Two years ago, Parul Gulati was confident that her Goa villa could earn around ₹40,000 a night through Airbnb. Today, she says the business has turned out very differently, with changing market conditions forcing her to reset those expectations.Investing in holiday homes has become a popular idea, and many people see short-term rentals as a way to earn passive income. But as more luxury properties enter the market, the business is no longer as straightforward as it may seem. Actress and entrepreneur Parul Gulati has now shared that her own experience reflects exactly that.Appearing on Sharan Hegde’s podcast, the Nish Hair founder candidly admitted that the income from her Goa Airbnb is much lower than what she had once projected. She also explained what she missed while making that estimate.
When Parul was confident about the numbers
During her appearance on Sharan Hegde’s podcast in 2024, Parul revealed that she had bought a house in Goa with plans to list it on Airbnb.“I bought [a house] in Goa. Usko main Airbnb pe daalungi. Ghar se paisa kamaugi,” she had said.When asked about the expected rental income, she replied, “That Airbnb I can make per day 40,000 because it’s a 2BHK.”
‘Reality hit me,’ she now says
ID@undefined Caption not available.In her latest appearance on the same podcast, Parul admitted that her original estimate did not work out.Talking about why things changed, she said, “As I said on your podcast, that I will charge 45k a night, reality hit me because back then there weren’t so many villas, so many luxury villas. Over 4-5 years, there are way more properties.”According to Parul, the growing number of luxury villas has made the market much more competitive than it was earlier.
The factor she had overlooked
Parul also said that she had not fully understood how the holiday rental business changes throughout the year.“I did not understand an off-season or a peak season very well. It’s my first time, first rodeo. So, they were promising 45k. Right now, we are charging 11k,” she further acknowledged.
A lesson from her first Airbnb venture
Looking back, Parul said this has been a learning experience. She admitted that while making her original estimate, she had not taken competition and seasonal demand into account. Those factors, she said, have had a major impact on the pricing of the property.Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available content. The Times of India has not independently verified the claims or figures mentioned. The views expressed are those of the speaker.Thumb image: Instagram
