Entering the big league

Professional Housekeeping

It was in the early days of Dreamhome when I got this top banker as client. He had informed me that he would be checking out around 3 in the morning as he had an early morning flight. In those days, I had few housekeeping boys, so I said I myself would go to fetch the apartment key once he checks out. When I reached, my client was in a state of panic. He couldn't get any taxi for the airport, he explained. So I said I would give him a drop. And he was really pleased, couldn't believe that I, being the owner of the company, would chauffeur him to the airport.

That's not all. A month later, I get a call from the same client, offering me a big deal, that of providing accommodation to some of the bank's employees at my guest house for a few months. Needless to say, this was the biggest deal for Dreamhome at the time and truly helped put the company in the big league. I knew then that my motto—'no job is inferior'—paid off handsomely.

How it all began

It's been nearly five years since I started Dreamhome, my serviced apartment business. The journey has been magical, considering that I literally stumbled into the trade when I wanted to give out my brand new apartment on rent. A friend working for an IT major wanted to pay good money for housing some of his office employees for a couple of months. And voila! I had found the key to a successful business. And it grew so well and so soon that I quit my plush Merchant Navy job to focus on Dreamhome ServicedApartments.

But don't assume that it was a cakewalk. Far from it. There have been times when I have played multiple roles—that of driver, manager, proprietor (due to lack of manpower). And once, labour problems had even driven me and my girlfriend (now wife) to mop up an apartment. Thankfully, Dreamhome has sailed past such crises to emerge stronger every time.

The Making of Dream Home

It's been a roller-coaster ride ever since I started Dreamhome Relocations & Serviced Apartments. Over the years, I have evolved into an all-in-one handyman who can get it all fixed up. And the calls have ranged from the downright hilarious to the bizarre—the TV remote not working, guests forgetting electronic door keys inside, or someone leaving the tap open and flooding the entire floor

The guests, too, have ranged from the routine corporate to the quirky traveller and catering to all of them is like walking a tightrope—bouquets on one hand to brickbats the very next moment. In the hospitality business, you have to please them all!

There have been guests who have requested for a Mumbai darshan to the lonely traveller who insisted that all he needs is someone with whom he can talk the entire night and share a drink! There have even been guests who came down solely to watch the entire cricket world cup on TV for a month and go shopping for masalas. 

So, this blog is for all those who made the journey worthwhile. Here's a sneak peek into the slice of life we offer at Dreamhome.