Stay Ananta
“Stay Ananta” is this Indian luxury villa rental company that’s based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and yeah it’s mostly about high end stays. It was started in 2017 by “Darshan Hiranandani” and “Smita Asrani” ,and since then the company works within the premium hospitality and vacation rental space, bringing curated luxury villa getaways all over India. They also run a huge collection , with more than 600 luxury villas, across 42 destinations in 12 Indian states and union territories.
| |
| Official Logo | |
| Type | Private Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hospitality / Vacation Rentals |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Founder | Mr. Darshan Hiranandani |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Area served | India |
| Key people | Bharti J (Operations Head) |
| Products | Luxury Villas Private Vacation Homes Curated Hospitality Experiences |
| Services | Luxury villa rentals Vacation stays Hospitality services Private event arrangements Corporate retreats |
| Website | Official Website |
Stay Ananta is usually recognized for personalised hospitality, private villa stays, in house chefs, dedicated caretakers, and trips that are built around celebrations or special moments. They mention serving over 2,70,000 guests since the beginning, and their average guest rating sits at 4.8 out of 5 on booking platforms, with beyond 28,000 reviews.
History
Stay Ananta got started in 2017, basically with the idea to build a more organised and quality-controlled luxury villa rental platform in India. The founders wanted this hospitality brand to sorta bridge the gap between premium private stays, and services that actually feel personalised.
At first the company ran out of Maharashtra , especially in well known holiday spots like Lonavala and Alibaug. Later on the brand moved into lots of other tourism regions across India, including Goa, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Delhi NCR too.
With Bharti J handling the day to day operational side, Stay Ananta expanded its portfolio, and destination network in a steady way. By 2026, the company reportedly reached over 600 curated villas across 42 destinations. It also uses a selective onboarding process and, as the story goes , accepts fewer than one out of every ten properties that apply for a listing.
Structure and Verticals
Stay Ananta runs kind of an asset light hospitality model, so instead of buying and directly owning real estate properties they lean into curating and also managing privately owned villas. From there the company sorts the villa portfolio into a few luxury collections, not just by location but more by how the guest experiences it , the kind of amenities involved, and that whole exclusivity factor too.
Its primary verticals include:
- Stay Ananta Luxe Collection
- Ananta Noir
- Stay Ananta Signature Collection
- Ananta Elite
- Stay Ananta Most Desired Collection
Each category is designed to target different segments within the premium vacation rental market while maintaining hospitality standards and quality assurance.
Services
Stay Ananta offers a mix of hospitality and vacation services, meant to give guests that luxury feel while staying personal, and yeah it’s all tailored around what people actually want. You can expect a range of experiences, like the kind of stays and comfort arrangements, all designed for an easygoing yet elevated time. These services include:
- Private luxury villa stays
- Dedicated on-site caretakers
- In-house chefs with customised dining experiences
- Celebration and event setup services
- Corporate retreat arrangements
- Curated local cultural and travel experiences
- Instant booking support and customer assistance
- Personalised hospitality management
A lot of the properties handled by the company comes with amenities like private swimming pools, landscaped outdoor areas, little entertainment zones, and more upscale hospitality services. Sometimes it feels almost like an everyday kind of comfort, but with those premium touches.
Mission & Vision
Stay Ananta aims to re-define luxury vacation experiences in India, mixing personal, kind hospitality with premium private stays. We really want to deliver those curated guest experiences, that lean into comfort, exclusivity, local culture, and the more modern travel preferences people have today.
Our vision is to build one of India’s most trusted, and well-known luxury villa hospitality brands, by growing into the main leisure destinations. At the same time we plan to keep the quality measures steady, and ensure guest satisfaction stays high, every single time.
Key People
Darshan Hiranandani along with Smita Asrani are the co-founders of Stay Ananta, and they, you know, played a big role in setting up the company back in 2017. The whole idea was more or less about building an organised luxury villa hospitality brand in India, not just “staying somewhere”, but a more intentional kind of experience. They leaned heavily into curated hospitality experiences , premium accommodations , and personalised guest services, and that mix helped Stay Ananta grow into several tourism destinations across the country.
Then there is Bharti J who works as the Operations Head and Manager at Stay Ananta. She takes charge of the day-to-day hospitality operations, supports destination-level expansion, keeps an eye on guest experience management, quality assurance systems , and also handles the operational coordination. Under her guidance the company managed to sharpen its hospitality standards , improved the villa curation process, and strengthened its destination management network across India.
Headquarters / Locations
Stay Ananta is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The company operates through a few Indian destinations too, like;
- Maharashtra – Lonavala, Alibaug, Karjat, Nashik, Mahabaleshwar, Pune, Mumbai, and others
- Goa – North Goa and South Goa
- Rajasthan – Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer
- Himachal Pradesh – Manali, Shimla, Dharamshala, Kasol
- Uttarakhand – Rishikesh, Mussoorie, Dehradun
- Kashmir – Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam
- South India – Ooty, Coorg, Bangalore, Mysore
Other destinations including Chandigarh, Delhi NCR, and Varanasi
Awards and Recognition
Stay Ananta has been getting some real nods, in the Indian luxury travel and hospitality space, for its curated hosting experiences and villa rentals, sort of a complete “stay” package, you know.
Some of its notable recognitions include:
| Year | Award / Recognition | Presented By / Details |
|---|---|---|
| — | Brand of the Year | Awarded by MakeMyTrip |
| — | Favourite Villa Rentals | Recognized by Conde Nast Traveller |
| Ongoing | 4.8 / 5 Average Guest Rating | Maintained across major booking platforms |
| Ongoing | 28,000+ Five-Star Reviews | Reported guest reviews across hospitality platforms |
The company is also known, for its selective curation approach, destination focused hospitality teams, and premium guest experience management .
Challenges and Criticism
Like several other companies running in the vacation rental sphere, Stay Ananta is seeing ongoing issues tied to hospitality standardisation, operational consistency between destinations , seasonal travel swings, and the ever rising competition inside India’s arranged luxury villa niche.
The fast expansion of India’s private villa and experiential travel scene has also pushed up the rivalry with brands such as StayVista , Lohono Stays, SaffronStays, and Elivaas. Even beyond individual players, industry wide problems like property upkeep, customer expectations, and local operational logistics still sit at the center of luxury hospitality.