In this inspiring Start Up To Scale Up episode, Pranav Dangi, Founder and CEO of The Hosteller, recounts the pivotal moments that propelled him from a budget traveler bartering meals for stays across 50+ European hostels to creating India’s first large-scale backpacker hostel brand. Pranav reveals how shifting from hotel stays to hostels completely changed his travel outlook and inspired him to fill a huge gap in India’s hospitality sector by introducing and popularizing backpacker hostels. He shares candid insights on the entrepreneurial rollercoaster — navigating uncertainty, bootstrapping through early years without salary, overcoming family doubts, and facing post-COVID challenges such as scarce capital for essentials and rapid portfolio expansion from 8-9 to over 21 properties. Pranav also talks about pioneering a new hospitality segment in India and emphasizes that authenticity and dedication are key to building a lasting, impactful business.
