Interview: Saagar Panchal, CEO and Founder of Hireavilla & Manzil, a luxury villa venture

Interview with Saagar Panchal, CEO and Founder of Hireavilla & Manzil, a luxury villa venture

Saagar Panchal, founder and CEO of Hireavilla has reached new heights by claiming his space in the luxury rental home segment.

He continues to make waves by delivering exceptional service and flawless experiences to his guests with a growing team of over 150+ professionals through tech-enabled property management and hospitality.

With a technology-first approach, Saagar has transformed the property rental space by ensuring transparency for homeowners and highly competitive, industry-leading rates for guests looking for short-term, and medium to long-stay rentals in renowned locations such as India, Dubai, Bali and Srilanka.

With bespoke experiences and personalised concierge services, Hireavilla is on track to becoming a leader in luxury villa rentals.

Building on this success, Saagar’s latest venture brings the same high standard of luxury accommodation to the Middle East with Manzil.

Like Hireavilla, Manzil gives travellers to Dubai and the surrounding Emirates over 150 luxury villas and apartments in iconic locations to choose from.

Every requirement is handled through luxury amenities such as high-end toiletries, tasteful interior design, and thoughtful additions such as essential groceries, mini book libraries, and games.

With the growth of Manzil, Saagar has his eye on complete asset and portfolio management through the Middle East and North Africa.

At Hireavilla and Manzil, we are obsessed with guest satisfaction and hassle-free luxury holidays through the use of cutting-edge technology.

What inspired you to start Hireavilla, and how did you get started in the luxury villa rental industry?

Saagar Panchal: Back in 2016 when I was in Lonavala, I chanced upon a beautiful and very exclusive villa that was being maintained by a caretaker.

With the villa being located in a very remote location, they did not have occupants on a regular basis, nor did they have any digital marketing presence as such.

This got me thinking, if the caretaker can manage such a beautiful, luxurious property, then maybe with the help of intelligent technologies, I could use the opportunity to venture into this emerging market which I could see had huge potential and take it to the next level with premium hospitality service. – and the rest is history.

How does Hireavilla stand out from other luxury villa rental companies, and what unique experiences do you offer your clients?

Saagar Panchal: Hireavilla is a technology-driven property management and marketing platform that provides luxury villa owners with transparent and cost-effective management for rental properties and self-use. We also offer experience seekers uniquely engaging villa-stay experiences.

Hireavilla stands out from other luxury villa rental companies by offering designer homes that are handpicked amongst the most beautiful in the world.

Each home has its own unique story to tell and its myriad experiences to remember. We offer stunning luxury vacation homes with premium amenities and private pools in the most iconic tourist destinations in India for a holiday experience that could rival any 5-star hotel. We are obsessed with ‘guest experience’.

What is your process for selecting and vetting properties, and how do you ensure that they meet the high standards of luxury that your clients expect?

Saagar Panchal: It is of the utmost importance that we ensure a luxury stay and experience for our clients. And for that to happen, our criteria are very demanding.

We have a specific checklist that addresses the size and location of a property, and minimum requirements as well such as access to the beach, a pool, spacious living areas and rooms etc.

Our home onboarding team asses every single property and reworks the interiors to bring them up to meet our premium standards at Hireavilla.

Of course, our guest experience is a major factor in determining our standards, and as such, we take feedback very seriously and are constantly improving.

In addition to this, we ensure that everything that a guest needs is made available to them during their stay. Our homes are set up with all the modern amenities a guest would need – personalized groceries, luxury toiletries and even a thoughtful selection of books and board games.

We also make available our concierge services to assist guests with curating custom experiences specifically tailored to the guest’s interests, while addressing any other needs that they may have.

How do you approach customer service, and what steps do you take to ensure that your clients have an exceptional experience throughout their stay?

Saagar Panchal: Hireavilla has a ‘customer-first’ approach, providing our clients with uniquely engaging villa-stay experiences.

We take steps to ensure that our clients have an exceptional experience throughout their stay by providing them with everything they desire and inspiring a new way of travel and living.

Can you tell us about a particularly memorable or unique rental experience that Hireavilla has facilitated for a client?

Saagar Panchal: We have a number of memorable experiences, and honestly, it’s difficult to choose just one. But if we had to, it would probably be the time when we hosted a 50th wedding anniversary celebration for the owner of one of our villas, at their own house.

We not only strive to make every guest experience a memorable one, but we also love to take the opportunity to have our homeowners experience the unrivalled hospitality and service that Hireavilla brings to the table.

We pulled out all the stops and ensured that they had a celebration to last the next 50 years! It truly was a memorable experience not only for the homeowner but for us as a company to see the delight on their faces with the setup and decor that our team strived to accomplish.

What advice do you have for individuals or families who are considering renting a luxury villa for the first time, and what should they look for when selecting a rental property?

Saagar Panchal: For individuals or families and even big groups who are considering renting a luxury villa for the first time, Hireavilla recommends looking for a villa that offers privacy, comfort and luxury.

We also recommend looking for a villa that is located in a prime location with easy access to local attractions.

It’s also beneficial to have assistance, especially if visiting a new place, so checking in to a place that has a caretaker or concierge, like what we offer with every property at Hireavilla, is extremely helpful. Proper guest communication is key!

What do you see as the future of the luxury villa rental industry, and how do you envision Hireavilla evolving in the coming years to stay ahead of the curve?

Saagar Panchal: The future of the luxury villa rental industry is expected to grow as more people seek unique travel experiences. Hireavilla is expected to evolve in the coming years by expanding its designer home portfolio and offering its clients more unique experiences.

We are also excited about the prospect of complete property management for our clients and are looking forward to working with builders in the near future by getting in on the ground floor during the development process to ensure that properties meet the standards of luxury and ultra-luxury that we provide.

How does Hireavilla prioritize sustainability and responsible tourism, and what steps are you taking to minimize the environmental impact of your business?

Saagar Panchal: Hireavilla prioritizes sustainability and responsible tourism by ensuring that our properties are eco-friendly and energy-efficient.

We also take steps to minimize the environmental impact of their business by using sustainable materials and reducing waste.

We go as far as to ensure that we keep everything digital, with the bare minimum use of disposable or printed materials.

As a technology-first company, we invest in creating technologies that allow are homeowners to manage their properties completely online through our dedicated app.

Similarly, guests can use the app to book stays, raise issues, or curate custom experiences. It is our endeavour to be completely paperless.

Finally, what do you consider to be the most rewarding aspect of running Hireavilla, and what keeps you motivated to continue growing and expanding the business?

Saagar Panchal: The most rewarding aspect of running Hireavilla is knowing that we have provided our clients with uniquely engaging villa-stay experiences.

What keeps us motivated to continue growing, analyzing emerging destinations and expanding the business while inspiring a new way of travel and living.

Our guests consistently return to stay at our vacation homes because they have confidence in the Hireavilla brand knowing that they will get the same level of personalized luxury service at any of our homes.

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