General Manager - Marketing & Growth

About Zostel:

India's largest backpacker hostel chain. 109+ live properties across India and Southeast Asia: Zostel, Zostel Plus, Zostel Homes, Zo Selections, Zo Houses. We also run Zo Trips, a curated travel experiences platform. 65-70% direct bookings. Community-led brand built with zero celebrity endorsements and near-zero ad spend.

The Role:

We need a GM - Marketing & Growth to own the full funnel: brand, content, performance marketing, user acquisition, retention, partnerships, and international expansion. This is not a pure brand role. You are accountable for bookings, user growth, and repeat rate, not just reach. You manage a team of 10+, but you are not above getting your hands dirty.

Reports to: Co-Founder & CEO.

What You Will Own?

Brand & Content:

- Own strategy and quality bar for Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn across Zostel, Zo Trips, Zo Selections, Zostel.

- Direct creator/influencer ecosystem (20+ active creators): shoot planning, deliverables, ROI tracking. Lead PR independently: media relationships, spokesperson prep, press narratives, brand-editorial tie-ups. Ship destination content, property launches, and SEO pages on time, every time.

Performance Marketing:

- Hands-on with Meta Ads, Google Hotel Ads, YouTube. Set budgets, run A/B tests, own ROAS. Drive direct booking share from 65% to 80%+.

- Build a launch playbook with awareness-to-conversion benchmarks for every new property.

- Report CAC, LTV, and repeat booking rate by channel at every leadership review. No vanity metrics.

Brand Partnerships & BD:

- Independently source and close co-marketing deals with travel, lifestyle, and media brands.

- Drive platform integrations: OTA co-campaigns, media brand deals, Google/Meta partnership programs. Own BTL: college circuits, co-working activations, corporate travel. 3-5 campaigns per quarter.

Community & Product Marketing:

- Lead GTM for Zostel Passport (loyalty), Xostel (co-living franchise), Zo Selections (premium), and Zo Trips international. Own community channels: Discord, newsletter, UGC programs, Vibe Curator ecosystem.

- Work with Product on positioning, in-product messaging, and feature launch comms.

International Expansion:

- Own brand and demand marketing for Thailand (Phuket, Bangkok, Koh Phangan, Pattaya), Nepal, and new SEA markets.

- Build English-language content strategy, SEA creator outreach, and local media partnerships. Set clear pre/post-launch marketing KPIs with the BD team.

User Growth:

- Drive new user acquisition: app installs, sign-ups, first bookings. Own the number monthly.

- Own activation: first-booking conversion rate, onboarding flows, first-session-to-booking drop-off.

- Own retention: repeat booking rate, email/push re-engagement, loyalty (Zostel Passport), cohort retention tracking.

- Run growth experiments weekly: A/B tests on landing pages, pricing nudges, referral mechanics, checkout flow.

- Build and track a growth dashboard: MAU, DAU, new vs. repeat users, booking funnel conversion by channel.

- Target: 10%+ QoQ growth in registered users, 15%+ improvement in activation rate, repeat rate up 5 pts in Year 1.

Team Leadership:

- Manage and grow 10+ across content, design, ads, PR, video, and influencer management.

- Build systems: OKRs, content calendars, launch runbooks, brand guidelines, performance dashboards.

- Every team member owns a metric, not just a task.

What We Are Looking For?

Must Have:

- 6-10 years in marketing and/or growth roles, with 3+ years leading a cross-functional team of 5+

- Owned a paid marketing budget of Rs 1Cr+ and can talk ROAS, CAC, and LTV fluently

- Built or significantly grown a consumer brand. Travel, hospitality, lifestyle, or D2C preferred

- Personally closed brand partnership deals, not just managed a team that did

- Can write a compelling brand brief, a press angle, and a performance ad copy. Same week.

- Hands-on with Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, GA4, MoEngage. Run campaigns yourself when needed.

Strong Plus:

- International market experience. Southeast Asia or multi-country brand launches

- Product marketing chops. Launched a loyalty program, community product, or new vertical

- Network in India's travel creator ecosystem, media houses, and brand partnerships community

- Built a marketing function at Series A/B. You know what lean and fast looks like.

Not a Fit If:

- You measure success by follower count, not by bookings influenced

- You need a large budget and a large team to show results

- You are a pure strategist who doesn't enjoy execution

- Travel and backpacker culture don't genuinely excite you

Numbers You Will Be Held To"

- Direct booking share: 65% to 75%+

- ROAS on paid channels: Positive by Q2

- New property launch: Marketing live within 30 days of handover

- Brand partnerships closed: 3-5 per quarter

- First-booking activation rate: 15%+ improvement in Year 1

- Repeat booking rate: Up 5 percentage points in Year 1

- Email/push reactivation: 20% lift in 6 months

Compensation

Competitive salary benchmarked to senior marketing leadership in Indian travel/consumer startups. ESOPs. Stays across all Zostel properties. Zo Trips experiences.