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By Manu Vardhan Kannan
Published on March 8, 2025
The Hosteller, India’s largest backpacker hostel chain, has partnered with redBus, the world’s leading online bus ticketing platform, to redefine travel convenience for backpackers. Through this integration, travellers can now book their bus tickets directly via The Hosteller’s website and Glu App, streamlining the process of planning and booking trips.
This collaboration is designed to create a holistic travel experience by eliminating the need for multiple booking platforms. Guests can now arrange their stays at The Hosteller and secure transportation across India with ease, gaining access to thousands of bus routes nationwide. From digital nomads to solo adventurers and family vacationers, this feature simplifies travel planning, making journeys more efficient and cost-effective.
Through The Hosteller’s Glu App, tech-savvy travellers can check bus schedules, book tickets, and track their buses in real time. Whether planning a weekend getaway or a multi-city adventure, users can now manage their entire itinerary from a single platform. Additionally, budget-friendly options and exclusive promotions make this integration even more appealing, offering access to various transport choices, from luxury buses to sleeper coaches. For those embracing the workation trend, this seamless connectivity between cities makes The Hosteller an even more attractive option for remote workers.
A major highlight of this partnership is dual customer support, ensuring quick assistance for travellers dealing with last-minute plan changes, cancellations, or delays. With both brands working together, customers can expect enhanced service and faster resolutions.
Speaking about the partnership, Pranav Dangi, Founder and CEO of The Hosteller, said, “Our partnership with redBus strengthens the travel ecosystem we offer our guests and lays the foundation for even more seamless services in the future. Integrating redBus on our website and web app ensures that every traveller staying at The Hosteller has everything they need under one roof, eliminating the hassle of booking travel separately.”
Manoj Agarwala, CBO of redBus, added, “As the leading online bus ticketing platform, our mission is to make travel planning seamless and accessible. Young travellers are a key demographic for us, and this partnership caters to them, as hostels are widely used by younger people. Additionally, many of The Hosteller’s properties are in offbeat destinations where buses are the primary mode of transport. By working together, we are offering a ‘one-stop solution’ for all booking needs.”
About The Hosteller: Established in 2014, The Hosteller is India’s largest backpacker hostel chain, headquartered in Mumbai. With a presence in 60+ destinations across North, South, and West India, it provides vibrant, community-driven stays designed for travellers seeking adventure and connections. Under the leadership of Pranav Dangi, The Hosteller has grown into a technology-driven brand that prioritizes seamless and engaging travel experiences.
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Published on January 7, 2026
In an era where guest experience plays a decisive role in hotel ratings and repeat visits, Palaniappa Electronics has introduced Hepi TV, a next-generation in-room entertainment solution designed to address one of hospitality’s most overlooked challenges, television content accessibility.
Traditionally, hotels relying on DTH services activate only a single regional language pack. With guests arriving from diverse states and linguistic backgrounds, limited channel options often result in televisions remaining unused, diminishing the overall in-room experience. Hepi TV resolves this gap by delivering, for the first time in India, all SD channels permitted for broadcast through IP technology.
Operating seamlessly over existing Wi-Fi or LAN connectivity, Hepi TV eliminates the need for satellite dishes or DTH cabling. This allows hotels to offer multilingual channel access to guests from any region while incurring the cost of only one regional DTH pack. The Hepi TV box is provided free of charge, ensuring zero infrastructure investment for hotels.
Beyond live television, Hepi TV introduces personalised guest engagement. Upon check-in, the guest’s name appears on the TV screen and remains visible until checkout, creating a warm and premium welcome. The platform also supports popular OTT applications, with guest login credentials securely erased at checkout to ensure privacy and data protection.
Hotels can further utilise the system as an in-room communication tool by uploading up to six 4K videos highlighting hotel services, facilities, or promotions, transforming televisions into effective marketing touchpoints.
Available at ₹300 plus GST per TV per month, Hepi TV offers a cost-effective, scalable solution for hotels seeking to modernise in-room entertainment while enhancing guest satisfaction. For General Managers and Property Owners, it represents a practical blend of technology, personalisation, and operational efficiency.
Palaniappa Electronics continues to strengthen its reputation as a trusted partner for hospitality-focused electronic solutions, known for consistent quality, timely delivery, and a strong understanding of hotel operational needs.
For more details contact Palaniappa Electronics | Mr.Muthu @ 9003045685 or muthu@palaniappagroup.com
By Hariharan U
Lenexis Foodworks, one of India’s leading quick-service food companies, reported strong performance over the festive season, driven by consumer preference for experiential dining. The group operates prominent brands including Chinese Wok, The Momo Co., and Big Bowl, with a footprint of over 250 outlets in 45+ cities.
