Want a 5-star stay? Here are 3 startups making luxury stays affordable

Are you planning to stay in a villa for your planned holiday trip in India but worried about the steep prices? Or do you wish to travel with your large extended family but still wish to stay together?

Startups in India are developing innovative offerings that can solve unique issues travelers face in India.

Whether it is a Portuguese villa in Goa or a five-star hotel in Rajasthan, these startups are making sure that prices remain affordable for the common Indian.

Here are three startups giving competition to Airbnb in India:

GuestHouser

Founded in 2014 by Dhruv Sharma, a 23-year old Boston University graduate, GuestHouser offers property owners in tourist destinations a chance to earn alternative income.

GuestHouser aggregates unused properties in popular places renovates them and offer them on rent to travellers.

These ‘second homes’ of property owners could include villas, holiday homes, yachts, and even houseboats.

The company is trying to tap the market of 11 million vacant second homes in India and generate a second income for owners.

“After we discovered the fact that so many holiday homes exist in popular cities which are in form of second homes, we went out to convince the owners to join us. Through this platform we have created destination cities,” said Sharma.

There are 11 million second homes in India that do not produce second income that GuestHouser is trying to change.

The startup offers the property owner a revenue share arrangement on their properties.

Price: Let’s take Goa as an example: A decent budget room in Goa costs Rs 2500 to Rs 3000 especially if is located near a prime beach.

With GuestHouser in Rs 6500, you can book a Villa with swimming pool right next to the beach.

“You can host even 10 people in the house as it is a massive bungalow. People visit Goa with friends or family. Instead of being boxed away in different hotel rooms you could have a bungalow within your budget,” said Sharma.

He added, “From per person cost perspective it could cost as low as Rs 600 per day.”

GuestHouser is available in about 2200 cities of India. Mumbai and Delhi are the prominent market of supply for them.

ICanStay 

Want to stay in a luxury hotel but don’t have the budget?

Delhi startup ICanStay is offering rooms in luxury hotels at a flat price of Rs 2999.

The platform offers users a voucher worth Rs 2999 and allows them a one time stay in a luxury hotel any time of the year without seasonal jumps in hotel prices.

Interestingly, the company doesn’t disclose the name of the property on the website pre-booking of the voucher in order to avoid a clash with the regular customers of the hotel.

A sleeping room of Magdas hotel, a converted old people's home, is pictured in Vienna, Austria, November 24, 2016. Picture taken November 24, 2016. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger - RTSTP2K

However, there is a catch.  

“After buying a voucher, a user has to request a booking outlining up to five days. We then check the availability with our partner hotels and confirm the booking on any of those five days,” said Puneet Gupta, CTO of ICanStay.

The voucher is valid up to 11 months for stay for two adults and kids.

The startup claims to have a partnership with about 102 hotels across the country.

“The branded luxury segment that we deal in, 4-5 star hotels, in total the industry has a capacity of 1.25 lakh room nights per day in India. From that, about 38 percent go vacant. Each vacant room has a cost attached to it. That amounts to a loss of over Rs 10,000 crore to the industry and we are here to fill that gap,” said Gupta.

Most of the customers are new customers. The platform is not useful if you have a planned trip. It is more helpful for people who have spontaneous business trips or one-day anniversary celebration.

The company is targeting the middle-class Indian market who wished to stay in luxury hotels. “98 percent of the people wished to stay in luxury hotels in India and we are fulfilling their wishes,” said Gupta.

The voucher price is inclusive of GST.

V Resorts

Delhi-based V Resorts is a platform which offers boutique resorts for leisure travelers in India.

Founded in 2011 by Aditi Balbir, graduate from Indian School of Business (ISB), V Resorts manages over 70 resorts across 15 states in India.

The company offers resorts at Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 per night.

The company has entered into management contracts with the owners of the properties.

“We are selling an experience, and we have our whole team to take care of the customer. Along with the room, we also take care of the experience of the customer. We also manage barbeque parties and activities. We club a stay with an experience,” said Balbir.

The company shares around 15- 25 percent of its revenue with the property owner.

sabahat.contractor@nw18.com