Sustainability, slow living is at the heart of actor Bhumi Pednekar’s investment in Goa boutique hotel

Over the last couple of years, celebrities have been increasingly taking interest in the Indian startup ecosystem. They are either collaborating with startups to launch new products, starting their own brands, or investing in varying capacities to support an idea. 

More recently, actor Bhumi Pednekar turned an investor to support Mumbai-based Chrome Asia Hospitality’s first boutique hotel, KAIA, in North Goa’s Ashwem beach.

Founded by Pawan Shahri, Dhaval Udeshi, and Nikita Shahri, Chrome Asia Hospitality runs experience-driven restaurants like EVE!, Shy, Donna Deli, and Demy, among others in Mumbai. 

YS Life got into a conversation with Pednekar and Nikita to understand the former’s investment philosophy and what makes KAIA an important initiative for Chrome Asia Hospitality. 

The right fit 

Chrome Asia Hospitality’s team initially started looking for a location in Goa to open a restaurant. The team frequented Goa in search of a property, and it was only in April 2022 that it found a location after exploring close to 50 other options. 

On shortlisting the location, co-founder Nikita says, “We knew we needed to add about 10 to 15 rooms.”.  

Despite the influx of tourists in the last couple of years, Ashwem beach continues to be one of the most pristine and cleanest beaches in North Goa. This is because it is a turtle nesting beach, and shacks are prohibited to operate on the beach. 

“In the longer run, calling in people to Ashwem, which is about a 30-minute drive from the touristy beaches of Goa, to dine in and explore the beach, and not providing them with the option to stay over, would have affected our business,” she adds. 

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KAIA is divided into two areas–the KAIA village and the KAIA villa. The village area has a bar, a restaurant, a coffee shop, and 10 rooms that Chrome Asia Hospitality built from scratch. Across the road lies the four-bedroom villa overlooking th, and behind that, the Ashwem beach.  

Green luxury

For Pednekar of Dum Laga Ke Haisha fame, food and travel has always been of interest. Moreover, Goa was the easiest choice to make. Having spent a lot of time at her ancestral place Pedne in Goa, Pednekar says, “The fact that it (the hotel) is located in Goa particularly seemed exciting.” 

Pednekar has joined hands with the team as an equity investor. 

“It is extremely important for my investments to be aligned with my personal ethos. I practise sustainable living as much as I can, and hence I look for companies that do want to go green,” Pednekar tells YS Life. 

In March this year, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India announced Pednekar as its first national advocate for sustainable development goals (SDGs). 

“KAIA’s sustainable and slow living philosophy, and its food and beverages practices are in line with my personal beliefs,” Pednekar adds. 

With KAIA, Chrome Asia Hospitality wanted to provide rooms and services that would give a premium vibe, but at an affordable price. 

KAIA essentially caters to guests between ages 25 to 40 years who wish to escape the city hustle and experience a slow and peaceful life. “For a lot of people who are staying with us right now, it is more like a work-away-from-home experience,” Nikita says. “Hence, we stayed away from hosting gigs on weekends, and focused on other experiences instead,” she adds. 

At the moment, KAIA offers experiences including sound healing meditation, handpan music workshop, bio-energy meridian massage, breathwork, Yin yoga, power yoga, canvas painting, and cocktail-making workshops. 

Interestingly, 95% of the trees in the KAIA property have been retained. “The villa has a tree going through the middle of it, and a lot of the furniture has been refurbished from dead trees that we found outside the property,” Nikita says. 

The restaurant is driven by executive chef Mohit Savargaonkar–who has earlier worked with celebrities Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, and Sanjay Dutt, among others, and focuses on celebrating the vibrant flavours of the Goan cuisine. The food can also be tailor-made based on guests’ nutritional choices. Besides this, the restaurant also offers wood-fired pizzas and healthy bowls. 

Going ahead, Chrome Asia Hospitality plans to venture into more unique locations and create a market for off-beat destinations. 

“We have been exploring Munnar in the South and a couple of hill stations in the North. The plan is to open two more KAIA’s by the end of the next one to two years,” Nikita confirms. 

Rooms at KAIA are priced between Rs 8,000 and Rs 14,000; the villa is priced between Rs 35,000 and Rs 45,000, depending on the time and date of visit.