Almost every hostel and PG in India has the same thing at the gate: a notebook where the warden writes who went out and when. It works until it does not — a festival rush, a warden on leave, a parent calling at 11 PM asking where their child is. Chatsettu's Hostel Register keeps the same habit and puts it on a phone.
What the warden does
The warden opens the register on a phone or laptop, types a few letters of a student's name or their room number, taps the student, chooses why they are going (home, market, hospital, college, other) and when they will be back — tonight, tomorrow, in two or three days, or an exact date and time. When the student returns, one tap on “Back in hostel”. A wrong tap can be undone for a short while, and every change is kept with who made it.
What the owner sees
The owner sees how many students are inside, out and late, for every hostel, from anywhere. A student becomes “late” only after their own return time plus the grace minutes you set. When that happens you and that hostel's warden get an e-mail, and you also get a phone notification. You can switch on a short roll-call note every night. WhatsApp alerts are supported too: a short message with the number of late students (never names) goes to you and to wardens who agreed, and uses your WhatsApp alert credits.
Students asking from their own phone
If you switch it on, each hostel gets a link and a QR code for the gate. A student logs in with their mobile number and a 4-digit PIN you gave them and asks to go out. The warden sees the request and approves, declines or sends the student out. The student can see only their own status and trips, and cannot mark themselves back — that stays with the warden.
Holidays, several hostels and a mess
For Diwali or the end of exams, tick all the students and send them out together with one return date; mark them back together later. Boys' and girls' blocks (or different branches) are separate hostels, each with its own warden login that sees only that hostel. If you also use Chatsettu's meal check-in for a mess, students who are away are left out of that meal's count unless they said they will eat.
What it costs, and what it is not
The Hostel Register is a yearly add-on at ₹2,999 for your whole account — several hostels, wardens and students included. We switch it on for you, and you can ask for a free trial first. It is a record-keeping tool: it does not replace your roll calls or your hostel rules, and alerts depend on e-mail and phone delivery. Chatsettu never messages your students, and you choose whether out-in records are kept for 3, 6 or 12 months before they are deleted automatically.