In India, the budget hotel aggregator Deyor Rooms is plunging into the camping business.
The Gurgaon-based start-up is making the move in an attempt to diversify and broaden its revenue base. A country-wide pilot, with 15 campsites, was organized in December and January — in total, generating close to 4,000 camp nights.
The new branch calls itself Deyor Camps, and plans to invest Rs 6 crore in order to grow its business in 2016, and has plans to open 200 campsites.
Co-founder of Deyor Rooms, and a partner at London-based hedge fund Redcliffe Capital, Dheeraj Jain says more on the decision: “From day one our focus has been value and not just volume. While the budget hotel segment is growing, we found camps segment was untapped. It is an acceptable alternative for holiday and corporate off sites with huge margins.”
Deyor Camps has partnered with local vendors to set up camps, and also invests in them. They want to corner the market on tents, WiFi, food and transportation for their camp sites.
Recently, camping has seriously picked up in India. Companies and travelers are skipping the hotel rooms in order to try out more local and adventurous opportunities. Organized camping groups, like Deyor Rooms, have also increased the predictability and security of such ventures.
The success of Deyor Camps is very much dependent on the quality and authenticity of the services they provide. Achieving a balance between modern conveniences and the novelty and do-it-yourself attitude of camp is difficult, but many in the camping industry say it’s definitely not impossible.
“When you’re camping, the right gear makes a huge impact in the quality of the experience,” says Paul Kabalin, CEO of Engel Coolers. “The coolers and other gear we make is designed to enhance the outdoors experience, so people look forward to doing it again and again.”
Already, Deyor Camps has had business from notable businesses like Google, Snapdeal, Vodafone, Infosys, and KPMG. The startup is now negotiating a $10 million offer from a Chinese family for a 20% stake, and has a couple of other interested investors.