OYO Introduces 'Yo! Help', its 24x7 Realtime Chat Assistant; Enables a Seamless Customer Experience

While preventive lockdowns have helped countries flatten the curve and break the chain, it has also impacted industries across the world, including travel and hospitality. COVID-19 has disrupted the way people go about their daily lives due to social distancing norms, thereby paving the way for digital and virtual offerings. Consequently, technology-led businesses have the potential to come out stronger. Understanding this, as India takes a step towards normalcy, OYO, the world's leading hospitality chain introduced Yo! Help, a 24*7 real-time chat assistant for guests with a valid booking across OYO hotels and homes globally. Through this technology, OYO is set to enable seamless experiences throughout the consumer journey, right from the post-booking to post-checkout or cancellation phases.

Technology is deeply embedded in OYO's DNA. During such times, when the world is adapting to newer ways of living alongside the virus, digital and tech-based solutions play a significant role to minimize human contact and maintain social distancing norms. Therefore, with Yo! Help, OYO aims to enable guests with self-help and self-serve mechanisms so that they can seek answers to their queries at any time, and anywhere through a single tap of a button. Some of the key USPs of OYO's Yo Help! are end-to-end automation and high-speed resolution which is completely built in-house with the ability to detect fraudulent cases.

OYO's realtime assistant, Yo! Help is educated with secure data to increase its intelligence and empathy quotients. The company has also worked towards gamifying responses in an effort to make consumer interactions more human and less transactional. The company invested nearly six months building the technology; thereby, ensuring its effectiveness and productivity. Additionally, through the company's deeply integrated tech stack, it will also launch projects to personalize guest interactions rather than a neutral request-response mechanism. As a global organisation, OYO's chatbot is built to provide different experiences for consumers across different countries, considering every geographys unique challenges. Yo! Help leverages Natural Language Processing (NLP) to decrease the interaction time and bubble up relevant queries from the guests based on freely written text. This technology is also capable of personalising experiences for guests on OYO's platforms.

Commenting on the introduction of Yo! Help, Anil Goel - Group Chief Technology & Product Officer said, "Typically, the hospitality industry is known as one of the most high-touch industries, relying mainly on human connections, be it the warm greetings at the reception, tikka on arrival, check-in, check-out formalities or room service among others. With COVID-19 spreading rapidly across the globe and social distancing becoming a way of life, the hospitality industry is at a pivotal point of transformation. The pandemic is ushering a 'digital-shift', which is an opportunity for us to rebuild differently and strengthen our focus on tech-enabled experiences. We are, therefore, focussing our efforts on enhancing processes and doing more with less. This is a once-in-a-lifetime situation that can leave us completely transformed."

He adds, "At OYO, we believe in continuous improvisation as we aim to go the extra mile for our consumers. With Yo! Help, we are enhancing customer experiences and at the same time helping our business reduce costs without compromising on the customer service delivered to the end consumer. Over the past 6 years, we have built the world's largest technology-driven hospitality chain and through this journey, consumer feedback has been very important to us. We have used our guest feedback to understand what's working best and the areas that we could improvise. With Yo! Help, we have been able to resolve queries across India within an Average Handling Time (ATH) of 01 minute as compared to a call center's ATH of 8-10 minutes. In terms of escalations, the average Turn Around Time (TAT) is 5-7 mins vs 2.5-3 hours, depending on the nature of the issue faced. Having said that, we also believe that human connection is important and we'll continue to enable guests to chat with our agents in case a query needs to be resolved beyond self-serve mechanisms."

OYO guests can access the Yo! Help on their existing OYO app or OTA booking through the following steps:

OYO's self-help tools can be reached on the link www.oyorooms.com/yo

The guests will receive the link to OYO's realtime assistant in their booking confirmation SMS as well as via other channels

The guests can open the link on a mobile web browser or desktop and enter a valid booking ID and check-in date to authenticate their booking. OTA guests can use the Booking ID provided by the OTAs including Booking.com, Agoda, MMT and GoIbibo

Once authenticated the guests can use Yo! Help to resolve their queries through an automated answer or by directly engaging with an OYO chat agent

Recently, OYO also rolled out the 'Sanitised Stays' initiative which involves the process of digital check-ins and check-outs through the app, offering consumers the flexibility of digital payments and sharing online feedback. In order to improve the efficiency of operations on-ground during the pandemic, OYO also announced multi-lingual support for Krypton, a mobile audit application in 12 languages for its asset partners. This will enable property managers from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in India to operate the app in their native language.

