The Hosteller scales rapidly in 2025, driven by inventory expansion and strong repeat demand 

New Delhi,  Jan 21: The Hosteller, India’s largest backpacker hostel chain, announced strong growth in 2025, driven by inventory expansion, rising repeat demand, and an increasing share of direct bookings. During January–December 2025, the brand added 2,100 new beds, a 72% year-on-year increase in bed inventory, and expanded its footprint to 5,100 beds across 72 hostels in 56 cities. In total, the company added 19 new hostels, marking a 25% growth in the number of hostels during the year.

The brand served 496,554 guests in 2025, reflecting robust demand in domestic travel. A key highlight of the year was the rise in guest loyalty, with the repeat guest rate increasing to 38.3%, up from 16.4% in 2024, representing 133% year-on-year growth. Direct bookings accounted for 55% of total reservations, demonstrating strong customer trust and engagement.

The Hosteller operates on a self-operated model, maintaining full control over guest experience and operational standards. In 2025, 95% of the company’s revenue came from self-operated hostels, with the remaining 5% from operational management contracts. By building a geographically diversified network, The Hosteller has been able to reduce the impact of seasonality, while standardised operations, technology-driven revenue management, and a community-first approach have supported efficient growth.

Commenting on the performance, Pranav Dangi, CEO & Founder, The Hosteller said, 

“2025 has been a strong year for us. We expanded our network to 56 cities and added 2,100 beds while maintaining operational control across all hostels. The growth in repeat guests and direct bookings demonstrates the trust in our brand and the strength of our community-led, self-operated model.”

Looking ahead, The Hosteller plans to continue expanding across key travel destinations in India, focusing on strengthening repeat guest engagement, direct bookings, and operational efficiency.

Awfis Becomes First Coworking Brand in India to Achieve Three Simultaneous WELL Accolades

Awfis, India’s largest flexible workspace provider, in partnership with the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)—the global authority advancing health in buildings, organisations, and communities—today announced a major milestone in creating healthier, safer, and more inclusive workplaces for India’s coworking workforce.

Through the WELL at Scale pathway, Awfis has achieved:

• WELL Health-Safety Rating across 35 locations nationwide

• WELL Equity Rating across 35 locations nationwide

• WELL Coworking Rating for 15 coworking centres, in collaboration with The Instant Group

This makes Awfis the first coworking brand in India to earn three WELL accolades simultaneously.

These achievements highlight Awfis’ leadership in people-first workplace design, prioritising physical, mental, and social well-being and moving beyond the traditional notion that health is merely the absence of illness. By aligning its spaces with the globally recognized WELL Standard, Awfis is setting a new benchmark for future-ready work environments in India.

“We are proud to mark a milestone that places Awfis at the forefront of healthier, safer, more inclusive, and future-ready workplaces in India,” said Amit Ramani, Chairman & Managing Director, Awfis Space Solutions Ltd. “These ratings reflect our unwavering commitment to creating environments where every individual can truly thrive. By embedding health, safety, and equity into the foundation of our spaces, we are not just providing workplaces, we are building communities that empower people and businesses to perform at their best.”

The WELL Health-Safety Rating recognises Awfis’ operational excellence in implementing health and safety strategies across its operations. Occupants benefit from enhanced confidence, reduced health risks, and robust business continuity measures, including rigorous cleaning, emergency preparedness, indoor air quality management, and stakeholder engagement. Organisations operating from these spaces enjoy environments that actively promote employee well-being, engagement, and productivity.

The WELL Equity Rating underscores Awfis’ commitment to fairness, inclusion, and accessibility. This recognition reflects robust policies to prevent discrimination, promote equitable access, and ensure barrier-free movement across facilities, creating workplaces that foster belonging and support diverse teams while strengthening employer branding.

The WELL Coworking Rating, introduced by IWBI in partnership with The Instant Group, focuses on people-first strategies for the coworking environment. The rating includes over 50 features across all 10 WELL concepts, highlighting Awfis’ dedication to:

• Advanced indoor air quality management with continuous monitoring and filtration

• Regular water quality testing

• Health-conscious food and nourishment guidelines

• Workspaces intentionally designed to enhance comfort, performance, and overall experience

“Awfis’ achievements reflect the leadership the flexible workspace sector in India needs today,” said Prateek Khanna, COO, IWBI. “As India’s coworking workforce grows, so does the need for healthier, more engaging, and equitable workplaces. By engaging WELL at scale, Awfis is setting a strong people-first benchmark for the market and redefining quality in flexible work environments.”

“Awfis achieving multiple WELL Ratings across its portfolio is a significant milestone. It is encouraging to see Awfis set a new benchmark for people-first flexible workspaces, demonstrating clear leadership in workplace health, safety, and equity across the region,” said Sam Pickering, Executive Director, Head of Sustainability, The Instant Group.

