A home away from home is what brings many tourists to sunny Kerala. Taking advantage of the proximity of several beaches, many residents in the district have turned their homes into homestays to cash in on the tourist inflow. It has been a win-win situation for both the guests and the hosts. While some of the properties are near the coast, many living in estates, heritage homes and hill stations have also opened up their homes for tourists looking for an experience that is not quite touristy.
In the heart of the city, rocker Tony John, the lead singer of Avial, has been renting rooms in his heritage home, Thoppil House, Palayam, for a year now. Guests are treated to food cooked by his mom, Saramma John.
“We let out four rooms that have been renovated without disturbing the old-world charm. We also offer them continental cuisine and nadan food. Many of them, foreigners, enjoy trying appam, dosa and chutney,” says Tony.
Search property listings in Thiruvananthapuram or even Kerala on vacation rental portals and chances are you’ll come across Bay Cliff cottages in Odayam village, Varkala, that promises ‘five-star’ accommodation at reasonable rates, hosted by techie-turned-entrepreneur Jasar Hakeem. In a destination where top quality alternative rentals to hotel rooms are still few, and far between, Jasar has distinguished himself as one of the few elite hosts on the Airbnb website, reportedly one of the only four such ‘superhosts’ in Kerala. In fact,
Jasar is so valued a host that the 35-year-old has been given a special invite from the portal — issued to less than a handful of superhosts in the country — to attend Airbnb’s international conference in Paris next month.
Officially, to be a superhost one has to fulfil a set of criteria that are reviewed every quarter. Jasar owns traditionally-styled boutique cottages, in a coconut tree-filled plot of land, atop a secluded cliff that overlooks the Arabian Sea. But Jasar, who has had the badge of honour for the past year, says it takes much more than just providing a bed to sleep in and clean sheets.
“It’s very much a review-driven system and that means going out on a limb to take care of your guests. The better you take care of them, the more positive the reviews you get and in turn the more the guests who choose your place. People opt for private rentals mostly because they want to experience a destination and have all the amenities that one would expect for a relaxing holiday — from air conditioning, and internet access, to cutlery, toiletries and even a hammock in the garden,” he says.
It also means being a very hands-on host.
“I make sure I am there to greet guests when they arrive, whatever time of the day and night it might be and subsequently visit them everyday. I ensure that the cottages are spotless. I make myself available to guests 24x7 and try to respond immediately to whatever queries they might have. I’ve arranged for kites, elephant rides, cricket matches, scooter rentals, suggested restaurants, organised airport pickups, sorted out a power outage in the middle of the night, helped them with onward travel...
“Often, I invite guests home and my mom makes them a hearty Kerala-style lunch. It’s all these little things that count. Even a jug of cold water in the fridge when the guests arrive means that you are looking out for them,” he explains.
Jasar has been in the rental business for around two years now and has had guests staying with him from all over the world, several of them repeat customers. He calls it his destiny.
“Business is in my genes thanks to my maternal grandfather Abdul Wahid Musaliar, a well-known businessman. This five-acre plot of land belonged to my late grandparents, where they used to farm coconuts. I decided to convert the shack into cottages to tap the area’s growing tourism,” he recalls.
However, it was far from smooth sailing when he opened for business in September 2013.
“The first year was tough and I had to rely on my contacts to fill up the cottages. Then my cousin Asif Mohammed read an article about Airbnb and once I listed it online, the business really took off. My third set of guests were a superhost couple from England — Johnny and Gabi. They shared their experiences with me and that helped set me on the track towards superhost status,” he says.
So, is he all set for Paris?
“I’d really love to go. However, November is high tourist season in Kerala and I’ve got guests coming in from all over the world. I’d like to be on hand,” he says.