About OYO Hotels & Homes
Opening its doors in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes, a young hotel startup, today is the world's leading chain of hotels and homes. OYO today operates in over 800 cities in 80 countries, including the U.S., Europe, U.K., India, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan.

For more information, please visit www.oyorooms.com.

OYO Launches Employee Wellbeing and Work-life-balance Initiatives Including Weekend Curfew, Gratitude Holiday and more

OYO becomes one of the first Indian startups to move to a 5-day work week with 'weekend curfew', encouraging a balanced work-life approach

Offers a gratitude (surprise) holiday to employees on August 17, 2020 in India, christened as OYOpendence day, to express gratitude for the hard work and long hours put in by all employees during these tough times

Leaders to ensure that teams work during mandated work hours only, take personal time-outs, avail annual holidays as the organisation adapts to the Hybrid Workplace Model

Recognising the resilience and commitment demonstrated by individuals and teams across businesses in the past few months and understanding the need to prioritize health and wellness in the "new normal" ways of working, OYO Hotels & Homes announced a host of employee wellbeing and work-life balance related initiatives to foster growth, happiness and holistic development of OYOprenuers (OYO employees). The company also announced a series of other initiatives in this direction, and to help employees upskill and prepare for the changing needs of the hospitality industry, as the pandemic forces all companies to innovate for sustenance.

OYO

With impetus on wellbeing and work-life balance, OYO announced that all employees across teams will have a 5-day work week starting August 2020. A 'weekend curfew' will also be implemented where everyone will be encouraged to avoid calls, meetings and messages on weekends and holidays. Delivering on their people priorities, OYO has increased its focus on the wellbeing of employees and is encouraging a balanced approach to work as it adapts the hybrid workplace model. Managers and leaders will power the initiatives and lead from the front to ensure employees have mandated work hours, take a personal time-out, avail annual holidays and encourage a healthy & sustainable approach to work-life balance, even while working from home.

Some key employee wellbeing & work-life-balance initiatives launched include:

Five day work week, weekend curfew & new ways of working: At OYO, with effect from August 2020, all Saturdays across regional and corporate teams will be a holiday. There will be rosters for field roles that require working on Saturdays to ensure a five-day working week. There will be no scheduling of work calls and meetings, or sending emails or Slack messages on weekends and holidays, ensuring complete weekend curfew, unless it's an emergency. Responding to work emails or messages received over the weekend by the subsequent working day will be acceptable and leaders or business heads will not conduct review meetings on Monday, so that the teams do not have to prepare for it over the weekend. Moreover, individuals will be able to define their core working hours to schedule a majority of calls and meetings, based on the role and team and are also encouraged to block personal time (for meals, house chores, pursuing a hobby etc) and silent time (to ensure productivity) on their calendars.

Hybrid Workplace Model: Employees in India will continue to follow the Hybrid Workplace model, which gives them the flexibility of 'working from anywhere'. Employees will be encouraged to make use of OYO's co-working spaces for meeting as required.

OYO X Cure.fit: Taking a step towards holistic wellbeing of employees OYO has partnered with Cure.fit to offer its 12 month-membership at specially negotiated rates, where OYO will bear 50% of the fee. The membership will offer unlimited access to digital sessions on fitness, dance, yoga, meditation and health & wellness content, and a chance to participate in closed group corporate level challenges.

Creating upskilling platforms: Offering upskilling and career growth opportunities by investing in employees' professional growth, OYO launched Data Science Academy & Young Turks programme. Data Science Academy is designed to help upskilling existing talent to build a world-class data sciences and advanced analytics team and Young Turks is a capability building and functional learning program for OYO's rising stars. The rigorous learning journey will be a combination of social, experiential, on-the-job training and formal sessions.

Surprise Holiday: OYO also announced that it would offer employees a surprise holiday to showcase gratitude to employees, on Monday August 17, 2020 in India (christened as OYOpendence day) so that employees can use the long-weekend to unwind, follow hobbies or simply catch up on pending personal chores.

