As India’s monsoon travel season approaches, EkoStay, one of the country’s rapidly growing professionally managed vacation home brands with over 160+ villas across India, has announced a significant expansion of its premium private villa portfolio across Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The expansion includes the launch of new boutique villas and experiential stays across Nashik, Wada, Igatpuri, Lonavala and Chikmagalur, further strengthening EkoStay’s footprint across some of India’s most popular drive-to leisure destinations and nature-led weekend getaway markets.
The newly launched and recently added properties include Vana Mora in Nashik, Wada Crest in Wada, Casa Elara in Igatpuri, Casa Bella in Lonavala and Forest Cube Villa in Chikmagalur. The launches form part of EkoStay’s broader strategy of building immersive, design-forward private stay experiences tailored for modern travellers seeking privacy, comfort and experiential escapes close to nature.
The properties span a diverse mix of hospitality experiences, from forest-facing retreats and scenic hill villas to luxury pool homes and large-format group stay destinations.
Located amidst lush greenery and peaceful landscapes, Wada Crest in Maharashtra has been designed as a serene 3BHK retreat focused on wellness, slow living and intimate group getaways, complete with a private pool and expansive outdoor spaces. Casa Elara in Igatpuri offers a more luxurious 5BHK hospitality experience surrounded by tranquil mountain views, while Casa Bella in Lonavala has been positioned as a premium large-group and celebration villa spread across a sprawling 10,000 sq. ft. garden with luxury amenities and entertainment spaces.
In Karnataka, Forest Cube Villa in Chikmagalur marks EkoStay’s growing presence in South India’s experiential travel market. Nestled amidst the misty coffee landscapes of Chikmagalur, the villa has been designed as a peaceful forest hideaway blending contemporary aesthetics with nature-centric hospitality experiences.
The expansion comes at a time when travellers across India are increasingly shifting toward private villas, immersive nature stays and short-format driveable holidays over conventional hotel-led travel.
Speaking about the expansion, Varun Arora, CEO & Co-Founder, EkoStay, said, “Over the last few years, we have seen a very visible shift in the way people travel, especially during monsoon and short leisure breaks. Travellers today are looking for experiences that feel more private, immersive and emotionally connected to the destination itself rather than simply transactional stays. Maharashtra and Karnataka continue to emerge as very strong leisure markets because they offer accessibility, natural beauty and year-round travel demand, especially from urban audiences looking for quick but meaningful escapes.
With properties like Casa Bella, Casa Elara, Wada Crest and Forest Cube, our focus has been on creating hospitality experiences that combine comfort, design, privacy and a strong sense of place. Every property has its own personality, whether it is a forest-facing retreat, a luxury celebration villa or a peaceful countryside escape. As a brand, we are consciously building a portfolio that feels experiential rather than standardised.”
Husain Khatumdi, Managing Director & Co-Founder, added, “The demand for professionally managed private villas has evolved tremendously in recent years. Guests today are not only seeking luxury, but also reliability, operational consistency and curated hospitality experiences. Our expansion strategy is focused on identifying destinations that have strong long-term leisure potential and building a high-quality villa ecosystem around them. We believe the future of hospitality lies in highly personalised stay experiences that still maintain strong operational standards.”
Speaking on operational scalability and market growth, Sohail Mirchandani, COO & Co-Founder, said, “As we continue expanding across multiple destinations, a strong operational backbone becomes extremely important. We have been heavily investing in standardisation, SOP-led execution, guest servicing systems and internal operational processes to ensure that the experience remains consistent across every EkoStay property. Scaling boutique hospitality successfully requires both emotional hospitality and strong backend systems working together.”
Commenting on the company’s acquisition and destination strategy, Zishan Khan said, “One of our biggest focus areas has been identifying destinations and properties that have strong experiential value and long-term hospitality relevance. Whether it is a misty coffee estate in Chikmagalur, a scenic villa in Igatpuri or a luxury celebration property in Lonavala, we look at how travellers emotionally connect with a destination. Beyond acquiring inventory, our larger vision is to build highly curated villa clusters that deliver memorable stay experiences while also helping homeowners professionally monetise their properties.”
Founded in 2018 by Husain Khatumdi, Sohail Mirchandani, Varun Arora and Zishan Khan, EkoStay has rapidly expanded its presence across India’s alternative accommodation segment through professionally managed villas, experiential stays and boutique hospitality offerings tailored for modern leisure travellers.
