StayVista aims to become Rs1,000-cr hospitality brand in next 5 yrs

Founded by Ankita Sheth, Amit Damani and Pranav Maheshwari in 2015, StayVista started its journey as one of the few holiday home experts in India's travel and hospitality landscape. Over the years, it has grown into one of the largest and best-rated luxury villa rental chains.

StayVista is one of India's largest chains of luxury villas. The reinventing group has a handpicked selection of over 500 award-winning villas across 50 destinations. The villa rentals brand has warmly served over 3,00,000 vacationers and is committed to making every stay an inspiring experience for travellers. Amit Damani, co-founder, StayVista in an exclusive interview with Bizz Bizz, elaborates on the future plans of the hospitality brand.

How did the idea come for StayVista? How is your company different from Airbnb?

With Indian travellers becoming more discerning and quality-oriented over the recent years, their expectations of vacation stays and services have expanded to 'experiences,' whether for leisure, wellness, work, or celebrations. With an aim to cater to this changing market dynamic - StayVista was born in 2015, as one of the few holiday home experts in the Indian luxury travel and group stay landscape. At StayVista, we seek to provide best-in-class amenities and curate superior stay experiences bespoke to our customers in private villas amidst scenic vistas instead of cookie-cutter experiences at most hotels and accommodations. Not just that, we also continue to broaden our horizons to accommodate the aspirations of our guests.

It's a tough job to manage a villa by yourself and manage the guest at the same time. If you choose to do so then you may end up spending time on maintenance, marketing, staff management, etc. And for guests, the expectation of the property not being as appealing as the listing could be a major deciding factor too. But, with a professional, it's not the case. On the other hand, StayVista propels accommodations with a sheer focus on quality, customer experience, service, and hospitality. We also factor in our homeowners' interests and requirements with trust and transparency. We ensure the location meets our checklist of brand compliance and comfort before we open its doors to travellers.

Do you have a lot of offerings for small groups? What is the rationale?

We do offer a variety of small and shared villas that are perfect for smaller groups, along with a myriad of services and amenities ideal for that group size. The rationale is to bring as many people together as possible under one roof; to be able to become a small part of their bonding and celebrations.

What is the USP of StayVista?

Staycations, as a trend, have grown exponentially in the past year. In a highly fragmented and unorganized market, vacationers are looking to associate with brands that can deliver great bespoke experiences. Our USP is that we match-make the uniqueness and potential of each property to the customer's desired state of mind or experience for the stay versus the one-size-fits-all approach in the hospitality sector. We are inventive, open to trying new ways of doing things, and follow through with the execution. Having a keen eye for detail, we strive for perfection without compromises and recognize every customer's desire to personalize their experience by providing meaningful choices and services. At the same time, we help homeowners open their doors to a discerning set of tourists, thereby winning their hearts as well as the guests,' leading to a high rate of referrals.

Do you also offer total packages for MICE Meetings and conferences?

Yes, we do offer packages for MICE, because choosing a location, organizing corporate offsites, plus planning productive team-building activities can often become a truly time-consuming and arduous task. We definitely realize this fact; therefore, we offer customized plans for an organization's unique stay experience and provide a unified atmosphere enabling them to rediscover professional goals.

What kind of facilities do you offer for food and beverages?

For most StayVista holiday homes across the country, we offer scrumptious and delightful culinary experiences to our guests. For our home-style dining, we prepare an exquisite and mouth-watering spread with freshly sourced ingredients that carry a local touch. Besides offering our patrons an array of delicacies to pick from, we also focus on providing comfort, and quick and efficient services. Our F&B experience satisfies our customer's palates and appetites and thereby enhances their overall stay experience to a whole new level.

Do you see an opportunity to offer transport convenience for a cost?

Well, speaking of transportation and conveyance, we do have tie-ups with several local agents across the country. When it comes to offering assistance in providing cab rentals for short distances or even booking flights for larger groups and events - StayVista aims to be a holistic hospitality brand that is committed to carefully curating and managing end-to-end services and personalised experiences, making for perfect gateways for our patrons and inspiring them to make memorable moments throughout the stay.

What are your plans for the next five years?

Over the next five years, we aim at becoming a holistic Rs 1,000 crore hospitality brand while continuing to enter geographies that our users frequently travel to with over 2500 homes - bringing getaways to life and delivering memorable experiences. We shall strengthen our position as category leaders by expanding our footprint across India and building an enduring brand that becomes synonymous with luxury villa getaways.

Who are the investors for this venture? And what are your plans for future funding?

For this venture, the funding was led by DSG Consumer Partners, along with participation from Capri Global and CA Holdings. We are definitely looking for future funding to grow and build our team, strengthen our brand, and further develop our tech infrastructure.

With fine curation, an extensive range of verified properties, and personalised attention, StayVista has journeyed far from where it started, establishing a strong track record for itself and envisioning creating a new benchmark of luxury hospitality in India. Recently, the company has raised Rs 40 crore from consumer brand-focused investors such as DSG Consumer Partners, Capri Global and CA Holdings.

Are you looking for a strategic partner to take your operations to Asia and the rest of the world?

Well, at present we are not looking for a strategic partner to take our operations to other parts of the world. However, to build a category-defining brand and further cement our position as market leaders in the luxury villa rental space, we are looking forward to working with brands who are truly interested in collaborating with StayVista with a mutually productive ethos.