[caption id="attachment_151120" align="alignleft" width="302"] Dinesh Ramamurthi - Chief Human Resources Officer - OYO[/caption]

Speaking about the recent initiatives, Dinesh Ramamurthi - Chief Human Resources Officer - OYO said, "As OYO gears up for a much-awaited resurgence, our people continue to be at the front and centre of everything we do. The COVID crisis and the resulting 'new normal' has made it imperative for us to introspect and take steps to ensure a healthy work-life integration. We have therefore recently launched initiatives to foster growth, happiness, wellbeing and holistic development of OYOprenuers. We have received a lot of positive feedback and appreciation from OYOpreneurs so far, and it just helps reinforce our commitment to them. Workplace culture is a shared responsibility and we will work closely with all OYOpreneurs to ensure that everyone walks the talk on these promises and that all of us feel proud of being a part of this amazing organization."

Apart from these initiatives, OYO also launched and facilitated a host of other initiatives to build an equitable and inclusive workplace focusing on development on the professional front. These revolve around four pillars of 'celebrating', 'enabling', 'supporting' and 'including' diversity at every level. This includes rewards and recognition programs like 'Front Runners', employee initiatives like 'The CEO Club', and 'OYO Privy League 2.0'. OYO also launched OYO Women's Network, a platform for members to seek or share career advice, build a network with women leaders inside and outside OYO and drive each other's professional and personal growth. OYO also conducted over 60 sessions of Virtual Family Day celebrations in June, to bring OYOpreneurs and their families together to bond and have a great time.

About OYO Hotels and Homes

Opening its doors in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes, a young hotel startup, today is the world's leading chain of hotels and homes. OYO today operates in over 800 cities in 80 countries, including the U.S., Europe, U.K., India, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan.

For more information, please visit www.oyorooms.com.

OYO Adopts Hybrid Workplace Model, Committed to Employee Safety, Health and Wellness

The company has adopted 'hybrid workplace model' that will pivot on the combination of work from home, work from anywhere and work from flexible co-working spaces

Currently, 100% of OYO's workforce is working in a hybrid model and are using tools like Zoom, Google hangouts, Slack to stay connected and maintain productivity

Launched multiple employee-centric virtual & digital initiatives with the objective of maintaining employee productivity, boosting employee morale

To support employee's mental well-being during these challenging times, OYO also offers an Employee Well-being & Assistance Program (EWAP)

As COVID-19 restrictions ease and the economy starts to open up again, many corporates have begun planning to bring their workforce back to the office. Keeping in mind the new business realities, OYO Hotels & Homes, one of the world's leading hotel chains, has moved to a 'hybrid workplace model' for a foreseeable future which is helping the company operate in full capacity across the country, without compromising the health and safety of its employees. While a significant majority continue to work from home, several teams have chosen to 'work from anywhere' while others have opted for flexible co-working centres offered by OYO Workspaces, the company's co-working arm.

Employee safety, health and well-being top the list of priorities for the company. The hybrid model ensures to give options to the workforce as the states come out of lockdown to maintain social distancing norms and provide flexibility in the working hours which in return has resulted in a noticeable improvement in overall productivity. OYO is continuously empowering its employees with the right tools such as Slack to drive their productivity and performance, to build a high-performing and employee-first work culture, and a strong leadership bench strength.

Leading with humanity and empathy, OYO has rolled out various employee-centric initiatives to boost employee morale during these times. To ensure employee connect, OYO is organising virtual coffee sessions with its leaders, has launched 'CEO-Club' - a recognition programme by Rohit Kapoor, CEO, OYO India & South Asia and has also rolled-out skip-level, monthly rewards and recognition meets. The company also recently hosted its first-ever Virtual Family Day aimed at building better interpersonal bonds among OYOPrenuers. To promote upskilling and e-learning among its employees, OYO has launched OYOVersity, it's Learning Management System for the employees which includes lessons on leadership, how to boost productivity while working remotely among other topics. These fully digital modules also include an additional COVID-19 module to communicate necessary precautions and health advisories to OYOprenuers across geographies. Internal tech support platform OYO Seek has been instrumental in resolving most technology-dependent concerns in a timely manner.

Commenting on the development, Dinesh Ramamurthi, Chief Human Resources Officer, OYO Hotels & Homes said, "With the changes in the working environment, the current situation is a testament that employee efficiency is greater than actual physical presence. At OYO, we are committed to employee safety, wellbeing and have adopted a hybrid workplace model keeping in mind the evolving needs of the current and future workforce. Our workforce is divided into three categories, corporate employees, capability functions and field staff. While the field staff is already stepping out and attending office following all the health and safety protocols, our corporate employees and capability functions are also fully operational, and are opting for a combination of work from home and working from flexible coworking spaces solutions."

