How would you improve ixigo Hotels so that more train and flight bookers also book their stay on ixigo?

Introduction

ixigo is a transport-first travel company. Trains, flights and buses make up almost all of its gross transaction value (GTV). Hotels are small but growing fast: in Q2 FY27 (July–September 2026), hotel GTV grew about 2.6 times year on year to roughly ₹111 crore, including Brevistay, a platform for short, hourly hotel stays. Even so, hotels were only about 2% of ixigo's total GTV.

That gap is the opportunity. Millions of people book a train, bus or flight on ixigo every month, and many of them need somewhere to stay at the other end. The prompt asks how to improve ixigo Hotels so more of those travellers book their stay on ixigo. I'll clarify, segment, map pain points, then generate, prioritise and measure solutions.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (5 mins)

• How do we define attach rate?

• Why it matters: Train travellers often book a hotel days after the ticket, or only after the chart confirms.
• Hypothetical answer: A hotel booked on ixigo for the destination city within the travel window, up to 30 days after the transport booking.
• Impact on approach: Post-booking moments matter as much as checkout.

• Which transport modes matter most?

• Why it matters: Train users are the largest group but have lower hotel budgets; flight users spend more.
• Hypothetical answer: All modes, but leadership wants to see hotel growth from train and bus users, since that's ixigo's unique base.
• Impact on approach: Focus on budget and mid-range stays for train and bus travellers.

• What role does Brevistay play?

• Why it matters: Hourly stays solve specific problems, like early arrivals or long layovers.
• Hypothetical answer: Brevistay inventory is available inside ixigo.
• Impact on approach: We can offer short stays as a distinct option.

• Any constraints on discounts?

• Why it matters: ixigo is profitable and protects its margins.
• Hypothetical answer: Avoid heavy discounting; use relevance and convenience.
• Impact on approach: Solutions should create value without subsidies.