Now, book lounges near railway, bus stations and pay by the hour
PRAYAGRAJ :Soon, you will be able to avail of world-class waiting lounges without having to break the bank. Cutting your travel budget drastically, India Business Travel (IBT) Waiting Lounges and Rooms, a unique start-up by two youngsters, plans to revolutionise the way people travel in the country.
Rajat Jaiswal and Vijender Maddhesia launched their unique start-up with the support of IIIT-Allahabad as an incubation partner.
Through their start-up, the duo from Nautanwa town in Maharajganj District of Uttar Pradesh, has already launched its first micro-stay travel waiting lounge in Lucknow, entering into a partnership with Hotel Mohan in Charbagh. For a mere Rs 349 for four hours in the hotel, you get unlimited beverages, snacks, mineral water, facility for a quick shower and a toilet kit.
They are now gearing up to launch similar waiting lounges in Prayagraj, Varanasi, Kanpur and Agra by venturing into partnerships in these cities. The target for the next three months is registering their presence in the top 10 cities of the state and New Delhi, including Kanpur and Ghaziabad. “The business idea is inspired by the huge expenses Indian travellers bear and we hit upon an idea to tap into the Indian travel Industry by providing world class executive micro-stay waiting lounges at most affordable prices. Our headoffice is in Hazratganj area of Lucknow,” said Rajat Jaiswal, the 24-year-old founder and CEO of the start-up and a qualified BCA graduate.
Somewhere down the line, prospective customers will have to sign up for a membership. They will be issued swipe cards into which customers will be able to load money. Whichever member hotel they choose to go to, they will be able to pay by the hour. However, for now, the package is for a four-hour stay.
He said that the lounges will provide executive stay on an hourly basis, slashing the heavy cost of hotel bookings.
“The hourly lounge bookings can be conveniently made online on the IBT Rooms website www.ibtrooms.com launched recently, or a user-friendly mobile application which will be available for both iOS and Android platforms in the next 20 days. Travellers will be able to find IBT Waiting Lounges near Railway and bus stations pan India,” added Vijender Maddhesia, the 28-year-old co-founder and CFO, who is an MBA graduate.
Their firm has been funded by the central government under the Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE) scheme and through which they received Rs25 lakh as financial support to help make their dream a reality.
The idea of IBT Waiting Lounges and Rooms was conceptualised in March 2018.
“In the same month, IIITAllahabad became our business incubator after we cleared the selection processcum-competition and the proposal took shape with assistance of government of India,” Jaiswal said. The duo said that if all went as per plan, they would have a ‘Quick Fresh ‘N’ Up and stay’ partner for Kumbh visitors and pilgrims as well before the mega religious fair begins.