Commenting on the adoption of co-working spaces as part of the hybrid workplace model, Dr. Ritesh Malik, Founder, Innov8, said, "The Co-working industry is seeing more companies opting for availability of flexible office solutions & Co-working models to reduce long term blockage of capital in leases and furniture. Going forward, work from home options will increase however; there's an opportunity for co-working players like ours where companies are collaborating with us to develop work from home units as well. Once the lockdown eases and as the workforce returns, adoption of the nearest Co-working offices for employees is also going to increase."

Anuj Puri, Chairman, ANAROCK Property Consultants, said, "The COVID-19 pandemic has kick-started a rapid evolutionary process across the real estate landscape. Extreme innovation is what will win the game in the near future. As evidenced by the success of office-retail complexes, hybrid models clearly have potential. The workplace of tomorrow will depend on tighter collaboration to seamlessly weld together teams working from home as well as offices. Technology will be the primary enabler, not least of all when it comes to data security in the newly re-envisioned world."

To support employee's mental well-being during these challenging times, OYO's Employee Well-being & Assistance Program (EWAP) provides consultation services to its employees where they can confidentially avail professional support to improve their emotional well being. EWAP benefits include unlimited phone counselling, access to an 8-week online Behavioral Therapy program among others. The company aims to enable its employees to lead a fuller, stress-free life given the changing work environment.

OYO Adopts Hybrid Workplace Model, Committed to Employee Safety, Health and Wellness

• The company has adopted 'hybrid workplace model' that will pivot on the combination of work from home, work from anywhere and work from flexible co-working spaces
• Currently, 100% of OYO's workforce is working in a hybrid model and are using tools like Zoom, Google hangouts, Slack to stay connected and maintain productivity 
• Launched multiple employee-centric virtual & digital initiatives with the objective of maintaining employee productivity, boosting employee morale 
• To support employee's mental well-being during these challenging times, OYO also offers an Employee Well-being & Assistance Program (EWAP) 

As COVID-19 restrictions ease and the economy starts to open up again, many corporates have begun planning to bring their workforce back to the office. Keeping in mind the new business realities, OYO Hotels & Homes, one of the world's leading hotel chains, has moved to a 'hybrid workplace model' for a foreseeable future which is helping the company operate in full capacity across the country, without compromising the health and safety of its employees. While a significant majority continue to work from home, several teams have chosen to 'work from anywhere' while others have opted for flexible co-working centres offered by OYO Workspaces, the company's co-working arm.

Employee safety, health and well-being top the list of priorities for the company. The hybrid model ensures to give options to the workforce as the states come out of lockdown to maintain social distancing norms and provide flexibility in the working hours which in return has resulted in a noticeable improvement in overall productivity. OYO is continuously empowering its employees with the right tools such as Slack to drive their productivity and performance, to build a high-performing and employee-first work culture, and a strong leadership bench strength.

Leading with humanity and empathy, OYO has rolled out various employee-centric initiatives to boost employee morale during these times. To ensure employee connect, OYO is organising virtual coffee sessions with its leaders, has launched 'CEO-Club' - a recognition programme by Rohit Kapoor, CEO, OYO India & South Asia and has also rolled-out skip-level, monthly rewards and recognition meets. The company also recently hosted its first-ever Virtual Family Day aimed at building better interpersonal bonds among OYOPrenuers. To promote upskilling and e-learning among its employees, OYO has launched OYOVersity, it's Learning Management System for the employees which includes lessons on leadership, how to boost productivity while working remotely among other topics. These fully digital modules also include an additional COVID-19 module to communicate necessary precautions and health advisories to OYOprenuers across geographies. Internal tech support platform OYO Seek has been instrumental in resolving most technology-dependent concerns in a timely manner.

Commenting on the development, Dinesh Ramamurthi, Chief Human Resources Officer, OYO Hotels & Homes said, "With the changes in the working environment, the current situation is a testament that employee efficiency is greater than actual physical presence. At OYO, we are committed to employee safety, wellbeing and have adopted a hybrid workplace model keeping in mind the evolving needs of the current and future workforce. Our workforce is divided into three categories, corporate employees, capability functions and field staff. While the field staff is already stepping out and attending office following all the health and safety protocols, our corporate employees and capability functions are also fully operational, and are opting for a combination of work from home and working from flexible coworking spaces solutions."