Care.fi, Backed by Peak XV, Acquires Aldun to Deliver a Unified, Patient-First Discharge Experience at National Scale

New Delhi, Jan 21: Care.fi, a healthcare-focused fintech founded by Vikrant Agrawal and Sidak Singh, today announced its acquisition of Aldun, a discharge-automation platform recognized for enabling near-instant, 10-minute patient discharges. Aldun currently supports around 10,000 discharges per month across hospital networks including Aster, Apollo, Manipal, Sir Ganga Ram, Fortis, KIMS, Narayana, and Cloudnine, impacting over 1 lakh lives and saving hospitals more than 10 lakh administrative hours.

Through this acquisition, Care.fi plans to scale the combined solution to 300 hospital units and approximately 1 lakh monthly discharges, creating a unified, transparent patient experience from admission to settlement.

By integrating Aldun’s last-mile orchestration with Care.fi’s revenue-cycle management (RCM) and financing rails, the acquisition addresses a critical system bottleneck—slow, manual discharge processes—unlocking measurable capacity and cash flow for providers. Hospitals will benefit from higher bed turnover, faster claims closure, reduced denials, and finance teams gain real-time visibility into receivables and working capital. Faster discharges also increase daily effective capacity without new capex, improving access and service levels for patients.

“Discharge is the last mile of care and the first memory a family takes home. By bringing Aldun into the Care.fi fold, we’re turning hours into minutes and queues into capacity. Coupled with our RCM and financing rails, including our single-window claims platform, hospitals get one operating layer for faster discharge, cleaner books, and a measurably better patient experience,” said Vikrant Agrawal, Co-founder, Care.fi.

Once the final bill is generated, patients typically head home in ~10 minutes, avoiding the traditional full-day wait. This reduces non-clinical costs such as parking, attendant time off work, and extra room charges, lowers anxiety at discharge, and supports earlier recovery at home with clearer, digital instructions and follow-ups.

“At scale, discharge delays aren’t just an operational issue—they distort cashflows, capacity planning, and patient confidence. This acquisition lets us redesign discharge as a predictable, system-level outcome rather than a daily firefight. By unifying financing, claims, and settlement into one workflow, we’re helping hospitals release locked capacity, accelerate collections, and deliver a consistent patient experience across cities and care settings,” said Sidak Singh, Co-founder, Care.fi.

The acquisition is a strategic fit, combining convenience, compliance, and cashflow with national-level distribution, delivering a consistent patient journey across partner hospitals. Standardizing 10-minute discharge processes across multi-specialty hospitals—especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets—will unlock throughput, lower administrative overheads, and improve operational efficiency without adding beds.

Backing from investors such as Peak XV (Care.fi) and 2am VC (Aldun) underscores growing confidence in practical, implementation-ready solutions that simultaneously enhance patient convenience and RCM discipline.

“Satin Creditcare Network Ltd. announces Acquisition of Majority Stake in QTrino Labs Private Limited via Satin Technologies Ltd.”

Satin Creditcare Network Limited (“SCNL”) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Satin Technologies Limited (“STL”), has entered into a Share Subscription-cum-Shareholders Agreement on January 17, 2026, to acquire up to 76.40% equity stake in QTrino Labs Private Limited (“QTrino”), in one or more tranches.

QTrino Labs, an IIT-incubated deep-tech cybersecurity startup, is engaged in the development of cost-effective, cutting-edge, quantum-safe security solutions for enterprises and government institutions. Operating in a rapidly evolving, high-growth technology segment, QTrino brings advanced cybersecurity capabilities that strongly align with STL’s long-term technology vision.

The proposed acquisition will enable Satin Technologies Limited to expand its presence in advanced technology and cybersecurity domains, strengthen its solution portfolio, and enhance the overall technology resilience of the Satin Group. Upon completion of the transaction, QTrino will be consolidated as a subsidiary, marking the Group’s strategic entry into technology-driven cybersecurity businesses.

Guided by a forward-looking philosophy, the Satin Group continues to anticipate change, embrace innovation, and invest in future-ready capabilities. Technology remains central to the Group’s strategy, enabling smarter solutions, improved operational resilience, and sustainable growth. This acquisition underscores Satin’s belief that innovation and responsible growth are deeply interconnected, shaping a future that is inclusive, resilient, and digitally empowered.

Commenting on the development, Prof. (Dr.) Jawar Singh, Founder and Director, QTrino Labs, said:

“With the Satin Group’s strong institutional backing, technology focus, and long-term vision, this partnership provides a powerful platform to advance our quantum-safe security solutions for enterprises and government institutions. Together, we aim to strengthen cyber resilience, drive impactful innovation, and contribute meaningfully to India’s growing digital security ecosystem.”

Mr. Rupinder Kalia, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Satin Technologies Limited, added:

“This marks a significant milestone in Satin Technologies Limited’s journey to build advanced, future-ready technology capabilities. As cybersecurity becomes increasingly critical in a digitally interconnected world, QTrino’s deep-tech and quantum-safe solutions strongly complement our strategic vision. This partnership has immense potential to accelerate innovation, enhance cyber resilience, and deliver scalable, cost-effective security solutions for enterprises and government institutions. It positions Satin Technologies at the forefront of next-generation cybersecurity while strengthening the broader technology ecosystem of the Satin Group and driving sustainable long-term value.”