Hotels tend to be a little impersonal so more and more travelers are opting for homestays. We caught up with Varun Arora, CEO and Co-Founder of Ekostay, a Homestay Venture to find out more about this…
Tell us more about Ekostay and what would you advise the newer millennial today who are trying to start up innovative business ideas.
Ekostay is a homestay brand that offers premium yet affordable homestays in the form of private homes, apartments, and villas over 125+ cities and hidden gems in India. The brand scouts, acquires, and redesigns private properties into personalized and live-able home spaces and puts those properties on the travel market for guests from around the world to stay. These homestays are one-stop alternate accommodative spaces where guests get all-round and customized services to enjoy an immersive and hassle-free travel experience.
Being a startup founder means buckling in for a rollercoaster ride, especially in the initial stages, where the lines between your personal and professional life gets blurred. Of course, there is the excitement of brainstorming with the team and bringing your best caliber to the table. But there is also the fatigue of late nights and the burning of one too many midnight oils. The hustle does not end but once things get going, there is a routine that develops and a financial stability that makes it easy to maintain a work-life balance. One must be dedicated and open minded to truly succeed in this sector.
Are you B2B, B2C or a mix? What gap are you filling in the market today?
We are ideally a B2C company, however, we do offer B2B pricing to our various travel agents/companies who wish to pitch our properties to their respective clientele. In fact, the B2B relation is also built with our homeowners as we pay them a fixed rent (in most property deal models) in return of renting out their places. The gap we are trying to fill today in the hospitality industry for customers is basically that of a homestay accommodation, that is trustworthy and value for money, be it a luxury or a non-luxury home. A value proposition in its own right is also the convenience of booking that we offer to our clients as well as the personalised touch of always ensuring a sales representative has a call with the customer explaining them all the house rules and payment terms before confirming the booking.
What makes you unique? How do you differentiate from your competitors?
As Ekostay, we are known for our opulent and comfortable homestay, our luxurious villas and cozily nestled homestays are a treat to the eye and our spread over lush hill stations of Lonavla, Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Khandala, Karjat, Nashik, Igatpuri and North and South India. We also have spectacular properties at Goa and Alibaug for travelers who love the beach and sunshine. What really makes us unique is that we understand the balance between the luxury of a vacation and the comfort of a homestay, and that’s exactly the sweet spot where we operate. We started our journey with only three properties in 2018 and now are a strong family of 100 employees managing more than 150 + properties. I am humbled and over the clouds to expand our operations furthermore at Ekostay and tap into the potential of India’s growing homestay market. We are delighted that we will be able to offer travelers a rich choice of new and unexplored destinations.We have leveraged our footprints by delivering uniform services and experiences at all our locations to enable travelers to unwind and experience the perfect homestay vacation. It is a quick getaway option for families and friends to relax rejuvenate or celebrate a special day at our exclusive villas and apartments.
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