Commenting on the adoption of co-working spaces as part of the hybrid workplace model, Dr. Ritesh Malik, Founder, Innov8, said, "The Co-working industry is seeing more companies opting for availability of flexible office solutions & Co-working models to reduce long term blockage of capital in leases and furniture. Going forward, work from home options will increase however; there's an opportunity for co-working players like ours where companies are collaborating with us to develop work from home units as well. Once the lockdown eases and as the workforce returns, adoption of the nearest Co-working offices for employees is also going to increase."

Anuj Puri, Chairman, ANAROCK Property Consultants, said, "The COVID-19 pandemic has kick-started a rapid evolutionary process across the real estate landscape. Extreme innovation is what will win the game in the near future. As evidenced by the success of office-retail complexes, hybrid models clearly have potential. The workplace of tomorrow will depend on tighter collaboration to seamlessly weld together teams working from home as well as offices. Technology will be the primary enabler, not least of all when it comes to data security in the newly re-envisioned world."

To support employee's mental well-being during these challenging times, OYO's Employee Well-being & Assistance Program (EWAP) provides consultation services to its employees where they can confidentially avail professional support to improve their emotional well being. EWAP benefits include unlimited phone counselling, access to an 8-week online Behavioral Therapy program among others. The company aims to enable its employees to lead a fuller, stress-free life given the changing work environment.

OYO's Loyalty Programme OYO Wizard Crosses the 7.5 Mn+ Subscribers Milestone, Grows by 50% in 2020

OYO, one of the world's leading hotel chains today announced that OYO Wizard, its customer loyalty program has crossed the 7.5 million+ member mark as of May 2020. This indicates a 50% growth in subscribers in 2020 over the base last year.

One of India's largest paid hospitality loyalty programs, OYO Wizard is designed to recognise and reward frequent customers and offers them a unique host of benefits, including guaranteed discounts, cashback, discount coupons and upgrades.

Given the current scenario owing to COVID-19 and reduced travel, OYO has extended all Wizard memberships by 4 months at no additional cost and has contributed all proceeds from the Wizard membership purchases for April 2020 to the OYO Welfare Fund. The OYO Welfare fund was set up for the benefit and welfare of the employees & asset partners and their staff members impacted by the pandemic or the consequent restrictions all over the world.

As India returns to normalcy OYO Wizard's growing subscriber base serves as an important indicator of the need for affordable and flexible choices with end-to-end customer experience management. Keeping in mind the changing needs of customers in the post-pandemic world, OYO also recently launched a customer-centric initiative, OYO Wowcher that offers customers double its value with the flexibility on the duration of redemption.

Commenting on this milestone, Abhishek Bansal, Vice President - Revenue Management - OYO Hotels & Homes said, "We are proud to announce that our loyalty program OYO Wizard has crossed the 7.5 mn+ mark. Even during tough times like these, this milestone serves as a testament that our offerings are in line with our customer's requirements which have a new benchmark post-COVID with flexibility & affordability being at the core. As we shift gears with Unlock 1.0 and hotels re-open in a phased manner, we strive to offer our loyal customers exclusive curated deals for hygienic sanitised stays with convenient, seamless booking options at industry-best prices."

Interestingly, over 60% of hotels on OYO platform are a part of the Wizard network and 60% of all transactions made by premium Wizard members are done on Wizard member hotels, resulting in higher revenue for Wizard partner hotels as compared to non-Wizard hotels. On OYO's platform, every second room booked is by a Wizard member with a 2X+ lifetime spend as compared to non-wizard members.

At present, OYO Wizard is available across 4 tiers - Wizard Blue (INR 99 for 6 months membership), Wizard Silver (INR 199 for 1-year membership), Wizard Gold (INR 399 for 2 years membership) and OYO Wizard Lite.

Core benefits of premium tiers include -

• An additional 5% discount on all Wizard member hotels (over and above existing discounts)


• An additional 10% on Wizard Base hotel selected by the user


• Instant OYO Money rewards worth INR 500, INR 1200 and INR 3000 for Blue, Silver and Gold respectively

There are benefits provided to members in the higher tiers, including 40% discount vouchers (1 for Silver and 2 for Gold) and OYO Money cashback on every stay (INR 75 for Silver, INR 200 for Gold).

For more information, log onto www.oyorooms.com/wizard.

About OYO Hotels and Homes - Opening its doors in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes, a young hotel startup, today is the world's leading chain of hotels and homes. OYO today operates in over 800 cities in 80 countries, including the U.S., Europe, U.K., India, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan.

