If you are an international student still looking for a place to sleep in Eindhoven, you no longer need to knock on the door of The Student Hotel. The hotel’s student rooms are fully booked until next summer. Student Nadja Ikodinovic (21) from Serbia saw a room in the hotel pass by, for 900 euros a month. Without thinking, she booked for half a year. “My parents help pay for the stay. And I have part-time jobs.”
The housing shortage among international students in Eindhoven is great. Last week Omroep Brabant already wrote about students who are forced to stay in a tent in someone’s backyard. Or a student hopping from couch to couch. How different it is in The Student Hotel: the heart of Eindhoven with almost everything within walking distance.
Nadja is one of the 240 students who managed to get a place in the hotel. “I know that there is a housing crisis in Eindhoven, especially among students. For example, I know students who had to move to another city because they couldn’t find a room here. I couldn’t find anything at first either. Until I saw this. 900 euros is a lot of money, but this is better than having nowhere to go.”
“A friend paid a landlord, who turned out not to exist.”
Nadja studies International Business Consultancy at Fontys. She is happy that she has found shelter. “Many students have to deal with scams. A friend of mine paid a landlord who turned out not to exist at all. She paid 5,000 euros.”
Then Nadja is lucky, in the hotel. She can also use the launderette, gym and a communal kitchen. Students from a total of 41 nationalities reside there. “We often meet in the different rooms. We exercise together. Watch matches and movies.”
What is striking is that the communal kitchen is very clean, especially for students. “We have a cleaner twice a week. It is included in the price. Otherwise I wouldn’t have it,” she says with a laugh.
“We are full to the brim. You can’t get in there anymore.”
Sonny Biesmans is a hotel manager in Eindhoven. “We are full to the brim. You don’t interfere anymore. We also hear that housing is an issue here in the city.”
There are fifteen such hotels in Europe, including Barcelona, Paris and Berlin. “Eindhoven really stands out compared to other cities where we are active. The studies in this city are very popular, especially among internationals. As soon as the rooms become available here, we will be fully booked within four weeks. It goes very quickly.”
The students are allowed to live in the hotel for a maximum of one year. They pay 800 or 900 euros per month, depending on how long they stay. “Students pay for the room themselves or through family. International students can count on a scholarship.”
Opening another branch in Eindhoven would be a great solution to the student housing shortage. “We often get this question from the municipality and the university. We are not working on it now, but never say never.”
