Скачать или смотреть Why is GenZ Choosing Hostels Over Hotels? | Decoding Brands by Anurag (Ep 2)

We live in an age of AI and endless information, where it feels harder than ever to think clearly. But what if the answer is not more tech, it is travel?

In this episode of Decoding Brands, I sit down with Dharamveer Singh Chouhan, the Founder of Zostel, to explore how long, no-agenda travel creates the space we need to process information, find clarity, and even understand the nuances of culture.

We spoke about how Zostel turned hostel travel from an unorganised niche into a mainstream movement, what it takes to build trust in a low-trust category, and why community can achieve what advertising cannot.

It is a deep dive into information overload, culture, and brand-building, told through the lens of Zostel’s journey and the broader shifts changing how young Indians travel, connect, and create meaning.

Thanks to Zero1 Media Network (https://zero1byzerodha.com/network) for supporting this episode.


My Social Links:
Instagram:   / anurag28bansal  
LinkedIn:   / anurag28bansal  
Twitter/X: https://x.com/anurag28bansal

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
03:12 Why hostels became central to India’s travel movement
05:08 Dharamveer’s early journey: from gaming to starting Zostel
11:02 Building trust in an unorganised market
13:52 Travel, identity, and personal growth
18:48 The rise of spontaneous, experience-first travel
23:59 Inside a backpacker hostel: culture, community, and creativity
32:05 Principles, creative freedom, and brand-building
38:16 Scaling Zostel: expansion strategy and sister brands
42:12 The Zostel community: culture that extends beyond stays
49:25 The “Chief Exploration Officer” campaign
52:24 Lessons from building a travel brand in a low-trust sector
56:57 Wrapping up and final takeaways


#Zostel, #BackpackingInIndia, #HostelTravel, #TravelIndia, #SharedSpaces, #YoungTravellers, #BrandBuilding, #BusinessPodcast, #Entrepreneurship, #StartupJourney, #CulturalBranding, #ConsumerBehavior, #ZostelFounder, #DharamveerSinghChauhan, #TravelLifestyle, #TravelCulture, #BusinessStrategy, #NewMarkets, #DecodingBrands, #Zero1MediaNetwork