As India Unlocks, OYO's Senior Leadership Check-in at Different OYO Hotels Across the Country to Experience 'Sanitised Stays'

Leading by example, Rohit Kapoor as well as other OYO senior leadership check-in to various OYO Hotels for a first-hand experience of 'Sanitised Stays' with minimal-touch standard operating procedures

Following the MHA guidelines, OYO is open to host guests in select states with the new Sanitised Stays experience in the non-containment zones

At present, OYO is open in 20+ states and UTs including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh subject to specific state guidelines

With the country slowly moving towards normalcy - higher hygiene standards, minimal-touch services, and enhanced credibility top the list of consumer requirements while planning travel. With the Centre's decision to open hotels in a phased manner, under Unlock 1.0, OYO, one of the world's leading hotel chains has begun welcoming guests across multiple states from June 08, 2020 onwards. Leading by example, OYO's senior leadership including Rohit Kapoor, CEO, India & South Asia, Ankit Gupta, COO, Frontier Business, Sunny Sodhi, SVP & Head Sales, India & South Asia, Abhishek Thard, Region Head - West II checked-in to various OYO Hotels in Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar among others to experience 'Sanitised Stays' with minimal-touch.

Recently, OYO introduced several measures and initiatives to minimize the impact as well as innovate to meet the new standards of good quality travel and hospitality with its 'Sanitised Stays' tag for properties that clear background audit checks for sanitisation, hygiene, and protective equipment. To ensure customer and hotel employees' safety the hospitality chain has worked out minimal touch SOPs for check-in, check-out, has conducted extensive training of on-ground teams on the revised ways of working (health-screening, disinfecting, distance markers, etc.) and create COVID-19 awareness through posters and other material displayed at properties.

[caption id="attachment_146689" align="aligncenter" width="563"] Rohit Kapoor, CEO, India & South Asia, OYO checked-into OYO Townhouse 055 Sohna Road Uppal Southend 1, St Mark Rd, Sector 49 Gurgaon[/caption]

OYO is currently operating in 20+ States and UTs as per the latest state-wise guidelines.

Commenting on the developments, Rohit Kapoor, CEO, India & South Asia, OYO said, "We are thrilled to welcome guests back into our hotels. During challenging times like this, the entire industry has shown great zeal working with the authorities to do their bit in the fight against the virus."

He further added, "As we take steps towards recovery and open our doors to our guests, OYO, as a responsible hospitality chain, puts the health and safety of every guest as its topmost priority. During times like this, we understand the importance of reassuring our consumers that we stand ready with safe and hygienic accommodations to provide them with a stress-free hospitality experience. Our senior leadership team, including me, have checked-in at different OYOs across the country to personally experience the quality of stay and ensure the best experience for our guests. The backbone of our business - our asset owners have been our strongest supporters over the last couple of months and have taken all the necessary precautionary measures - right from implementing minimal touch policies, higher standards of hygiene, cleanliness and sanitisation and have ensured accessibility to protective equipment for the staff as well as the guests. As consumers start travelling for work or essential purposes across the country, we promise to take care of their requirements for reliable safe sanitised stays."

OYO Hotels & Homes and its asset partners are working hard to deliver a safe, secure, and comfortable experience for its guests. The company has also set-up a COVID-19 War Room to monitor and take immediate action on cases that require faster resolution and implementation during the crisis. OYO's platform has also enabled Corona Concierge to offer assistance to guests, hotel partners, and employees across the globe on all COVID-19 related issues and queries.

About OYO Hotels and Homes

Opening its doors in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes, a young hotel startup, today is the world's leading chain of hotels and homes. OYO today operates in over 800 cities in 80 countries, including the U.S., Europe, U.K., India, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan.

~ Newsvoir

OYO Townhouse Offers Free Stays to Medical Personnel Fighting Against COVID-19 in India

• OYO has shortlisted OYO Townhouses in Gurgaon & Bangalore to offer free accommodation to doctors and medical first responders.


• OYO has rolled out similar initiative offering free accommodation to medical personnel in other international markets including the USA, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Nepal

OYO Hotels & Homes is opening the doors to its hotels and offering free stays to doctors, nurses and other medical first responders who are helping in the fight against Coronavirus (COVID-19) in India. Starting with select OYO Townhouse hotels in Gurgaon and Bangalore, medical first responders who are in need of a place to stay and are facing any accommodation issues will receive free accommodations on the display of identification cards.

