Best places to start a homestay or BNB in India
Start a BNB business · September 27, 2026
Hills, beaches, backwaters and weekend getaways: where homestay demand is strongest and what guests look for.
Location decides most of a homestay's success. The best spots combine steady demand, a reason to stay more than one night and room for a homestay to offer something hotels don't. Here are the regions where BNBs and homestays do well in India, and what guests look for in each.
Goa
India's best-known leisure destination, with demand all year from domestic travellers and a strong season from October to March.
- What works: private pool villas in the north, quiet Portuguese-style homes in the south, and hinterland homestays away from the crowds.
- Good to know: Goa has a dedicated homestay and B&B policy with registration through the Department of Tourism. See state-wise homestay rules.
Himachal Pradesh
Shimla, Manali, Kasol, Dharamshala, Bir and the Spiti valley draw families in summer, snow-seekers in winter and remote workers all year.
- What works: wooden cottages with views, apple-orchard stays, workation homes with good Wi-Fi.
- Good to know: the Himachal Pradesh Home Stay Rules, 2025 allow up to 6 rooms and categorise homestays as Diamond, Gold or Silver.
Uttarakhand
Mussoorie, Nainital, Rishikesh, Kumaon villages and the Char Dham routes combine leisure, adventure and pilgrimage demand.
- What works: village homestays with home-cooked Garhwali and Kumaoni food, riverside stays near Rishikesh, forest cottages near Jim Corbett.
- Good to know: the state encourages homestays strongly, including through its homestay development scheme for hill districts.
Kerala
Backwaters, beaches, hill stations and Ayurveda make Kerala a year-round homestay favourite with both domestic and foreign travellers.
- What works: heritage homes in Fort Kochi, backwater homestays in Alleppey and Kumarakom, plantation stays in Munnar and Wayanad.
Coorg and Chikmagalur
Karnataka's coffee country is one of South India's favourite weekend escapes from Bengaluru.
- What works: estate bungalows, coffee-plantation homestays and cottages with mist-covered views.
The North East
Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland are growing fast as travellers look for unexplored places.
- What works: village homestays with local food and culture, which are often the best (or only) stay option in remote areas.
Rajasthan
Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Pushkar attract heritage lovers and international tourists.
- What works: haveli stays, desert camps and family-run guest houses in the old cities.
Weekend getaways near big cities
Some of the steadiest demand comes from city dwellers escaping for the weekend:
- Mumbai and Pune: Lonavala, Alibaug, Karjat, Mahabaleshwar.
- Delhi NCR: the Himalayan foothills, Neemrana, Jim Corbett.
- Bengaluru: Coorg, Chikmagalur, Nandi Hills, Kabini.
- Chennai: Pondicherry, Mahabalipuram, Yelagiri.
- Hyderabad: Srisailam, Ananthagiri Hills.
What works here: farmhouses and villas with pools, outdoor space and room for groups.
Turning a region into a business
If you know one of these regions well, you have a head start on something bigger than a single homestay: a booking brand for that whole region. A focused platform, such as "the best homestays in Coorg" or "pool villas near Mumbai", can win against generic sites because it knows its hosts and its guests. It takes less than ₹3 lakh to start your very own BNB platform. Read how to start your own BNB booking platform in India to see how.