How to Run a 5-Star Homestay in India: What Guests Expect on Airbnb and MakeMyTrip

By StayScan Editorial Team · Published · Last updated

Turn your India homestay into a 5-star experience. Learn how Indian hosts on Airbnb and MakeMyTrip use digital guest guides to share local culture, house rules, and recommendations that guests love.

The Homestay Advantage

A homestay is not a budget apartment. It's a fundamentally different product, and guests who book homestays are looking for something very specific: local connection, personal touch, and the experience of staying with someone who knows the place deeply.

When you lean into what makes a homestay different rather than trying to make it feel like a hotel, you get better reviews. Here's how.

What Homestay Guests Are Really Booking

Homestay guests, particularly international guests and premium domestic travellers, are booking the host as much as the property. They want:

  • Genuine local knowledge (not TripAdvisor lists)
  • Someone to ask questions of
  • A feeling of being welcomed as a guest, not processed as a booking
  • Authenticity, real home, real family, real India

This is your competitive advantage over OYO, budget hotels, and serviced apartments. Lean into it.

The Welcome: Setting the Tone

The first fifteen minutes of a homestay stay matter more than almost anything else. What works:

  • Personal welcome, not just a key under the mat. Even if you can't be there yourself, having someone trustworthy there to welcome guests creates an immediate positive impression.
  • A glass of water, chai, or nimbu paani offered immediately. This is South Asian hospitality at its most fundamental. Guests, especially international guests, remember this and mention it in reviews consistently.
  • A brief five-minute orientation of the house, where things are, how things work, your number for anything they need.

What Indian Homestay Guests Specifically Expect

Breakfast

Many homestays include or offer breakfast, and it's one of the most frequently mentioned aspects in reviews, positive and negative. If you offer breakfast, make it genuine and home-cooked. Guests who book a homestay for the experience of local food are disappointed by bread-and-butter. Idli-sambar, parathas, or whatever is genuinely made in your home is what they want. Be clear in your listing about what breakfast includes and what it costs.

Home-Cooked Meals

Offering home-cooked dinners (at an additional charge) is a strong differentiator for homestays. This works particularly well for international guests and travellers who are far from the typical tourist restaurant circuit. Many of the best-reviewed homestays in Coorg, Himachal, and Kerala are famous for the food alone.

Vegetarian and Dietary Options

A large proportion of Indian domestic travellers are vegetarian, often strictly so. If your property has a kitchen, ensure there is no cross-contamination. If you cook, offer a fully vegetarian menu option. If guests can cook for themselves, ensure pots and pans are either separate or thoroughly cleaned. This is often the deciding factor for a significant segment of Indian guests.

Hot Water Reliability

The importance of this cannot be overstated. Cold showers in the morning generate specific, sharp complaints in Indian homestay reviews across every price point. A reliable geyser with a clear operating timer instruction (if the geyser needs advance heating) in your guide prevents these complaints entirely.

The Local Knowledge That Earns Reviews

What separates highly-rated Indian homestays from average ones is almost always host knowledge. The specific trails that aren't on Google Maps. The spice plantation that gives honest tours rather than the tourist version. The best place for authentic local food that no review app has discovered yet.

Document this knowledge in your guest guide and update it seasonally. It's your most valuable asset.

Language and Communication

English is the comfortable language for most Airbnb and international bookings. For MakeMyTrip domestic bookings, Hindi and regional languages are often preferred. If you can communicate comfortably in Hindi and the regional language of your state, mention it in your listing, it's a meaningful trust signal for domestic guests.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a tourism license to run a homestay in India?

Several state tourism departments have homestay schemes with registration and licensing requirements. Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Uttarakhand among others have specific homestay policies. These schemes often come with benefits (tax concessions, promotion) as well as obligations. Check your state tourism department's current requirements.

How should I price a homestay compared to a regular Airbnb apartment?

Homestays that offer a genuine host experience (meals, local guidance, personal welcome) command a premium over self-contained apartments in the same area. Benchmark against similar homestays, not apartments. Underselling undermines the perceived quality and attracts guests whose expectations don't match what you offer.

Is it necessary to be present at the property during a guest's stay?

For a true homestay experience, being present, or having family present, significantly enhances the experience and is part of what guests book. Fully absentee hosting can work, but it's closer to a serviced apartment model. Be clear in your listing about how much host interaction guests should expect.

StayScan is a digital guidebook for Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com and Agoda hosts: one QR code gives guests Wi-Fi, check-in steps, house rules and local tips in 30+ languages. Create your guidebook with a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.