Backpacking through many places, seven youngsters found it difficult to find accommodation, which was safe, hygienic and friendly on the pockets. When the answer to their quest was near impossible, they took it upon themselves and found Zostel in August. “Zostel is India’s first chain of backpacker’s hostel,” begins Akhil Malik, one of the co-founders and an MBA student of IIM-C. The others are Paavan Nanda, Gharamveer Singh Chouhan, Tarun Tiwari (classmates of Malik), Chetan Chauhan and Abhishek Dhutra (graduates of IIT-BHU) and Siddharth Janghe, an MBA student of MDI, Gurgaon.
Zostel has AC dorms in Jodhpur and Jaipur, the latter was started on October 20. “We have bunk beds on a shared basis; `499/per person/per night. We also have private rooms in the range of `700-800,” says the 25-year-old. Zostel is ideal for people in the age group of 16-34 years. Zostel works well for ladies as well, adds Malik. What more does Zostel have to offer in comparison to a hotel? “People are usually shut up in hotels with little room (pun intended) for socialising. At Zostel, we have party nights, Karaoke, etc, to lighten up the mood,” says Malik, who intends to concentrate on Zostel full-time upon graduating. Zostel also has a community kitchen replete with accessories, play stations, etc.
Dorms don’t come cheap. How are the co-founders managing? “We have already robbed about `20 lakh from our friends and families and have nearly left them bankrupt. We have taken properties on lease and yes, we are yet to break-even,” grins Malik. However, hospitality is not the only arm of Zostel. Let’s hear it from Malik, “We have Zostel Getaway where on October 9, we arranged an adventure trip to Sikkim for about 50 students of IIM-C. We are looking forward to organising much more such trips. Zostel also arranges leadership sessions for school students from Class VII onwards.”
The co-founders’ future plans include graduating and branching out to more places. Details at www.zostel.com.
— shilpa.vasudevan@newindianexpress.com