Journal
Metropolitan Journal of Engineering and Technology
Metropolitan Journal of Engineering and Technology
Volume 5, Issue 7 (July)
1 article
1
Design And Development Of An Automated Hostel Management Platform: A Case Study Of Hannah Hostel
Hostel management
automation
web application
booking system
database
Hannah Hostel
This project addressed the design and development of an automated hostel management platform, using Hannah Hostel as a case study. Many private hostels in Uganda still manage bookings, room allocation, tenant records, and payments manually, leading to double-booking, lost records, delayed payment reconciliation, and poor communication with residents. The main objective was to design, develop, and evaluate a web-based hostel management platform that automates booking, room allocation, billing, and tenant management. The study used a mixed-methods requirements investigation with 78 respondents (residents and staff) and adopted an iterative, prototype-based system development methodology. Data on existing challenges were gathered through questionnaires, interviews, and document review, then translated into functional and non-functional requirements. The system was built using a three-tier architecture with a relational database. Evaluation with users showed high acceptance: 88% rated the booking module easy to use, and task-completion time for room allocation fell from an average of 14 minutes manually to under 2 minutes on the platform. The study concluded that automation significantly improves accuracy, speed, and record integrity, and recommended mobile-money integration and a mobile application for wider access.