Udit Hooda

A second generation businessman and a true people’s person, Esqape is an honest representation of Udit’s passion for travel and sustainability.

He started his career in 2001, retailing Indian handicrafts before venturing into furniture export in 2007. It was in 2010 that he made his way into the travel industry, when one of his German friends decided to get married in India and all the logistics became his responsibility. Since then, Udit and his team have been curating bespoke experiences in India for travelers from all over the world through his company, Travelsense India

While creating highly personalized tours for discerning guests from across the globe, Udit felt a critical need for a hotel that provided more than just a place to stay. He realized that no brand was truly representing modern India that was still close to its history, legend and folklore.

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After much deliberation, research, planning and multiple trips across the country, Jugaad Hostels (link) and Ekaa Hotels(link) were born. Jugaad Hostels operates in the budget segment, providing stylish and comfortable accommodation options for travellers in Delhi and Ekaa Hotels operate in the premium segment with its first boutique hotel in Agra.

Jugaad was one of India’s first backpackers hostel, launched in 2015 and Ekaa Villa and Kitchen in Agra is the city’s first and only boutique hotel, ranking among the top hotels in Agra after only 12 months of operations in 2019.

Corona changed the travel industry and the world forever. In the new version of travel that has emerged during the Corona pandemic, people are looking for more private and intimate experiences with a focus on hygiene and safety. This led to the birth of Esqape.

It started with the opening of Udit’s private holiday home in Mukteshwar as a guest accommodation in 2018 and after the first lockdown he realized the amazing opportunity that lies in utilizing unused and long forgotten holiday homes.

After the first lockdown, running Esqape Mukteshwar, his own villa, snowballed into running 2 villas, which became 3 and is now a collection of beautiful holiday homes in unique locations and many more in the works.

Besides being passionate about travel and his work, he is also a dedicated father & husband, a sportsman and loves music & poetry.
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Neha Hooda

With a passion to do everything just right, Neha is a perfectionist and the force behind the operations at Esqape.

She worked alongside Udit from 2010 when they co-founded TravelSense India till 2014 when she decided to take over her mom duties to raise their son.

Esqape is her 2nd innings into business where she brings her experience of running the operations at TSI and her passion for sales.

She is the one behind the guest calls, the fire fighting and the last minute magic of fixing things to make sure the guests have the best time at any Esqape property.

Neha was born and educated in Delhi. She did her graduation from Delhi University. She has traveled extensively in India and abroad and these experiences are the bases of her passion for her work.

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She is also passionate about self care and make up and a car enthusiast.
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1. No single-use virgin Plastic:

1. We do not sell or provide single use virgin plastic water bottles. Water is served in reusable glass or pet bottles.
2. We do not provide use and throw, mini-toiletries in our bathrooms. We have reusable toiletry dispensers that are santised and refilled.
3. We by our efforts minimise the use and purchase of single use plastic bottles wherever we can i.e in the kitchen, cleaning liquids, cooking materials etc.

2. Waste Management:

1. Our first effort is to minimise the generation of waste.
2. Secondly, we segregate and manage our waste at source. Organic waste is segregated and either composed and used for our gardens and inorganic waste is disposed of properly i.e. Most of the Esqape properties are in secluded locations with no municipal garbage collection, but we collect the inorganic waste and dispose it off to the closest municipal dumpster at our own cost, sometimes more than 30-50kms away.
3. We are also working on finding creative solutions to recycle and reuse our plastic and other inorganic waste.

3. Water Management:

1. Cautious use of water as a limited resource at all Esqape properties.
2. Rainwater catchment to capture rainwater and using it at all our properties in Mukteshwar.
3. Reusing grey water for gardening.
4. Using soak pits to recharge underground water with rainwater and grey water.
5. No Reverse Osmosis filtration systems. We do not use RO systems at our properties and instead use gravity filters or conventional electronic systems.

4. Energy Management:

1. Solar Geysers: Some of our properties already have solar geysers and other will be updated soon.
2. Solar Electricity: Esqape Sultanpur is a Solar powered property with 95% of its electrical requirement coming from solar PV plant at the property. We are planning to set-up the same at other Esqape properties also.
3.  All properties have LED light fitting and fixtures.

5. Resource Management:

1. No virgin tissue paper. We use only recycled toilet and tissue paper.
2. We hire local. Some or all staff at Esqape properties are hired locally or in nearby areas.
3. Materials and Inputs: Most of the inputs and materials used at the properties like cleaning materials, decorations etc are sourced locally.
4. Food: We source food ingredients and inputs from local farmers and organic sources to support the local communities.

This is only the tip of the iceberg.

We are working on implementing more such systems and measures in place to build a business that is not only profitable, but is in balance with nature and gives back to the community and environment it exists in.

We strive to set the benchmark for responsible & sustainable tourism and we are strong advocates of the overall positive impact of travel and tourism.