Founder and Director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, "New Year's Eve capped off an exceptional festive run for us, with strong dine-in momentum carrying through the last week of December. We witnessed over 30% growth in sales and more than 40% growth in footfalls versus last year, clearly indicating that consumers are stepping out to celebrate and prefer the experiential joy of dining together."
Agrawal further highlighted that Christmas Day was a record-breaking occasion, with 25% year-on-year sales growth and over 35% increase in footfalls. Delivery growth was driven by Big Bowl (25%+) and Chinese Wok (15%), while dine-in combos saw a 25% rise in preference. Signature offerings like Superbowls continued to attract new customers, acting as a strong acquisition driver for the group.
"December has performed as per expectations and sets a solid foundation for accelerated growth as we move into 2026," added Agrawal.
About Lenexis FoodworksFounded in 2015, Lenexis Foodworks is a leading Indian quick-service food company dedicated to delivering high-quality culinary experiences across high streets and malls. Its portfolio includes Chinese Wok, India’s largest Desi-Chinese QSR brand, The Momo Co., and Big Bowl, serving diverse tastes and preferences. With over 250 outlets across cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, and Kolkata, the company has played a key role in shaping the modern Indian QSR landscape. Looking ahead, Lenexis Foodworks aims to expand into new concepts and culinary formats to bring innovative, flavour-forward experiences to consumers nationwide.
EBG Group, a rapidly growing Indian conglomerate with interests across mobility, health, realty, lifestyle, food, services, technology, and education, has announced acclaimed actor Mrunal Thakur as the brand ambassador for its wellness-hospitality venture, Carlton Wellness. The association marks an important milestone in the group’s mission to create a credible, premium, and regulated wellness ecosystem in India.
As part of this partnership, Mrunal Thakur will lead Carlton Wellness’s brand films, digital narratives, experiential wellness campaigns, and flagship property launches. These initiatives will be rolled out in phases across key markets, strengthening Carlton Wellness’s presence among modern Indian consumers seeking balanced and holistic wellbeing.
Speaking on the association, Dr. Irfan Khan, Chairman and Founder of EBG Group, shared that Mrunal Thakur was chosen for her strong alignment with the values of wellness, mindful living, and inner balance. He noted that her modern grace, emotional strength, and understated elegance reflect the core philosophy of Carlton Wellness, which focuses on preventive care, longevity, and conscious luxury. He added that the collaboration reinforces the group’s long-term commitment to building a meaningful and scalable wellness platform in India.
Mrunal Thakur, expressing her thoughts on the partnership, said that wellness is deeply personal to her and appreciated Carlton Wellness’s approach that goes beyond surface-level luxury. She highlighted that the brand encourages people to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and prioritise holistic health, making the association both natural and meaningful for her.
Carlton Wellness Group, under its strategic partnership with EBG Group, is being developed as an integrated wellness-hospitality platform. Its offerings span wellness resorts, destination retreats, city and hotel-based spas, and wellness-focused vacation homes and residences. The platform combines clinical and experiential wellness practices such as Ayurveda, naturopathy, mindfulness, and hydrotherapy, while adapting global wellness standards to suit Indian lifestyles. A strong emphasis is placed on preventive healthcare, longevity, and improving overall quality of life.
Currently, multiple Carlton Wellness spa formats are set to operate across select partner locations, with licensed spa projects already live within premium hospitality and real estate developments. Flagship wellness retreat and resort projects are at advanced stages of development in cities including Ahmedabad, Indore, and Manipal. The brand has also confirmed expansion plans across Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Surat, Lucknow, Bangalore, and Manipal, strengthening its footprint across metro and Tier-1 markets.
Looking ahead, Carlton Wellness plans a broader expansion across Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and key NCR and metro hubs. The roadmap includes the launch of 20 to 30 wellness spas in major cities, four to six destination wellness retreats, two to three boutique wellness resorts in nature-led or coastal locations, and one to two luxury wellness residential or vacation home projects.
Backed by this strong expansion pipeline, the EBG Carlton platform is projecting revenues in the range of ₹80 to ₹120 crore in the near term, with plans to scale up to ₹180 to ₹250 crore by FY27. Revenue streams will be driven by spa operations, memberships, resort and retreat bookings, licensing and revenue-share models, managed wellness vacation homes, and curated wellness programs and collaborations.
Over the next few years, the alliance aims to establish flagship wellness assets and urban spa leadership, expand to over 50 wellness touchpoints nationwide, and emerge as India’s largest regulated wellness network. With future plans for international expansion into GCC and Southeast Asian markets, EBG Group and Carlton Wellness are positioning themselves at the intersection of conscious luxury, longevity science, and holistic wellbeing.
With Mrunal Thakur as the face of the brand, Carlton Wellness continues its journey toward becoming one of India’s most trusted and globally respected wellness-hospitality names.
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