Airbnb and homestays gaining popularity in the Guwahati city

Airbnb (Air Bed and Breakfast) is a platform that connects people who wish to rent out their homes with people who are looking for lodging in specific areas.

Since 2007, when its co-founders first proposed inviting paying guests to sleep on an air mattress in their living room, the company has gone a long way. According to the most recent data, Airbnb has over six million listings in over 100,000 cities and towns across 220 countries.

Airbnb has transformed the hospitality business. Prior to 2008, most travellers would have reserved a hotel or hostel for their journey to another city. Many of these same people are now using Airbnb.

The concept behind Airbnb is basic: find a method for locals to earn extra money by renting out their spare home or room to tourists visiting the region. Hosts that use this platform can market their rentals to millions of people worldwide while knowing that a large organisation will manage payments and provide help as needed. And for guests, Airbnb can provide a more characterful location to stay, perhaps even with a kitchen to avoid dining out, frequently at a lesser price than hotels charge.

The business model of Airbnb is highly profitable. The company, like Uber and Ola, has tapped into the sharing economy, making money by renting out premises that it does not own.

Airbnb takes a commission every time a reservation is made. When you click on a property, you'll see a breakdown of the costs you'll be charged if you go ahead and book. One of these costs is a service charge, which covers the cost of running the platform and providing assistance; this represents the majority of Airbnb's earnings.

Most guest service fees, according to the company's website, are less than 14.2 percent of the booking subtotal. Meanwhile, hosts are charged 3% or more of the entire revenue received for each booking.

The notion that a guest is equivalent to God permeates the entire nation, notwithstanding its diversity. This is one of the reasons why Airbnb is so popular in India, and the Northeast has mostly remained untouched in this regard. The Northeast has a great deal of promise for tourism because of its abundance of natural beauty and extraordinary cultural diversity.

The typical Airbnb customer is no longer interested in basic getaways and destinations; instead, they are constantly searching for something distinctive and unparalleled. In light of this, the goal of these collaborations was to draw attention to how distinctive and unmatched the Northeast is. The area is unique because of its undulating hills, lush greenery, and variety of uncommon and exotic animals. The beauty here is varied, with different cuisines, civilizations, and topographies—despite being sometimes lumped together.

Airbnb has committed to developing a homestay ecosystem through proper skill training and development, as well as to promoting India's high potential tourism attractions to the rest of the globe, and the North East was an unavoidable choice,  assisting its economic growth by attracting more tourists to the region.

Owner of one such contemporary-looking Dreamville Homestay based in the heart of Guwahati, Ayaan Hazarika, prides himself on the homestay's exquisite interior design and minimalist approach to the surroundings. Basically, they want to offer a place where you can get cosy, unwind, and relax. This property has a distinct charm and gorgeous appearance.

Ayaan graduated from Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi with a degree in tourism management. "Tourism was something I had always been interested in, so when things started to change after the pandemic, it was disheartening for all the tourism industry", he mentioned.

“But, with that excitement for tourism in mind, hosting was something I was very motivated by during my vacation to Himachal tirthan valley back in 2018 when I met a really intriguing individual Panki Sood, who is a beautiful example of what a true host is, inspired me to start a business in this sector and I'm doing my best to give guests ‘an experience’ when they visit Guwahati, Assam, as hospitality is something we've always been taught in our culture, so all of this has encouraged me to establish my own homestay.”

It is a relatively new homestay, but luckily, they are fully booked for the next 18 days and are getting a very nice response right now. They have also received a booking from Canada, Toronto, and the guests will be staying in their property for three days.

The price range is fairly reasonable, ranging from ₹2500/- to ₹3000/- per night for up to 5 people.

“Customer feedback has been really positive; we have received a couple of 5-star evaluations on the Airbnb app, indicating that guests have enjoyed their stay at our homestay”, says Ayaan.

Ayaan hopes to establish a rural tourism experience in the state of Assam for the future.

Avantis Homestay by Kaustav Das and Jahnu Bharali is another Airbnb situated in Kharguli area of Guwahati has an amazing river view making it one of the best homestay to spend your holidays at.

They are both avid travellers who travel frequently. They decided to invest when they realised how much money was available in this industry.

Their initial investment was around ₹ 4.5-5 lacs initially, but they recently moved to a larger place and invested another ₹3-4 lacs here. They generate a monthly revenue of around ₹90-100k.

“The price range is ₹2500-3000, and we are booked for 75% of the month.  We currently have 4.5 star rating on Google and have attained the super host designation on AirBnB. The most critical aspect of this industry is maintenance. We spend approximately ₹30-35K on maintenance”, says the owner.

With the rise of the Internet and brisk digitization, there has been an increase in peer-to-peer platforms, where the buyer and seller can engage directly without any third-party interference. Airbnb is one such site where private houses are monetized for long or short term rentals, posing a challenge to traditional hospitality industries such as hotels and motels. The rise of travel lovers, travel bloggers, and travel influencers throughout the world helps to cushion Airbnb's growth. It enables travellers to travel light and enjoy the comforts of home rather than the hotel's limited space.