On a road less travelled- Journey of iTvara

Transforming travel experiences through personalised and customised plans.

“There is nothing like staying in a home for real comfort.”

With a vision to provide a home-like experience during travel, homestays have transformed the travel experience for people worldwide.

iTvara Home-stays is a home away from home, where everything has been set up with a personal touch to deliver a personalised experience for all visitors. By providing authentic local experience, luxury and comfort, personalised attention and a homely atmosphere, it strives to be beyond just bed and breakfast and provide a comprehensive travel experience.

The company iTvara derives its name from the Sanskrit word Itvara, which means a traveller. A brainchild and a dream come true for three childhood friends, iTvara gave them the hope and passion to turn their love for travel into a profitable business.

The journey dates back to a time, where Manisha and Pallavi- the initial two founders of iTvara bonded over their shared love for travel and a dream to see the world with their own perspective. However, the passion was taken over by studies and the typical middle class family agenda of pursuing a technical degree and profession. But fate had something extraordinary planned for them as Manisha and Pallavi were joined by Sonia- the third founder of iTvara, where the team was now complete with all its founders rekindling their romance with travel and adventure.

The first AirBnB experience at Goa, left the iTvaras amused and curious as to how the travel industry is transforming from a hotel culture to a homestay. From there, iTvara Tours & Travel was founded by Pallavi in 2015, with Manisha being a constant advisor and back-end driving force for the same. It was in 2017 that Manisha quit her corporate job and gave in to her true calling- travel and adventure and joined the team iTvara as an official co-founder.

Team iTvara set out on a shared mission to curate the best travel experiences for people- as they like it. From taking avid mountaineers on virgin peaks to hiking with young groups, they were taken over by the pleasure and satisfaction that came along with travel experiences.

A life changing journey from Delhi to Kanyakumari where the iTvaras had to manage all bare necessities for survival on their own gave them a month-long time to explore and analyse the homestay culture and how to make it more customer friendly and customizable.

This experience gave birth to the first iTvara property in 2021 in Rishikesh- iTvara Cottage. Rishikesh became a common choice for all founders backed by its strategic location for multi-disciplinary groups of people ranging from spiritual groups to organisational offsites.

With a vision to craft memorable travel experiences for their clients, the founders added their personal touch to every nook and corner of the cottage. From choosing the furniture to decorating the blank walls with their creativity and ideas, team iTvara set up an abode that would feel nothing less than a home for all its future residents, with a hint of luxury. 

This was just the beginning, in a couple of months iTvara went on from being a bootstrapped start-up to being a profitable business which gave way to our second property-Aloha Premium Apartment. The cycle of turning profits into investments and expanding their grip in Rishikesh began with upcoming properties which now stands at a total of four.

Being the finalists for India’s Best Homestay awards under the Self service apartment category by Make My Trip, iTvara strives to maintain and live up to the high standards of hospitality that they have set out, to be amongst India’s most favourite homestay in Rishikesh.

But it doesn’t stop here! Team iTvara has a dream and a spirit that refuses to quit. With a vision to expand horizons and reach into other regions of India and provide the same customised comfort and luxury that they have gained a reputation out of, the team has already started working on their expansion plans in other areas, apart from Rishikesh.

If you want to experience the true essence of travel or plan an offbeat organisational offsite with your teammates, connect with the team of experts at iTvara Stays by visiting their website www.itvarastays.com or make direct bookings at +91 8806578002.