About Mystudenthalls.com

Mystudenthalls.com is a UK-based platform that helps students find and compare student accommodation near their university. With a clean, easy-to-use interface, the site makes it simple to browse listings, apply filters, and find a place that fits both their lifestyle and budget.

Because location is such a big factor in student decisions, the platform focuses on helping students understand what’s nearby, whether it’s campus, transit, or even neighborhood hangouts. With listings across the UK and Ireland, Mystudenthalls.com acts as a go-to destination for students making one of their biggest living decisions.

Putting student accommodation on the map 

The team at Mystudenthalls.com always knew that location was at the heart of the university accommodation search. But their previous version of the platform did not offer a map view, making it hard for students to see where listings actually were or how close they would be to their university or favorite spots.

Without that context, students had a harder time comparing options. And that meant fewer clicks, fewer inquiries, and a less engaging experience overall. The team explored a few different mapping providers, but many lacked the design quality or flexibility they needed. What they really wanted was something that looked great out of the box and would not require a full redesign of their site. That’s what made Mapbox the right fit.

A better design to guide the way

Mystudenthalls.com knew that in order to scale effectively, it needed a map interface that would deliver a more visual, intuitive way for students to explore housing. The goal was to create a map-based search experience that would show listings in a way that would help students compare options at a glance and understand what was nearby.

After testing other mapping providers, the team found that most alternatives lacked the polish or flexibility to match their design goals. Mapbox, on the other hand, offered a default visual style that already aligned with the product’s aesthetic, giving the team a strong foundation to build on without starting from scratch.

Behind the scenes of a smarter map

The new map search was built entirely with Mapbox GL JS, giving developers the flexibility to handle large datasets and make updates on the fly. The integration process was smooth, thanks in large part to the well-structured documentation and practical code examples that Mapbox provides to developers, which helped the team get up and running quickly.

Mapbox Studio introduced a bit more of a learning curve, especially around managing layers and styles, but once the team got oriented, they appreciated its power and flexibility. Styling was intentionally kept minimal — the default Mapbox look was already a strong fit. A few subtle changes, like tweaking road colors for contrast and adjusting label font sizes, helped improve legibility across screen sizes. Additional points of interest were added with custom icons through a mix of Studio and front-end work.

Metrics that map to success

Since launching the new Mapbox-powered experience, Mystudenthalls.com has seen a big bump in site performance. Visits are up 45%, page views have grown by 66%, and the number of unique users has increased by 43%.

But the biggest jump? Student inquiries, which are up by 218%. That’s a clear sign that students are more engaged and more likely to reach out once they find the right place. The visual search experience is making it easier to decide and faster to act.

A new standard for student accommodation search

Mystudenthalls.com has raised the bar for what students expect from an accommodation search platform. With Mapbox, it has built a visual experience that’s not only clear, fast, and helpful — it’s intuitive in a way that invites exploration. Students can browse listings, understand what’s nearby, and make smarter decisions with less effort.

The investment in a thoughtful map-based interface is showing real results, and it shows. As the platform continues to evolve, Mystudenthalls.com will remain central to how students explore, compare, and choose where to live, helping them move from uncertainty to clarity in just a few clicks.