives you the opportunity to meet different people from all around the world. I met good mates not only from Australia, but from the western states of the US, England, Singapore, and Malaysia."
"A lot of the residential staff are young and can really relate to the students staying at UniLodge. We organize quite a few social events and the last thing we want is for students to feel they're isolated and not making friends," says Moore. "Each of our properties has someone who lives on-site so there is always someone a student can go to in an emergency or to get advice."
"One of the best things about UniLodge," adds DeGrazia, "is that it's located right in the city, so it was easy for me to enjoy the city's night life, and get public transportation."
"Our high-rise buildings are usually right downtown so students can participate in social events on the weekend or during the week they can do so easily without traveling long distances. Also if they're studying at a university that isn't near the center of the city then they're close to transportation to get them there," says Moore.
Admits Moore, "We really understand what students want and need, and we work very closely with the universities at which our students are studying."
For further information visit the booking section on www.UniLodge.com.au
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