“Three years ago, during a wedding in the family, I had to search for hotels to host my guests. That’s when I felt the absence of decent service apartments in Madurai,” says M. Jayaprakash who has converted a 20-year-old house into a comfortable stay for travellers. For the past two years, he has been renting out a three-bedroom house and a two-bedroom apartment for tourists and pilgrims, who get in touch through sites like Airbnb, Stayzilla and Booking.com. In the upscale areas of K.K. Nagar and Anna Nagar in Madurai, old houses are slowly being renovated to become homestays or service apartments. And visitors to the temple town are increasingly choosing to stay in these humble houses tucked inside quaint neighbourhoods over conventional hotel rooms. Zafar Salim who rents out flats says that the majority of his guests are those who come for weddings. “We have listed ourselves on websites but are yet to realise the full potential of the place.” The spaces are furnished and comfortable, equipped with amenities. Some also have provisions and a caretaker.
Madurai gets visitors round the year and hence the guest flow is quite regular, says Jayaprakash. “For almost six months, it’s the foreign travellers and pilgrims from North India. Domestic tourists come for a day or two before panning out to nearby places like Karaikudi or Rameswaram. Online platforms like Airbnb have made things much simpler. I also let out the space on a weekly and monthly basis.” “Being a host is always gratifying, apart from all the fun of befriending new people, getting to know new cultures and experiencing a local stay,” says Vijay Karthikeyan, whose rented space is located in P&T Nagar.
“More travellers are willing to experience the unknown,” says Saravana Raj, a passionate Couchsurfer, who provides bed and breakfast. “As a host, I take my guests to festivals like the Alanganallur Jallikattu or the Chithirai Thiruvizha. If they stay at conventional hotels, they may miss out on such quirky experiences.”
Daniel Vester, a traveller from Germany, who visited Madurai last year, recalls his stay at a house in Chittampatti village, about 20 km from the city. “Our train was nearing Madurai when we happened to click the search button on Airbnb. Over 20 properties with photos showed up and we chose the one which was amidst agriculture fields,” he says.
