SaffronStays, a seven-year-old network of private vacation homes across the country, has reached a milestone count of 200 homes. Of these, 60 homes were added in the last four months (Oct ‘21 to Jan ‘22), accounting for a 43% growth during this period.
From heritage homes to luxurious beachfront getaways, lakeside-riverside villas, homes with Grecian whites, and infinite valley view villas among several others, the brand has a collection of exclusive homes with a variety of experiences. Talking about the expansion, Devendra Parulekar, Founder, SaffronStays, said, “While 2020 was about surviving Covid-19, and 2021-22 was about deepening and focussing on a cluster approach in an independent market like Maharashtra, and constantly raising our service and quality standards, 2022-23 will be all about pan-India expansion, without compromising on the quality of experience that guests love us for. Our plan is to continue adding 15 to 20 homes a month in 16 chosen sectors across seven Indian states.”
However, the brand’s growth is not just limited to quantitative progress. In the last two years, SaffronStays has also taken the time out to work on its quality. For instance, it introduced the ‘House of Brands’ concept, which focuses on structuring the homes under three categories – SaffronStays, Signature & X Series.
Along with this, it introduced a simple management contract with transparent commercial arrangements, which offers a completely hassle-free renting experience to homeowners where everything is managed by team SaffronStays. Simultaneously, they have also expanded their tech team to make all stakeholders’ experience digital-first – be it automation, design-led innovation, developing micro-products among other things. In keeping with each region, cook and home’s specialities, SaffronStays homes also have a personalised F&B experience where they curate special menus. The hospitality collective has also worked on growing its leadership and hired industry experts in different teams.
Elaborating on the same, Vinay Chandavarkar, Chief Development Officer, SaffronStays, who joined the team in September 2021 shares, “Our recent pace of growth strongly indicates our stakeholders’ confidence in us. As we continue to evolve in this fast-paced segment, we commit a hassle-free and commercially efficient management offering to our Home Owners, while at the same time, a unique experiential stay for our guests under our new ‘House of Brands’ approach.”
Launched by husband-wife duo Devendra and Tejas Parulekar, SaffronStays has emerged as a leading choice among families and groups who want to celebrate special occasions or head out of the city for a quick getaway. Post-COVID, many traditional resort-goers switched gears and have started recognising, acknowledging and consuming private vacation homes owing to the privacy, certainty and exclusivity it offers.
With exponential growth in bookings – 65% over the last year – it has progressed from simply being a homegrown hospitality player to one that’s making strong inroads in the fast-growing and evolving segment with their pioneering work.
