India’s travel landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation. No longer driven solely by peak holiday seasons or destination-centric vacations, domestic travel today reflects a structural shift in how Indians move, stay, and experience cities.
According to a leading 2024-25 outlook report, Indian travellers are expected to make nearly 5 billion trips annually by 2030. As outbound travel is projected to form just 1% of total trips, domestic travel is set to dominate with around 4.95 billion trips.
From spontaneous weekend getaways and short business trips to medical travel, examinations, relocations, and hybrid work journeys, mobility across Tier I, II, and III cities is rising rapidly. This shift is reshaping the short-term accommodation market and accelerating demand for flexible formats such as hourly stay hotels.
Domestic Travel Is Redefining Stay Patterns
The surge in domestic tourism is no longer limited to leisure hotspots. Improved connectivity, urbanisation, and decentralised economic activity have resulted in frequent, short-duration travel across emerging cities that were once considered transit locations.
As a result, accommodation patterns are evolving to become:
- Shorter in duration but higher in frequency
- More evenly distributed across non-metro and Tier II & III cities
- Purpose-driven rather than itinerary-driven
This shift has led to the growing relevance of hotels on an hourly basis, which cater to travellers who need accommodation for a few hours rather than overnight stays. For accommodation providers, demand is no longer seasonal, it is continuous, diversified, and utility-led.
Recent surveys reveal that over 40% of Gen Z and millennial travellers are shifting towards last-minute, short-duration hotel stays, many lasting only a few hours—directly validating the growth of hourly stay platforms.
The New Indian Traveller: Flexibility Over Formality
Modern travellers are prioritising ease, efficiency, and control over traditional hospitality excess. Whether it is a solo professional between meetings, a couple on a short break, or families navigating city travel, expectations have evolved.
Key preferences now include:
- Flexible check-in and check-out options
- Transparent pricing and value-driven stays
- Convenience over luxury amenities
- Predictable, reliable experiences
This behavioural shift has directly contributed to the rise of hourly based hotels, allowing guests to book accommodation aligned with their schedules rather than fixed hotel timelines. Short-term stays are increasingly viewed as a practical service that adapts to real-life needs.
Technology as the Backbone of the Hourly Stay Ecosystem
The growth of hourly stays would not be possible without technology-led platforms that connect travellers with real-time availability and flexible booking options.
Technology enables:
- Easy discovery of relevant hourly hotels across cities
- Dynamic pricing models for short-duration stays
- Seamless booking, check-in, and customer support
- Standardisation across a fragmented hotel supply base
In a diverse market like India, tech-enabled platforms act as the backbone that allows hourly stay hotels to scale efficiently while maintaining consistency, trust, and service quality.
Academic work on micro‑stay hotels in India highlights that these models let hotels sell the same room multiple times per day, raising revenue, targeting mid‑scale and small‑scale hotels, and serving business travellers, pilgrims, students and groups who don’t need a full‑night stay.
Moreover, the micro hotel market is expected to grow to USD 174.1 billion by 2035, expanding at a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period.
Scaling Hourly Hotels Sustainably in a High-Growth Market
With domestic travel accelerating, growth in the hourly stay segment is inevitable. However, sustainable scaling requires intent and strategy.
From Brevistay’s perspective, responsible growth means:
- Expanding supply thoughtfully across demand-driven cities
- Aligning closely with hotel partners to ensure service consistency
- Using data to anticipate travel patterns rather than reacting to them
- Creating long-term value for both guests and hotel partners
As the market for hourly booking hotels grows, the true differentiator will lie in balancing speed with stability and expansion with experience quality.
Also Read: Why Brevistay is the Leading Hourly Hotel Platform in India
Looking Ahead
India’s domestic tourism boom is not a temporary trend—it represents a long-term shift in travel behaviour. Hourly hotels sit at the intersection of this change, catering to travellers who value time, flexibility, and clarity over conventional stay formats.
As travel becomes more integrated into everyday life, the future of short-term accommodation will be shaped not by destinations alone, but by how seamlessly hotels for hourly basis fit into the modern Indian journey.
That is where the next chapter of India’s hospitality ecosystem is being written.
