India's accommodation landscape is one of its great strengths for travellers — extraordinary range across every budget tier, from ₹500-a-night guesthouses to iconic heritage palace hotels. Here is how to navigate it.
The Accommodation Spectrum
Budget (under ₹2,000 / ~£20 per night): Guesthouses, dharamshalas (pilgrim lodges), and budget hotels. Quality varies enormously — use recent reviews carefully. Areas like Varanasi's ghats, Pushkar, and Rishikesh have excellent budget guest houses with real character. Hostels are growing fast in India's cities — Zostel and Moustache Hostels are the most reputable chains.
Mid-range (₹2,000–₹8,000 / £20–£80 per night): The sweet spot for most foreign visitors. Clean, AC rooms, good Wi-Fi, often with rooftop restaurants or gardens. Independent boutique hotels in Rajasthan and Goa in this bracket are often genuinely lovely — beautifully decorated, attentive service, excellent food.
Premium (₹8,000–₹25,000+ / £80–£250+): India has some of the most extraordinary hotels in the world at this tier. Heritage palace hotels converted from maharajas' residences, colonial-era railway hotels, and world-class eco-resorts.
Iconic splurge:
- The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur (one of the finest hotels on earth)
- The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai (a living piece of Indian history)
- RAAS Jodhpur (intimate heritage hotel inside Jodhpur's old city)
- CGH Earth properties in Kerala (eco-luxe, exceptional food)
Heritage Hotels of Rajasthan
Rajasthan has converted dozens of forts, havelis (aristocratic townhouses), and palaces into hotels under the Rajasthan Tourism umbrella and various private groups. Staying in a heritage haveli in Jaisalmer or Jaipur is a genuinely different experience from a modern hotel — but check reviews carefully, as renovation quality varies widely.
HRH Group (Maharana Mewar's heritage properties), Neemrana Hotels, and Taj Heritage properties are reliable choices at the top of this category.
Booking Platforms
Booking.com and Airbnb work well in India. MakeMyTrip and Goibibo are India-specific platforms often with lower prices on domestic properties. Agoda has strong coverage of Southeast and South Asia.
For premium and heritage hotels, booking directly through the hotel website sometimes gets you upgrades or better rates. For budget guesthouses in places like Varanasi or Pushkar, a direct message via WhatsApp once you arrive can be more reliable than a platform — and the conversation with the guesthouse owner is part of the experience.
Checking In — What to Expect
All hotels and guesthouses are required by Indian law to collect passport details for foreign nationals. You will fill in a C-form (foreigner registration form) at check-in — this is standard and not unusual.
Many mid-range and budget hotels require payment on arrival rather than card details held. Carry sufficient cash.
Air conditioning is usually a room category premium — budget rooms are often non-AC. In hot months (April–June, September–October in the plains), AC is worth paying for.
Homestays and Authentic Experiences
Airbnb and dedicated platforms like StayVista and Vista Rooms list curated homestays, boutique villas, and private homes across India. A family-run guesthouse in Rishikesh or a farmstay in Kerala's backwaters is one of the most immersive ways to experience India.
In Ladakh and the Northeast, community-based tourism programmes place travellers with local families. These are arranged through reputable local operators and provide income directly to host communities.
Goa: Beach Accommodation
Goa operates on a different logic from the rest of India. The distinction is between North Goa (Calangute, Baga, Anjuna — lively, nightlife-focused, more package holiday) and South Goa (Palolem, Agonda, Patnem — quieter, more upmarket, cleaner beaches).
Beach huts — seasonal bamboo structures on the beach renting for ₹1,500–₹3,000 per night — are the classic Goa experience. They are fully replaced each season post-monsoon. Do not book these far in advance — arrive in November–December and negotiate directly.