“I come for Esther,” exclaims Dale Williams as I ask him what draws his wife Marie to Colonel’s Retreat over and over again. Esther, the floor manager, is the voice he hears in the small hamlet in Virginia, where he lives when he is not travelling. “I come for the monkeys, elephants and yes, camels as well,” laughs the American as he polishes off aloo ka parantha on the terrace. Before house sparrows’ chirping in the background make me lose interest in the conversation, Marie chips in with her choice, describing masala dosa as aloo dosa. But before I smirk, she adds, “It feels like family,” changing the mood.
Soon Arun Khanna, the man behind the Retreat, situated at a walking distance from Lajpat Nagar Metro Station in the heart of Defence Colony which offers five rooms for guests, walks in. As I hesitantly snoop on their conversation, I realise how the impersonal bed and breakfast become a familiar homestay in India. A well-travelled man, Dale tells Arun that he and Marie got married in Afghanistan. We are shocked but he is talking of times when King Zahir Shah ruled the country and Marie fondly recounts how she could walk on the streets all by herself at night in Kabul” Can she do it in Delhi? “We do it often. I go to Khan Market where Arun’s wife runs a shop.”
Such revelations over breakfast are not new for Arun. “Once on this table two couples – one young and one elderly – of Indian origin were having breakfast. The girl told the elderly gentleman about her brother Jeevat. Interestingly, the old man was also called Jeevat. He said it is a rare name and started enquiring about her past. As it turned out the girl’s father was a good friend of the old man. The two could not meet for thirty years and the girl’s father had named his son after his long lost friend.”
Arun says hospitality is in our DNA and it just needs to be channelised. “For me it is a passion. It is named after my father, a retired colonel. He is 90-year-old but still takes active interest. Having served in different parts of the country, he brings his experience to the table. My mother looks after the housekeeping. At 12 noon she takes a round and can make out even if one thread is out of place. And my wife cooks well. She takes over from me when we have single girls visiting.”
Dale praises the homemade cake bread and Arun answers the question I asked him over the phone, “A homestay has a soul, a budget hotel is just bricks and mortar and no more.” I understand. “I keep it simple – clean and straightforward, a place I would like to stay in myself without a repeatedly saluting staff, soliciting for tips.” The upshot, he adds, is that he often gets to meet highly educated, mature and experienced visitors. It is not about backpackers, anymore. “I have hosted a scholar in Gurbani music, a professor specialising in Mughal miniature paintings, a deep sea diver...the high point was hosting the great great grand daughter of Dr. David Livingstone. And with my kids living abroad, it keeps me gainfully occupied. It brings me more income than what I would have got by renting it out and gives me the liberty to pick and choose my guests at the time of the year I want. For instance, we have a wedding in the family later this year. So for those ten days we are not taking any booking.”
On the pricing, Arun feels one has to decide where one stands vis-à-vis the star hotels in the market and decide accordingly. “We provide facilities that match a four-star hotel and charge 30 per cent less. It makes us wanted.” Many feel the wave of BnB that started with the Commonwealth Games has waned now. Arun agrees but goes on to add, “See, only those who serve well have survived. One negative review on travel website can break your reputation. Then journalists visit incognito to rate us,” he says underlining the fact that the Retreat features in The Guardian’s list of top 10 homestays in the country and Lonely Planet recommends it. “So you don’t need a government regulator to guide you on quality. After the Commonwealth Games, 5000 rooms have come up near the airport, five star hotels have revised their rates but I have yet to face any downswing.”
Arun says Delhi Tourism should make efforts to reach out to tourists through an attractive website.
“Putting banners on bus stands don’t help as far as foreign tourists are concerned. Right now the focus is more on regulation which is a cumbersome process. One has to get the licence renewed after every two years which takes a lot of time. Also, the government should ensure that tourists are not fleeced at tourist spots.”
Room with a view
Not long ago, the space Lake View Room occupies was one of Hauz Khas Village’s popular restaurants, Boheme, cultivating a casual, bohemian ambience. Its owner, Sukomal Juneja, decided to relocate when he saw that the vibe of the area was changing. “We went to Vasant Vihar, which is a bit more isolated.” But the original location, rented by Juneja, was beautiful, and he didn’t quite want to let go just yet. “I decided to continue living there.”
A three room home, overlooking the lush greenery, wide lake and haunting ruins of Hauz Khas, the spot, Juneja realised, would also work well as a home stay. “To be very honest, we wanted it to be a bed and breakfast thing, but the rules for that are very complicated. I asked the landlord if he'd allow a home stay, he said he'd be okay with it.”
