Airbnb in India

Name: Amanpreet Bajaj

Role: Country manager—India, Airbnb India

Age: 35

Check-in: Bajaj joined home-share company Airbnb India as its head in 2015, after Flipkart acquired Letsbuy.com, the electronics e-retailer which Bajaj had set up with entrepreneur Hitesh Dhingra.

Five-star cred: He grew Letsbuy.com from scratch, going from four employees in 2009 to 450 in just about a year. The startup, backed by Helion, Tiger Global, and Accel Partners, was the No. 1 electronics e-retailer.

Window of opportunity: According to the International Air Transport Association, India’s traffic growth for domestic flights, at an annual 18%, is among the highest in Asia. This will result in a rise in demand for accommodation.

The mission: Bajaj wants 700 million Indians to go for home-like accommodation when they travel across the country.

Incredible India: With 17,000 listings, India is a growing market for Airbnb. Over 500,000 travellers have already used these listings.

Shop talk: Over the past two months, Bajaj has organised more than 20 events that bring home hosts and guests together to share experiences and tell stories, town-hall style.