Keep these 7 tips in mind if you plan to start up a resort in the beautiful hills of Uttarakhand  

So how much area would you need? Aditi believes that a good resort needs at least one acre of land. She has resorts in Ramgarh, Rajaji, Ranikhet and many other places in Uttarakhand, all of which are based on the same amount of area.

This is the most crucial of all. Whether you want to set it up at popular places like Nainital or Rishikesh or completely off beat places like Pangot or Malla Ramgarh, it’s your call. But you need to target the consumers well. If planning at popular destinations, competition is harsh. But in off beat places, you would only get niche clients and not regular walk ins. Take your decision wisely.

Sarai act and tourism department or room licence is most important. Sarai ensures that you are compliant with police, forest and environment departments, which is the most crucial. You would also need Prevention of Food Adulteration or PFA licence to run a restaurant.

While this is a tricky one, it depends on how much comfort you want your guests to provide. Manpower ratio is 1 person for every room built. So if you have 10 rooms, you need to have 10 people working directly at the resort.

"We prefer infrastructure to be suited to the local climate. So wood and stone is best. General requirements are activity room, kitchen, restaurant and maybe spa. We like elements such as fire places with real chimneys,” Aditi said.

Aditi said, the land is cheap in Uttarakhadn. It can be acquired as low as Rs 5-10 lakhs for one acre. Building costs much higher due to terrain and lack of contactors on the area. The average budget should be around Rs 2-3 CR for 8 rooms.