Lake View is a typical example of a home stay, and Juneja says that today, it attracts all kinds of guests. The property has three rooms, and Juneja stays in one himself. The premises has a total of four double beds. “Two rooms have one double bed each, and one has two. Sometimes when there are other guests as well, we try to accommodate them as well.”
Juneja clarifies that officially, Lake View isn’t a bed and breakfast. “It’s not essentially a commercial thing.” Instead, he has chosen to register on the popular website for homestays and BnBs, airbnb.com. “Airbnb is one of those websites that a lot of people are using, to stay at unique places, interact with other guests, get to know about the culture of the place. They get to know about the city better than they would if they were staying at a conventional hotel”.
The point, Juneja says, is to be a “little more open” to the experience of staying at someone’s home. “I just have one housekeeper. When people come, they know that they can’t expect the same services they would get in a hotel. They are automatically more respectful of the space too, since its somebody’s home. Similarly, the host takes personal care, goes out of his or her way, to make their guests comfortable, considering they are hosting them in their home. It’s a personal interaction.”
While the concept of BnBs and homestays is more common abroad, Juneja says that off late, he’s been hosting a lot more Indian travellers too. “It’s no longer just backpackers and foreigners.”
Mindful of both his guests’ and his own safety, Juneja has put certain policies in place. “We have a minimum two night booking policy. We don’t want it to be a one night stand kind of place.” Along with this, airbnb ensures that every host and guest registered on the website have their own profiles. “These profiles are much more complete than they would be on other booking websites. They are reviewed by guests and hosts, and you can go through them to decide which guests you’d be comfortable.” Along with this, Juneja is required to submit forms on the foreign nationals staying with him. “So far, I haven’t had any problems. On airbnb, they give us host guarantee and if there is something wrong and you don’t feel comfortable with the guests, then you can give them a call and tell them. They take care of things in case something unforeseen happens.”
Lake View, like most home stays, doesn’t follow a walk-in policy. Instead, Juneja interacts with the prospective guests who get in touch with him, tries to understand their requirements, and briefs them on what they can expect from their stay at his house.
The perk, of course, is the home-like, comfortable and very interactive stay guests get in return. “Anybody can get a travel guide, but I make sure that I help my guests get to know the city the way I see it. I tell them about places I like personally, of events happening that they might be interested in.”
The idea of home-stays, Juneja feels, is catching on. “People might have a room or two empty in their house, and it becomes the way to make your rent and meet different people from different cultures.”
The homely touch
Almost every review of BnB New Delhi is a rave, with words like “home away from home” and “excellent hosts” bouncing off the page. Started in 2008 by Ajay and Purnima Bansal, this BnB, located in South Delhi's Maharani Bagh, was a result of the Commonwealth Games. “We started it back then because of the number of visitors who were coming into the country,” says Ajay Bansal, who is by profession a lawyer and also helps his wife, a fashion designer, in her garment export business.
“Our main objective was to provide a homely, family oriented and safe environment for our guests.” Ajay adds that when they began the process of registering as a bed and breakfast, the process was slightly time consuming but not particularly difficult. “We went through police verifications, they made enquiries, talked to our neighbours etc, before we got clearance.”
Today, years after the Commonwealth Games are over, the Bansals continue to run a thriving business. “We get many foreigners, more foreigners really, but quite a few Indian travellers as well,” says Ajay. The BnBs popularity, he feels, has grown through word of mouth publicity. “People talk to their friends, and they come and stay with us.”
Of course, both Ajay and Purnima live on the premise, as is required from a BnB. The property has three rooms and options of Single Guest room, Double Room and Family rooms. “We can’t have more, because we can’t run like a hotel. Each room can take 2 to 3 people.” Ajay adds that while they do have hired help, the food for the guests is cooked by his wife herself.
While BnB New Delhi isn't a typical hotel, it does offer services like free tea/coffee makers in the rooms, free wi-fi, hair dryers and private entrances to the rooms. While these are small creature comforts, it is the high level of importance that the Bansals place on safety that really comes through. “Delhi is in the news for all the wrong reasons nowadays. We make sure our guests are safe. We provide pick up and drop services, assistance with travel and sight-seeing arrangements, and any other help that our guests might need”.
While they don't have any strict criteria for their guests, the Bansals do prefer foreign or business travellers. “It is easier to verify credentials when someone is travelling for business and attached to a company. We also interact with our guests before they come to stay. Sometimes, someone will begin asking us questions and planning their stay as much as six months in advance.”
The idea, Ajay says, is to provide as homely and comfortable a stay for their guests. “Many of them are from different cultures. This way, they live with an Indian family, experience the tradition, culture, local cuisine, as closely as they can. They wouldn’t be able to experience this in a commercial hotel set-up.”
Also read >Democratising hospitality
