Who we are
The Birdhouse Hospitality is a portfolio of boutique properties in Himachal Pradesh, built by Ashish and Anukriti. Started with a café in 2018. Five properties across three mountain towns today.
How it started
The Birdhouse Cakery, Dharamkot
It started with a café — a small bakery in the village of Dharamkot that became a gathering point for travellers who’d come to the mountains and decided to stay longer than planned. Watching guests linger, ask where they could sleep, want to come back — that’s where the idea of doing something more with the mountains came from.
The Birdhouse Retreat, Dharamkot
The first guesthouse — five rooms in the cedar forest above McLeodganj. The ethos was set here: no generic hospitality language, no corporate tone. A well-made space in a place worth being, run by people who actually live in the mountains.
The Birdhouse Villa Bir
The Kangra valley and the paragliding town. Different energy to Dharamkot, different kind of guest — eight rooms on the main square, with a garden, a library, and a café on the ground floor.
The Bougainvillea, McLeodganj
Nine rooms in central McLeodganj — the Tibetan quarter, the Tsuglagkhang, the café strip — all within walking distance. Named for the flowering vine that covers the facade in season.
Little Bird Homes, Dharamkot
Back to Dharamkot, with a different brief: seven rooms across two buildings, six with kitchenettes, for the kind of guests who want to cook their own meals and stay for a week. The cherry blossom in the garden blooms in March.
The Monal, McLeodganj
Twelve rooms, a rooftop restaurant, a terrace with a full view of the Dhauladhar range, and parking — rare in McLeodganj. Our largest property, and our most recent addition to the portfolio.
How we think about this work
When you book directly, you’re talking to someone who knows the property — not a call centre. We don’t think OTAs are bad; we just think the direct version is better for everyone involved, including you.
Every property page on this site says who the property probably isn’t for. We’d rather you make the right decision than book the wrong place and leave disappointed. The mountains will still be here.
Most of our team members have been with us for more than 4 years. The kind of hospitality we want to offer isn’t possible with constant staff turnover. We invest in the people who run these places.
Every property in the portfolio is somewhere we’d book ourselves. We don’t run places we wouldn’t want to be in. The photography is real. The copy is honest. The rooms look like the photos.
The people behind the properties
These are the people you’ll actually meet when you stay with us. Most have been with the team for four years or more — long enough to know the properties, the guests, and the mountains well.
Sanjeev
General Manager
With the team since 2018 — before the guesthouses, before The Retreat, back when it was just a café and an idea. Sanjeev handles sales, reservations, and operations across the whole portfolio. The first call when anything needs sorting, and the reason most things get sorted.
Pawan
The Birdhouse Retreat
Pawan has run The Birdhouse Retreat largely on his own since 2022, and knows that property better than anyone. He also knows where to find Lungru (fiddlehead ferns) and Gucchi mushrooms in the Dharamkot forest — a skill worth knowing about if you’re staying with us in the right season.
Vicky
The Birdhouse Cakery
Vicky ran The Birdhouse Villa Bir single-handedly for several years before moving to The Birdhouse Cakery. He now makes sure guests there leave in a better mood than when they arrived — which, given the cakes, isn’t usually a difficult job.
Kushal
The Birdhouse Villa Bir
Kushal joined in 2023, spent his first years looking after The Bougainvillea in McLeodganj, and now runs The Birdhouse Villa Bir. One of the most dependable people on the team — the kind you notice most when they’re not around.
Hukku
Senior Baker, The Birdhouse Cakery
Hukku has been baking at The Cakery since 2021 and is largely responsible for why it has the reputation it does. As senior baker, he sets the standard for everything that comes out of the kitchen.
Vishal
Operations, The Birdhouse Villa Bir
Vishal keeps operations running at The Birdhouse Villa Bir and makes sure guests have what they need while they’re there. He knows the property and the town well — both are useful things to know.
Founded by Ashish and Anukriti, who between them have collectively spent more time in Himachal Pradesh than in most cities they’ve lived in.
Come and stay
Five properties, three towns, one team. If you’re not sure which property is right for your trip, message us — we’re good at working that out.