Roomy: A Pakistani Hospitality Startup Is Making Mid-tier Travel More Accessible and Fun

Pakistan isn’t a place to be taken lightly when it comes to tourism. Besides a constant year-on-year spike on its tourism graphs, global traveling greats repeatedly underscore its immense tourism potential. From Conde Nast Traveller and the British Backpacker Society to esteemed publications like The Independent, Telegraph, and Forbes, all rank Pakistan as a top choice for plain sightseeing to serious adventure tourism.

Unfortunately, the local hospitality industry hasn’t grown in parallel with the domestic and international traveler footfall, both in terms of quality and quantity. While tech solutions like Airbnb are offering to solve this problem in some urban centers, tourist hotspots in the remote and scenic North still lack lodging facilities that can effectively handle high seasons and provide quality accommodation that doesn’t break budgets.

Roomy Pakistan is changing that. The visionary hospitality startup is using a mix of innovation, technology, and market knowledge to offer a solution that can define the future of hospitality in Pakistan. By improving and standardizing the quality of service, Roomy is aiming to revolutionize the accommodation industry in Pakistan through specially curated rooms at some of Pakistan’s top tourist destinations.

What’s Roomy doing differently?

Roomy is redefining mid-tier accommodation in Pakistan. Given that decent accommodation options in the North are quite expensive while the affordable ones being hardly livable especially with families, Roomy is facilitating travelers with its well-maintained accommodation facilities in Naran, Hunza, and Islamabad. It partners up with traditional hotels and guesthouses, and revamps, operates, and manages these properties at some of Pakistan’s most stunning locations.

“We know that a budget traveler is not looking for, or expecting, the luxuries of a five-star hotel; so we don’t waste money on big chandeliers, and giant aquariums in the lobby,” said Asad Samar, CEO Roomy Pakistan. “Instead, we keep it simple, aesthetically pleasing, and functional. From providing unforgettable experiences at Roomy Mountain Top Resort in Batakundi to being the pioneers of nomadic luxury in Hunza, Roomy has it all covered.”

With innovative ways of living, working, and vacationing sprouting up across the globe, Roomy is also leveraging technology to facilitate tourists. Thanks to the tech-enabled hospitality ecosystem in Pakistan that Roomy is building and promoting, the startup is able to manage its properties in the North remotely from Islamabad. The company is also facilitating online bookings where tourists can easily reserve rooms from any of Roomy’s various digital channels.

Roomy’s properties in Pakistan

There are many affordable hotels in Pakistan that Roomy is currently operating and managing. It has a hotel in Batakundi (Naran), Yurts in Gulmit (Hunza) and Minapin (Nagar), and a flagship hotel in Islamabad. All of these properties offer clean, trendy, and well-serviced rooms with different occupancy options to efficiently meet the needs of solo to family and group travelers. And Roomy does it without being heavy on their pockets.

• Roomy Mountain Top Resort (Batakundi, Naran Valley)

Located at an altitude of about 9,000 feet overlooking springs and valleys, and surrounded by snow-covered peaks, lush cedar forests, and the river Kunhar, Roomy Mountain Top Resort at Batakundi, Naran Valley offers yurts, standard rooms, and box rooms to meet different accommodation needs.

• Roomy Yurts (Gulmit, Hunza Valley)

The beautiful Yurts in Gulmit provide panoramic views of the picturesque Passu Cones and the gorgeously green valley that has beautiful apricot orchards and the calendar-worthy village, Ghulkin.

• Roomy Yurts (Minapin, Nagar)

Another perfect place for solo or family retreat in the North is Roomy Yurts, Minapin, Nagar. The location provides easy access to Rakaposhi, Diran, and Miachar peaks. Staying here, visitors can wake up to Giyaling (apricot pancakes) for breakfast and relax under the shade of Mulberry trees.

• Roomy Signature (Islamabad)

Roomy Signature is a contemporary hotel in F-6 Markaz, Islamabad that’s surrounded by popular restaurants, cafes, and shopping malls. The hotel offers traditional, contemporary, and industrial rooms at affordable rates. With an inventory of 120 rooms, specially curated to suit the needs of urban travelers, Roomy Signature ensures a superb traveling experience.

Roomy’s vision for hospitality in Pakistan

Aspiring to become the most preferred destination for travelers in Pakistan, Roomy focuses on what the urban traveler needs, not what the traditional hotel norms dictate. But that’s not the sole purpose that drives the startup. Amid Pakistan’s tourism boom, Roomy is aiming to make mid-tier accommodation more accessible for the masses. And the company wishes and is working to build a robust hospitality ecosystem in Pakistan that’s powered by the latest technology.

In addition to its present properties in Islamabad, Naran, and Hunza, Roomy is gearing to expand its footprint in other parts of the North, Punjab, and also the Southern regions of the country. The company is in the talks for partnerships in Murree, Karachi, and other cities to bridge the huge gaps that currently exist in the local mid-tier accommodation segment. The transformation of the local travel and hospitality industries is long overdue now and Roomy is triggering that.

“There is an enormous untapped potential for improving the user experience for travelers in Pakistan, and we are leveraging the technology to the fullest to enable that,” said Abdul Rehman Malik, CTO at Roomy. “For example, with our upcoming app releases, guests will not only be able to reserve rooms and make payments online, but also express-check-in remotely from the convenience of their homes even before they have stepped out. So there are no wait times at arrival at all.”