Page 27 - StudyTravel Magazine July/August 2021 Issue

ACCommodAtIon

updAte

speCIAl report

The student accommodation sector in key
markets continued to operate throughout the
Covid-19 pandemic. Although challenging, this
period gave providers the opportunity to
review business and implement some changes,
as Nicola Hancox finds out.

lAnguAge secondAry tertiAry AssociAted

Photos top 2: GEC Living
Photos middle 3: Londonist
Photos bottom 2: Spotahome

s Covid-19 became a global student bookings pre-Covid, relates
pandemic in early 2020 the Michele da Silva at Britannia Students
Astudent accommodation market, Services www.britanniastudents.
like many others, braced itself for com, another UK-based provider of
cancelled bookings and a nose dive in accommodation. “The pandemic and
consumer demand. the response to it has had a serious
Hosts International www.hosts- impact on bookings since lockdown
international.com, which provides commenced in March 2020. Until quite
homestay accommodation in recently, bookings decreased by 60
20 locations across the UK and per cent over the 12 months to April
Ireland, experienced its first wave 2021,” she relates.
of cancellations in group and junior While bookings decreased early on
bookings from primary source China in the pandemic, UK-bound students
back in winter 2019/20, confirms soon began to book again, observes
General Manager, Harsha Shivdasani. Umang Gandecha, Head of Sales at
Cancellations continued well into the student accommodation agency
group season (March/April), before Londonist www.londonist.co.uk.
eating into summer bookings. Indeed, the UK’s student travel
She continues, “There have been window enabled international
some signs of recovery from lost students to enter the country
ground since September with a throughout the pandemic – unlike
few more long-stay students and other major education destinations
quarantine bookings, but primarily – provided students complied with
we would say we would have seen a all government entry requirements
drop of about 90 per cent in our total including pre-departure testing.
student accommodation bookings.” “As time passed and there was
Bookings over the last 18 months a greater understanding of the
have been in no way comparable to pandemic, our bookings increased,”

24 STUDYTRAVEl MAGAzINE