From Banking Sales to Building Malle Stays: How Priya Singh Is Creating a New Staycation Brand in Maharashtra”
There is a growing shift in the way people travel. For many urban travellers, a weekend break is no longer just about booking a hotel room. Families, couples and groups are increasingly looking for private villas, pools, comfortable spaces and experiences where they can spend quality time together.
At the centre of this changing staycation landscape is Priya Singh, Founder of Malle Stays, a Maharashtra-based hospitality brand that began its journey in September 2025.
But Priya’s journey into entrepreneurship did not start with a business background or a ready-made team.
Before starting Malle Stays, Priya worked in banking sales, where she developed experience in customer interaction, sales, communication and relationship building. Before taking the entrepreneurial step, she also spent around **one and a half years working with a staycation company.
That experience gave her an opportunity to understand the hospitality business from close range — how properties operate, what guests expect and how important sales and customer relationships are.
But starting her own company was a completely different challenge.
The Decision to Build Something of Her Own
Priya decided to take her experience and build something independently.
In September 2025, she started Malle Stays with a vision of creating a trusted platform for people looking for private villas, farmhouses and memorable weekend getaways.
The early stage, however, was far from easy.
There were questions at every step.
How should the technology be built?
How would customers find the brand?
How could the right properties be brought onto the platform?
How could property owners be convinced to work with a new company?
How should bookings, enquiries, marketing and customer communication be managed?
These were not problems that could be solved with a single strategy.
Priya had to learn, experiment and improve along the way.
Learning Beyond Her Previous Experience
One of the biggest challenges was technology.
Hospitality today is deeply connected with technology — from websites and digital marketing to enquiries, booking systems, payments and customer communication.
Priya had to understand these areas while simultaneously building the business.
Marketing presented another challenge.
A new hospitality company cannot depend only on having good properties. Customers need to discover the brand, trust it and understand why they should book through it.
Malle Stays therefore began building its presence across digital platforms while experimenting with different ways of reaching potential guests.
Property acquisition was another important part of the journey.
Convincing property owners to partner with a new brand required relationship building and patience. Malle Stays had to demonstrate value not only to guests but also to property owners.
Priya’s background in sales became particularly useful here.
Her earlier experience had taught her that business is not only about selling a product. It is about understanding what another person needs, communicating clearly and building enough trust for a relationship to begin.
From Experience to a Growing Hospitality Brand
Today, Malle Stays focuses on private villas, farmhouses and staycation experiences across destinations in Maharashtra including **Lonavala, Karjat, Igatpuri, Khopoli, Neral, Badlapur and Alibaug.
The properties cater to different types of travellers — from families and couples to friends and larger groups looking for private spaces for celebrations and weekend getaways.
The company is also working on strengthening its technology and digital infrastructure so that discovering properties, making enquiries and managing bookings becomes easier for both guests and property partners.
“Building a Company Means Learning Every Day”
For Priya, entrepreneurship has been less about having all the answers and more about continuously finding them.
“Working in a company and building your own company are two completely different experiences. When you are building your own business, you have to understand every part of it. Technology, marketing, property partnerships, customer experience and operations — everything becomes your responsibility,” says Priya Singh.
“There were many difficulties in the beginning. We did not have everything figured out. We learned, made mistakes, changed our approach and kept moving forward.”
That approach has become an important part of her entrepreneurial journey.
Building Trust, Not Just a Property Listing Business
The larger vision behind Malle Stays is not simply to list villas and farmhouses.
The company aims to build a hospitality brand that guests can trust when planning a short getaway and that property owners can rely on for visibility, marketing and guest acquisition.
For Priya, the goal is to gradually build a recognizable name in Maharashtra’s growing staycation market.
“We want people to think of Malle Stays when they are planning their next getaway. But for us, it is not only about getting a booking. It is about creating an experience that makes the guest want to come back,” she says.
From Employee to Founder
Priya Singh’s journey from banking sales to the staycation industry and eventually entrepreneurship is a reminder that founders do not always begin with a traditional startup background.
Sometimes, the foundation comes from years of customer interaction, sales experience, industry exposure and the willingness to learn things that are completely outside one’s comfort zone.
Malle Stays is still a young company, but the journey that began in September 2025 is driven by a clear ambition — to create a trusted hospitality brand around memorable stays and experiences.
The philosophy behind the brand is simple:
**Stay Beyond Ordinary.**
About Malle Stays
Malle Stays is a Maharashtra-based hospitality and staycation brand founded byMrs. Priya Singh in September 2025. The company offers private villas, farmhouses and getaway experiences across destinations including Lonavala, Karjat, Igatpuri, Khopoli, Neral, Badlapur and Alibaug.
Founder: Mrs. Priya Singh
Founded: September 2025
Website: mallestays.com
Email:[connect@mallestays.com](mailto:connect@mallestays.com)
Phone: 8446620191
Instagram: @mallestays
Malle Stays — Stay Beyond Ordinary.
