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A student of Government Titumir College and part-time jobholder, Limon used to stay at a traditional mess in the city’s Kazipara area as he didn’t find any better accommodation elsewhere at relatively lower rent.
During his stay there, he also had to grapple with various problems like unhygienic mess environment and insecurity.
Even though the 24-year-old student could not concentrate on his studies before his exam due to sound pollution in residential neighbourhood, his mess owner ignored his complaints.
“I was trying to find better accommodation and peaceful environment,” Limon said while talking to the FE recently. “I often went out for meal as my cook remained absent for a day or two a week.”
“It was time-consuming. It also cost me much for having meals at restaurant,” he added.
But things have changed significantly as he has finally found a super hostel to live well in this overpopulated city.
Super hostel called New York-7, located at Badda area, provides him with all the comforts.
Limon first contacted the hostel management and later started living there since September 2019 after he came to know about the super hostel, founded by Zhang Zhimin and run by a Chinese company, through Facebook.
“As a student, it is great opportunity for me to live in a congenial and cosy atmosphere as conventional and traditional messes do not have such facilities,” he said.
Jannatul Naim Shaolin, a student of Bangladesh University of Business & Technology, said, "I have been staying at super hostel for nearly one year. The management and security here are well-ordered.”
“No other conventional mess or hostel or even house cannot match services super hostel provides with,” she continued.
There are six branches of super hostel in the city. New York-4, a branch only for female, is located at Mirpur. Five other branches for male are at Uttara, Mirpur, Badda, Baridhara and Shahbagh.
Zhang Zhimin, chief operating officer of Neways International, said he along with his friend Nelson Zhang, also managing director of the company, founded super hostel.
Full investment of Neways International Company Ltd in super hostel came from China, he said in an interview with the FE at his Nikunja office recently.
“I came to Dhaka in 2014 to meet my friend. I found unhygienic atmosphere while visiting a mess of the employees of my friend’s company,” Mr Zhimin said.
Then I came up with an idea of establishing super hostel and started running two pilot projects–one in city’s Kathalbagan and other in Aftabnagar in 2014, he said.
Neways launched its first super hostel known New York-3 at Uttara in October 2017.
“We are providing 25 plus services at Tk 233. Life is hassle-free here,” the COO said.
Some 235 employees work at the company. Of them, only four are Chinese citizens. Foolproof security has been ensured for female students and singles, he added.
Services include three-time meal, AC room, personal locker, luxurious lobby, laundry, hairdryer, gym facilities and washing machine.
To ensure security, there are fingerprint machine, CCTV camera, generator, fire extinguisher and security guard for 24 hours.
Nowshin Tassum Anisha, a resident of New York 4 at Mirpur said, “It is my second home as the environment here is congenial and relationship with people here is very amicable.”
The management is taking care of them and the residents of super hostel hold musical night and cultural programmes on different occasions, she added.
Firoz, a 34-year-old businessman, said anyone can stay in this hostel and enjoy facilities provided by the management.
“The management always is helpful to our complaints and required demands,” he said.
Talking to the FE, Rakibur Rahman, branch-in-charge of New York-7 located at Badda, said every month cultural night and other programmes are arranged to entertain the residents of super hostels.
There are three categories of service--standard, business and first class--for single people, he said.
The company has plans to build 100 such branches in Dhaka by 2024. By establishing 100 branches, they want to deal with three major problems: traffic jam, bachelors’ accommodation crisis and unemployment, he mentioned.
The Chinese company has plans to build super villa under its next project, but it has no plan to set up branches outside Dhaka city, he added.
The company has fixed Tk 7,999 for business class and Tk 6,999 for standard class per month.