Overlooking the serene Fateh Sagar Lake in the travel hotspot of Udaipur is Devendra Garh, a two-storeyed white edifice embellished with Rajasthani architecture. Surrounded by manicured lawns and swathes of greenery, the place beckons travellers of all hues with spacious rooms, buffet breakfast, a mini gym, pool and other facilities in any star hotel.
But we are a homestay, claims Ruchika Hiran, the lady who runs the place and lives in an adjacent structure in the same sprawling compound. She says her property is built to provide hotel-like amenities in a homely atmosphere, guarantees privacy as it carries a maximum of five rooms and offers pristine vistas.
“Homestay”, once perceived as a budget stay option carved out of a local family’s home, is undergoing a luxurious transformation to emerge as a serious competitor to luxe hotels.
Gone is the humble ambience of laidback rooms and home cooked regional food that once dominated the homestay concept. In its place are extra-large rooms with marble floorings, pendant lighting, four-poster beds, lavish interiors and are accompanied with room service, concierge, and multi-cuisine restaurants.
“Homestays were initially considered a cheaper alternative to a hotel. Now they are considered as a more authentic alternative, thanks to Airbnb,” says Amit Damani, co-founder, Vista Rooms. He says homestays, or rather holiday homes, are today a visual treat to vacationers as they are replete with stunning views, sprawling lawns, infinity pools, in-house theatre, yoga zones, on-demand chef, etc.
“For travellers, there is an aspiration and interest to experience how other people design their homes and the way they stay, ” says Damani.
Airbnb, which ties up with alternative accommodations, particularly homes of common people, has over 30, 000 listings in India. Vista Rooms is attached to over 120 luxury homes in South Asia and plans to expand their network to over 300 homes in the next 10 months.
Experts say like the rise of Airbnb, there has a concerted effort by travel marketplaces and hotel aggregators like MakeMyTrip, Cleartrip and Yatra to engage with homestays, more specifically luxury ones, that has further propelled the demand for homestays.
Says Ankit Rastogi, vice president – hotels, Cleartrip, "There is a certain section of customers who travel just for the sake of the experience, while some travel for the thrill and adventure and do not mind shelling out money to make it a memorable one. Such people value privacy and seclusion as much as luxury and comfort, which even five-star hotels are often not able to provide.”
Rastogi says the USP of luxury homestays is that while they provide all the services and facilities of any five-star hotel, they also provide privacy and flexibility that hotels seldom guarantee.
“Scope for flexibility is greater with homestays as they do not cater to hundreds of guests like hotels. Hence homestays can customise offerings overnight to suit each guest,” adds Rastogi.
Moreover, unlike start hotels, luxe homestays add a heavy dose of personal touch to the traveller experience by the host of the home personally welcoming guests, telling stories of the home, introducing guests to the food they eat, etc., say experts, who feel the potential for luxury homestays is tremendous in the country. India’s travel market is projected to grow at 11-11.5% to reach $48 billion by 2020, as per estimates.
Sensing the potential, budget hotel chain Treebo Hotels is seeking to jump onto the homestay bandwagon. Co-founder Sidharth Gupta says they would offer the variety and character of a home with the same assurance that Treebo stands for in hotels. “We carefully select homestays we list on our platform and ensure that basic elements of safety and comfort are taken care of. This helps the traveller get the best of both worlds.”
Living in a luxury homestay can cost upwards of Rs.5000 and can go upto Rs.15,000 a night inclusive of breakfast. However, overall, the cost per head to stay at a homestay is 30% cheaper than staying at a luxury hotel, say experts.
Nonetheless, for luxury homestays, challenges abound.
Gupta says there is a lack of trust between guests and hosts and a certain anxiety that guests have about staying at other people’s homes, unsure whether hygiene and safety will be of acceptable standards. “Likewise, hosts are hesitant about hosting strangers fearing damage to their property. This trust deficit should be bridged.”
According to Rastogi, the appetite for homeowners to attract customers is above a certain stratum. “Even the price plays a role here. Certain luxury homestays charge 15,000 per night and that kind of price may demand an attraction provided one can value the experience and has been exposed to a certain type of a lifestyle.”
ROYAL ABODE
- The homestay concept is undergoing a luxurious transformation to emerge as a serious competitor to luxe hotels
- Once perceived as budget stay option carved out of a family’s home, such abode add a heavy dose of personal touch to the traveller experience
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