A website enabling guests to book budget rooms only will launch in January, according to its founder. Rajesh Yadav, an entrepreneur and CEO at Paltux Technologies, will launch www.bookmyroomz.com for the Delhi market first, before expanding it to Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai in year two, and Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh in year three.
“I am looking for corporate guests mainly, who are coming from long distances and may not want to fork out lots of money for just one or two nights in a 5-star hotel,” Yadav told HotelierIndia.com.
On what Yadav claims is the “first and only site of its kind in the world”, customers will be able to search for and book rooms costing between Rs1,500 and Rs3,000 per night. The site will feature pictures, videos, amenities and availability details.
The site will also act as a brand standard, guaranteeing guests of a certain quality if they book at properties on the site. “Apart from the 5-star hotels, nowhere in India is service assured, so we are also choosing properties, evaluating them on a monthly basis and guaranteeing certain service levels to our guests,” said Yadav.
A 24-hour helpline will also be made available to guests, and other value adds include a ‘women category’, which identifies guesthouses run only by women, and an auction facility for last minute bookings.
Properties on the site are not charged for a listing, but a 10% commission is charged for each booking.
Yadav estimates there are 250,000 guestrooms in India (including B&Bs and serviced apartments), compared to 132,000 hotel rooms. The number of guestrooms is expected to grow to 500,000 within five years, he added.
Within five years he also wants to expand internationally. Talks are already underway with properties in the US, Poland and Russia he said. “This is a huge segment and there is no platform like this available yet. There is a crying need for this in India and because its a global platform we can expand internationally too.”
