Finding accommodation is one of the biggest challenges for students and young professionals who move to a new city. Historically, the majority of these people would have opted for some variation of PG (Paying Guest). However, due to evolving expectations, people today seek more than simply somewhere to stay; they also want their homes to be comfortable and safe, while providing easy access to other people and locations — all these things are driving demand for a new type of well-planned housing with physical design solutions.

Ahmedabad is no exception. With locations like CEPT University, Ahmedabad University, Gujarat University, H.L. College and St. Xavier’s College bringing in students from all over India, the need for good quality student accommodation is continuing to grow. COCO Living AU is meeting that need with their dedicated girls only co-living accommodation in Ahmedabad, which is designed to provide far superior accommodation than what can be found in a PG.

A New Perspective on Student Accommodation

Located in Navrangpura, COCO Living AU has been designed to cater to female students who come to Ahmedabad for education, internships and job opportunities. Rather than being a standard paying guest type accommodation, it has been created as a fully serviced co-living space to allow residents to live, study, work, socialise and develop their careers. The idea represents a larger change in how people prefer to live in urban housing. 

While many amenities offered by co-living spaces have become standard (eg. WiFi, gym, housekeeping, security, and an online app to access services), the differentiator is not what is on offer but rather how residents feel when living at a co-living community like COCO Living. 

Dhruv Ravani, Director of COCO Living, states that residents often mention feeling as though they belong somewhere and having a sense of peace of mind at COCO. In addition, students and young professionals who move away from their families to pursue educational and career opportunities typically do not have these feelings of belonging, support, and safety while transitioning out of their families and creating a new life for themselves. COCO Living does not consider itself as merely a rental accommodation provider and has intentionally created a community-first culture. 

Designed Around the Needs of Students

COCO Living believes in making their services student-centered. In this residence facility for students, furnished, air conditioned and serviced rooms are being offered to students for the pursuit of their studies, development of themselves and their career. Knowing what the needs of students who attend CEPT University and GLS are, the property also provides dedicated draft boards that support design, architecture, and creative coursework.

Amenities That Go Beyond Accommodation

COCO Living provides residents with convenient, comfortable living spaces equipped with a wide range of amenities to enhance modern student life.

Some of the amenities that residents have access to include:

• All residents will receive fully furnished rooms 
• Housekeeping services available seven days a week 
• Unlimited high-speed Wi-Fi 
• Security personnel on site 24/7 
• Biometric access system 
• Café located on the roof-top of the property 
• Multi-use activity room 
• Fitness center facilities 
• Unlimited tea/coffee available for onsite consumption 
• Employment assistance and support 
• Medical assistance and support 
• Opportunities for building relationships and networking 
• COCO resident only app 
  

Each resident is provided with four nutritious, homestyle meals per day with an emphasis on hygiene and nutrition (Jain meals are also available). One of COCO Living AU’s biggest assets is its location. The property is located in Navrangpura, which is one of the best locations for education and commerce in Ahmedabad, and gives easy access to the biggest colleges, universities, cafés, libraries and public transport systems. Students can get to their destination easily with the property’s excellent connectivity through the AMTS, BRTS and metro; daily travel to destinations is also quick using these forms of transport. 

Technology-Enabled Living Experience

Through the COCO app, COCO Living has brought technology into their everyday operations, enhancing the resident experience by providing a more connected and convenient environment. According to Dhruv Ravani, technology is equally important to COCO as it runs on its dedicated resident app. The app streamlines booking, rent payments, and several other aspects of daily living while also supporting other aspects of a resident’s stay such as maintenance requests, coordinating housekeeping, service updates and communicating directly with COCO’s management. As COCO moves forward, it sees the opportunity to expand the resident app into a more robust community-building tool. 

Future improvements will be aimed at allowing residents to communicate and get to know each other,  learn about upcoming events to participate in, to find out what activities are available, to have reliable recommendations for living in the area, and to build long-term relationships in their community. COCO sees the future of co-living as not simply digitising services but using technology to create stronger connections among fellow residents.

Building More Than Just Accommodation

Community is one of the co-living models distinctive features. Young adults who have moved away from their parents often face the challenges of adjusting to a new city, building relationships, and forming new friendships. COCO Living creates an environment that supports connecting with others in the same situation through social events, common/shared living spaces, activities and networking events to help form positive relationships in a supportive community.

The increased importance of community is prominent in the housing market for students as housing or accommodation is more frequently being perceived as part of their entire learning and work experience.

Flexible Room Options for Different Needs

COCO Living offers different room options based on different budgets and preferences. Currently available monthly leases are as follows: 

• Double Sharing = ₹25,000
• Premium Triple Sharing = ₹24,000
• Triple Sharing = ₹23,000
• Quad Sharing = ₹19,500
  

For many students and young professionals looking for girl-only student accommodation in Ahmedabad, this provides them with a solution to the traditional PG model – with modern day principles applied to a contemporary way of living.

From 240 Beds to a Scalable Platform

At the moment, COCO operates 240 beds in Navrangpura (Ahmedabad) and plans to pursue an aggressive expansion strategy focused on strengthening its presence in Ahmedabad. According to Dhruv Ravani, Ahmedabad has continued to provide abundant growth with its ongoing influx of students, young professionals, and relocated individuals from around the country to pursue education and find jobs. 

COCO’s top priority is to further expand its brand presence and become the most preferred and trusted premium co-living provider in Ahmedabad. After it has established its operating model and resident experience benchmark, the company intends to begin looking into developing properties in high demand education and job markets throughout the state of Gujarat, with a long-term view that includes expansion into other cities across India.

For Gujpreneur readers, COCO Living AU is a strong example of how new-age lifestyle and real-estate companies are transforming traditional categories through user-centric experiences, innovative design, and community-oriented living.