Zostel Promotes Aviral Gupta to CEO as Dharamveer Singh Chouhan Transitions to Chairman

SA TeamAugust 5, 2025

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Three points you will get to know in this article:

1. Zo World, the parent company of hostel chain Zostel, has promoted long-serving executive Aviral Gupta to CEO. Meanwhile, cofounder and former CEO Dharamveer Singh Chouhan has transitioned to the role of chairman.

2. Gupta, who has expertise in hostel operations, strategy, and tech, will help drive the company’s growth in India and globally in his new role.

3. According to his LinkedIn profile, Chouhan, a cofounder of Zostel, has held the position of CEO at Zo World since 2013 for more than four years.

Aviral Gupta Takes Charge as CEO to Drive Global Expansion

In a leadership reshuffle, Zo World, the parent company of hostel chain ZostelZostel, has promoted Aviral Gupta to chief executive officer. Meanwhile, cofounder and former CEO Dharamveer Singh Chouhan has transitioned to the role of chairman.

Gupta, who has expertise in strategy, technology, and hostel operations, will aid in driving the company’s growth in India and worldwide in his new position. Since 2014, he has been linked to Zostel, initially serving as a project manager and advancing through various positions to become the chief strategy officer and head of HR before assuming the role of CEO.

Gupta stated, “We are developing Zo not only as a travel brand but also as a lifestyle and cultural identity for the next generation.”

Dharamveer Singh Chouhan Transitions to Chairman After a Decade of Leadership

As indicated on his LinkedIn profile, Chouhan, a cofounder of Zostel, has been the CEO of Zo World for more than four years, beginning in 2013.

Last week, in the ongoing battle lasting ten years between Zostel and OYO, the Supreme Court declined to consider an appeal from Zostel regarding a Delhi High Court ruling that overturned a 2021 arbitration award against OYO’s parent company, Oravel Stays.

According to Bar and Bench, the Supreme Court noted that Zostel ought to have submitted an appeal under Section 37 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act (ACA) rather than approaching it directly with a special leave petition (SLP). Consequently, it has been reported that Zostel withdrew the aforementioned petition.

Ongoing Legal Battle with OYO Adds Complexity to Zostel’s Journey

This petition was prompted by a Delhi HC ruling from May of this year concerning a plea submitted by OYO under Section 34 of the ACA, 1996. The petition from the hospitality giant contested the arbitration tribunal’s 2021 decision, which found OYO liable for violating a binding agreement in its acquisition of rival Zostel. The HC set aside the ruling of the arbitration tribunal in its order.

As reported, the HC stated that the 2021 arbitral award against hospitality giant OYO in its dispute with rival Zostel Hospitality contradicted public policy because it relied on a non-binding term sheet.

The legal conflict between the two startups, OYO and Zostel, began in 2015 when OYO entered into a non-binding term sheet to acquire its competitor, then known as ZO Rooms.

ZO Rooms’ shareholders were to receive a 7% equity stake in OYO as part of the deal. After a couple of years, the proposed merger failed, resulting in both parties filing legal cases and FIRs against one another. The arbitration tribunal ruled in Zostel’s favour in 2021, prompting the hostel chain to initiate legal action to enforce its rights.

Four years later, the HC annulled the arbitral award that granted Zostel a right to a stake of up to 7% in OYO’s parent company. The court determined that the 2015 agreement between the parties for the acquisition of Zostel’s budget hotel offering, Zo Rooms, was explicitly non-binding and unenforceable.