By the end of the workshop, you’ll be able to:

• Identify a good location and start your homestay
• Learn how to negotiate land leases
• Grow your homestay by word of mouth marketing
• Understand the complex setup of billing and budgeting

If you have dreamt of opening and running a homestay in the mountains, Shaila brings you a comprehensive workshop as a starting point. She runs a 100-year-old property and hosts guests from across the world at Seize The Time, a place where time truly seems to come to a standstill. From finding a place to running it successfully across seasons, Shaila shares some inside secrets. Here’s what you will learn:

• Understanding the concept of a homestay
  – Finding a location
  – Identifying the facilities required
  – Negotiating and preparing a lease
  – Understanding documents required for a lease 

• Starting a homestay
  – Renovating and remodelling
  – Planning the remodel of your homestay
  – Figuring out the layout
  – Selecting labours and suppliers
  – Setting up food and beverage
  – Hiring a local team 

• Revenue and billing
  – Understanding how to bill your guest
  – Diversifying your services
  – Maintaining accounts
  – Managing spends
  – Charging on season and off-season  

• Marketing and creating value
  – Creating brand value
  – Promoting your property
  – Selecting the right platforms for promotions
  – Marketing your property on social media
  – Coexisting as a hostel and a hotel
  – Attracting travellers from across the world

Meet your host

Shaila Siddiqui is a traveller and an entrepreneur. She runs a beautiful 100-year-old rustic homestay called Seize The Time in the lap of the Himalayas. With evolving goals as a homestay owner, Shaila is making a difference in the lives of the local communities and bringing people from across the world under one roof.

You can follow her on Instagram under Seize the time homestay