We last wrote about accommodation solutions for young professionals working in Fort Bonifacio in early 2015 in this article. The need for weekday accommodations in Fort Bonifacio by people who work here but have permanent home somewhere else has become more pressing, what with the worsening traffic condition and recent completion of more corporate offices in the center of Bonifacio Global City. We have therefore revisited the topic, and found two new places that cater to young professionals working in Fort Bonifacio.
Update in April 2017: a new dorm, called iDorm @ The Fort has opened in Escuela Street, near Kalayaan Avenue. We have not visited it, but you can find their details by visiting their Facebook page @iDormph.
BGC Hostel and Dorm
Location: Danlig Street corner EDSA, Makati City
Tel.: (02) 822 7514
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The exterior of BGC Hostel and Dorm. Photo provided by BGC Hostel and Dorm. 
This location in Makati is the first branch of BGC Hostel and Dorm, and it opened its doors in October 2015. Since then, the company opened a branch in Manila and another in Quezon City. According to the manager, “BGC” in the name of the establishment stands for “Be at your Greatest Comfort,” and it does seem that the owner has put in a lot of efforts to make sure this is really the case.
The hostel has a cheerfully decorated reception area at the entrance of the building. It has 54 beds, half belong to hostel-type rooms, and the rest are dorm-type beds.
Hostel beds are in rooms that are air-conditioned as long as someone is there. Each hostel room has either 4, 8, 12 or 16 beds, in bunk beds. Each bed is provided with curtains, lining and a lamp. It costs P499 per day, or P9,000 per month. There are three hostel rooms on each floor, and each floor has separate shower rooms and toilets.
Dormitory rooms are air-conditioned only from 9pm to 5am, and renters have to bring their own bedding and curtain. Only female renters are allowed in the dormitories. It costs P4,000 per month to rent a dormitory bed. 
BGC Hostel’s hostel-type room. Curtains, locker, light, towels, electric outlets and beddings are provided,┬áand the room is always air-conditioned.
There are no additional utility bills to pay. Common facilities are well-decorated lounges and free Wi-Fi, which is very important for young professionals nowadays. You do not need TV sets, but you need Wi-Fi to get your entertainment.
BGC Hostel has two chic lounge areas for its tenants and visitors to use.
While cooking is not allowed in the rooms, the hostel has microwave oven, oven toaster, utensils, drinking water and mini-refrigerator in the lounge area for sharing by tenants.
In terms of security, the receptionist is there to screen visitors. Each room has an electronic key card to control access and CCTV in common areas. Its location is also quite convenient. It is a 12-minute walk from the center of Bonifacio Global City.
MyTown 
Main office: 1224 Kalayaan Avenue Brgy. Guadalupe Nuevo Makati City
Tel.: (02) 738 8640
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MyTown is a brand for the dormitory style rental properties owned by Philippines Urban Living Solutions, Incorporated (PULS). We first visited PULS’s office in 2015. Since then, they have finished their flagship project, MyTown New York, located at the corner of E. Jacinto and Capas Streets in Guadalupe Nuevo. We went there in early January 2017 and were floored by the high standard of amenities that they provide. They have a rooftop 20-meter swimming pool (shown in featured photo), a theater, a gym and a very large canteen/lounge area. We were told that 70% of the beds are already rented out, and of the available beds, half are in 4-bed rooms, and half in 2-bed rooms. The rent for a bed in a 4-bed room is P4,800, exclusive of electricity and water. Each room has its own electricity and water meters. If you want to use the amenities, you only need to pay an extra P560 per month.
The size of each room is about 10 square meters, be it a 2-bed or 4-bed room. In a 2-bed room, there are desks for the tenants to use, while no desk is available in a 4-bed room. Each room has its own shower and toilet. Wi-Fi is provided in the rooms and the common areas.
MyTown’s 4-bed room.
Apart from the amenities, the benefits of staying in MyTown units are: the high level of security (tap card is needed to use operate the lift and enter a room, and CCTV is installed in all common areas) and the chic design of the whole place. The room and bed are well equipped, with as much privacy as is possible in a shared space. The downsides are: the contract term is at least 12 months, and when everything is added, it is more expensive than other dormitories. Many of MyTown’s clients are corporations who rent for their staff on short visits. Even with the higher rent, the units are still a lot cheaper than hotels, which some companies may feel compelled to rent for their staff to maintain corporate image.
Including MyTown New York, PULS currently has 1,000 beds in operation, distributed among 5 properties. It is building 8 more dormitories that will offer an additional 5,000 beds when they are all completed by 2018. From the map provided in MyTown’s website, we can see that a lot of the new developments underway are in the Kalayaan Flyover area. Maybe that area could be called “MyTown town”!
Map of all PULS developments in the outskirt of Bonifacio Global City. “E” is the location of MyTown New York. “A” is MyTown Paris, “C” is MyTown London. These are completed buildings. Others are under construction. Source: www.mytown.ph
We learned from press reports that┬áCalifornia-based Franklin Templeton Investments, one of the largest asset management firms in the world, has made a private equity investment in PULS. Since the cost of finishing the remaining projects in PULS’s pipeline that target the BGC market is a drop of water in Templeton’s big bucket, it is almost certain that these projects will be completed within the next few years.
Choose the Location and Your Budget
The accommodations mentioned above and in our previous article represent a group of short-term habitats designed specifically for people who need a decent place to stay in the central area of Fort Bonifacio during weekdays. The list is not exhaustive, and we know that there are lower cost accommodation with simpler facilities and furniture out there to suit those who have a lower budget. Another solution is to find someone to share the rent of an apartment unit nearby. Check out our real estate shared condo page here, or post your request for sharing if you have a unit to share with other young professionals.
