There is an unspoken ritual that begins when a Hyderabad household expects guests: cupboards are opened, mattresses are pulled out, sofas are cleared and sleeping arrangements are discussed over cups of tea. For a city that takes pride in its hospitality, making room for family is second nature. But when a few guests turn into a few dozen, the warmth of hosting can quickly become a logistical challenge.
It was this very dilemma that led Gali Arundar Sai, founder and CEO of HostMyGuest, to look at guest accommodation differently. “The idea came from my cousin’s wedding, where we were busy arranging accommodation for relatives. Despite wanting everyone to be together, many guests had to stay in hotels because we simply couldn’t host them comfortably at home,” Arundar recalls. The experience made him realise that while hotels could solve accommodation, they could not replicate the warmth of having loved ones stay together. “That made me realise we were solving accommodation but losing the essence of hosting,” he adds.
As the team began observing other families, the same situation kept surfacing during weddings, festivals and family visits. People wanted to accommodate their guests at home but lacked the infrastructure to do so comfortably. What appeared to be an occasional inconvenience began to look like a larger, largely unorganised gap.
HostMyGuest was built around that gap, offering same-day rental of sanitised mattresses and folding cots across neighbourhoods from Gachibowli and Madhapur to Banjara Hills, Kondapur and Charminar.
For him, however, the business is less about renting furniture and more about preserving the idea of hosting. He explains, “Hotels and serviced apartments solve the accommodation problem, but they don’t solve the hosting problem. When guests stay elsewhere, families miss out on spending time together, which is often the most meaningful part of any celebration.”
That understanding of Hyderabad’s social fabric has also shaped the business. The city’s tradition of large family gatherings, weddings and celebrations made it a natural starting point for a service built around bringing people together. “Hospitality is deeply embedded in Indian culture through the idea of Atithi Devo Bhava, and Hyderabad has a particularly strong tradition of welcoming guests,” he shares.
Building trust, however, was an entirely different challenge. In the beginning, he says, affordability was intentional, allowing customers to try a service that was still unfamiliar to them. Google reviews also helped establish credibility. “After serving around 50 customers, referrals became our strongest source of growth,” he says, adding that even today, much of the business comes through recommendations from satisfied customers.
Behind the promise of same-day delivery is a more structured operation. The fleet team handles deliveries and logistics, while the inventory team focuses on refurbishment, hygiene, quality checks and packaging. Every product goes through a defined refurbishment process and multiple inspections before it leaves the facility. “Same-day delivery isn’t just about speed,” Arundar points out, adding, “It requires disciplined execution behind the scenes to ensure customers receive clean, well-maintained products every single time.”
The demand has also offered him a window into how Hyderabad families are changing the way they host. While the desire to make guests feel welcome remains unchanged, expectations around comfort, hygiene and convenience have grown. Families, he observes, are increasingly looking for ways to bring celebrations back into the home rather than scattering guests across hotels.
One project particularly stays with him — furnishing 30 apartments for a customer’s daughter’s wedding so that guests could stay together. There have also been midnight calls when sudden changes in travel plans meant mattresses were needed before sunrise. “Hosting is often unpredictable, and families value having someone they can rely on when plans change,” he notes.
That reliability is now central to Sai’s larger ambition. His vision is for HostMyGuest to become the first name families think of when guests are expected — whether for a weekend visit, a wedding or a festival. “Our mission is simple: make hosting easier while helping people create more meaningful social gatherings,” he concludes.
