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Have rooms, will sell

The latest rend in the travel industry is outsourcing the marketing of one’s property. Because, selling is not everybody’s cup of tea.

This way, homemakers, teachers, farmers and the like can draw income from their properties without going through much hassle. And, tourists get the feel of staying in a real home.

Marvel Tours has come up with such a concept in Green Apple, where the tourist, property owner and the facilitator are all smiling. Under this, one can register spare rooms or an unlived house with Green Apple, which will ensure occupancy and give you a part of the profit.

So, while you sit back and relax, your property fetches you handsome returns. The concept has already found takers in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Explains Sejoe Jose, Director, Marvel Tours, whose thought of this concept: “Marketing a property requires a different expertise. Green Apple helps people put their properties to good use without the hassle of getting into the grind of the business.”

Says Suresh Namboothiri, whose royal home, the Chittoor Palace, is the latest to register with this brand: “I have an exclusive property and instead of marketing it myself, I have handed it over to those from inside the industry who know the business.”

Green Apple looks for a home with a character or rooms with a view, something that will ensure tourists enjoy their stay in a ‘special’ home.

“We maintain their logo, if any, of the old tharavadus. If they have a website and an e-mail id, that is carried forward. Our quality control people check for certain standards and see that they are met. Even small details like standardisation of toiletries is attended to,” says Sejoe.

At Professor Chackochan’s Nelpura Homestay in Kuttanad, guests are treated to an exotic backwater experience and get all the three meals from the home kitchen as hotels and the city are far away. “For homes which do not have staff to run the place, we provide cooks, butlers and helpers till the guests are there. We ensure every possible facility for the guest,” says Sejoe.

Owners must register with Green Apple for a minimum of five years, but there are exit clauses if the deal does not work out to the satisfaction of both parties. So, if you are wondering how to maintain that old and architecturally rich house of yours or have rooms with a view, you can be part of an emerging trend in tourism. For details, call Marvel Tours at 098470 33091.

PRIYADERSHINI S.

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