They’ve been in the news lately — for all the right reasons! t2 caught up with StayUncle co-founder Blaze Arizanov for the full reveal. He’s from the Republic of Macedonia, a Delhiite for the last five years and can “abuse like a Bihari and dance like a Punjabi” [Yes, most of the humour on the start-up’s blog is by ‘Uncle Blaze’.] 

1 By how much have the enquiries for StayUncle gone up after people have started talking and writing about you?

By 15x in the past week only... I am not joking! 

2 Do you plan to roll out in Calcutta? If yes, when? If no, why? 

We love the city of joy and its micro cultures and youth movement. But we won’t be able to expand there before we win our Series A :)

3 How hard is it to convince hotel owners in Mumbai and Delhi? How many hotels now offer couple-friendly rooms? 

Two-three out of 10 hotels agree to come on board StayUncle. They are the future. The rest will probably wait a little bit longer for Airbnb to kick their a** till they learn what hospitality truly means. We have 33 hotels in Delhi and 10 in Mumbai that are on board StayUncle at the moment. 

4 How did this idea come to you? 

We just did what people demanded from us. 

5 What are the biggest pros and cons of this concept? 

Pros: All the couples need are local ID proof. Guests have to be above 18. Cons: Broken marriages, relationships, some tears and some broken furniture.

6 What about hidden cameras in the rooms? 

We get this question very often. We believe we have on board exclusive, safe and secure hotels, who would not compromise their decades-old brands with abuse of privacy. 

7 So what really happens when a couple contacts StayUncle for a room? Is it usually the guy who calls?

It is usually the guy that calls although it makes our day when a lady calls, demonstrating shakti. We shall strive to be loved by women more than anything else and earn all their trust! 
 
8 How do you ensure that a couple is not interrogated at the reception? 

Hotels that interrogate and mistreat guests are immediately discarded from the StayUncle network. We do not compromise on hospitality.  

9 What if they’re students and can’t pay? 

Couples looking for a room are always ready to pay :D

10 What question would you like to ask StayUncle? Ask t2@abp.in

Karo Christine Kumar
Do you think StayUncle will work in Calcutta?
Tell t2@abp.in

What is StayUncle?

Right now, any couple’s best friend. It started as an online portal in April 2015 that let guests book hotels in Delhi and Mumbai for 9-12 hours and pay only for 9-12 hours (10am to 7pm or 9pm to 8am). Then the founders realised that 99 per cent of the enquiries were from unmarried couples looking for rooms. So that’s what they decided to focus on.

Who are the co-founders? So how does it work?

To book a “secure and super-friendly hotel” you can WhatsApp StayUncle on 8800789508 or go to www.stayuncle.com, pick your city (Delhi and Mumbai for now) and date of stay and then select from the couple-friendly hotels. They have a cute couple logo at the top left of the hotel image. When you arrive at check-in, StayUncle promises that you will not be “interrogated” as long as suitable proof of identification is presented.