Commenting on the development, Ankit Gupta, Chief Operating Officer & SVP - Frontier Businesses, OYO India and South Asia said, "We at OYO are doing everything possible to ensure the well-being of the healthcare professionals who are our frontline against COVID-19 and it is our duty to support them. We have initiated similar efforts in the United States, Malaysia, Thailand & Nepal. We wholeheartedly thank our asset owners as well for their selfless partnership in this decision. Without their support, these initiatives cannot succeed. We will continue to explore every avenue to ensure all possible support for healthcare professionals in India."

Those on the frontlines in the medical community can book select OYO Townhouse hotels on its app or website to get their reservation for the shortlisted OYO hotels. By producing the valid identification highlighting the hospital or clinic affiliation, OYO Hotels will cover all the costs of accommodation for the medical professionals. All guidelines with respect to health and hygiene as prescribed by the WHO and India's Ministry of Health are being followed at the selected hotels. The staff of the hotel is also taking the utmost precaution to ensure that due sanitisation happens round the clock.

Mr. Gyan Parkash Tayal, OYO Townhouse asset owner of a hotel in Gurgaon said, "When the OYO team got in touch with us to offer our hotel free of cost to the doctors and nurses in the vicinity, I immediately agreed as this was an opportunity to give back to our true fighters. OYO has been with us in our difficult times so I want to be with them to fight this crisis together. The staff of the hotel is following all relevant health advisories with regards to precautions to be taken in the wake of COVID-19. The staff has been trained to follow standard procedures like wearing masks, gloves and are ensuring minimal touchpoints with guests and other staff. Food is also being served in disposable items to ensure safety and sanitation."

Another asset owner of OYO Townhouse in Bangalore, Mr. Nagamal Reddy said, "I have been associated with OYO since 2019 and we have received extensive advisories and regular updates on the recent developments. I have collaborated with OYO to serve our country's heroes by taking care of their accommodation needs. We are all united in our efforts to fight COVID-19 and provide support to healthcare professionals of the country."

Following the launch of a similar initiative in the USA and other international markets, OYO will provide free accommodation services thanks to its hotel partners in the shortlisted OYO Townhouse properties to doctors, nurses, medical staff who are on the frontlines of India's medical mobilization. This initiative is separate from Donate a Night and marks a series of efforts aimed at supporting India's frontline healthcare.

In addition to this initiative, OYO's 'Donate A Night', is a crowdfunding campaign where users can voluntarily contribute to donate one night's accommodation for people who need it the most - first responders like doctors, medical staff, emergency services personnel, policemen as well as low-income individuals such as stranded daily wagers or migrants. As part of its fight against COVID-19, OYO has also joined forces with Apollo Hospitals as a part of Apollo's Project Stay I (Stay Isolated) to develop and support accommodation requirements of suspected COVID-19 patients requiring quarantine or self-isolation.

About OYO Hotels and Homes

Opening its doors in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes, a young hotel startup, today is the world's leading chain of hotels and homes. OYO today operates in over 800 cities in 80 countries, including the U.S., Europe, U.K., India, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan.

For more information, please visit www.oyorooms.com.

~ Newsvoir

OYO Promises India Workforce to Remain Unscathed During the Lockdown, Starts Furloughs or Temporary Leaves in Some International Markets

• As a global hospitality crisis deepens, a certain number of employees in the US & other countries to be placed on furloughs or temporary leaves


• Keeping its promise to the government and people of India, no measures in India till lockdown


• The company assured that it is not considering job cuts at any location at this time, despite significant economic pressures

COVID-19 is bruising the entire hospitality industry worldwide, impacting occupancy and near to long term sustainability. In these uncertain and difficult times, continuing its fight against COVID-19, OYO, one of the world's leading hotel chains today announced the onset of furloughing and temporary leaves in the US & select other markets while assuring that India remains unaffected till the lockdown period.

In a video message and letter to employees and all other stakeholders, the company's Founder & Group CEO, Ritesh Agarwal shared that the company will be placing a certain number of OYOpreneurs on furloughs or temporary leaves. He also confirmed that keeping its promise to the government of India, OYO is committed to zero actions that impact employment status and salaries of ten thousand plus OYOpreneurs on payrolls and tens of thousands of OYO managed assets staff, during this unprecedented period of a 21-day countrywide lockdown.

While taking these necessary and tough decisions in the interest of the health of the business and its long term sustainability across markets world over, the company assured that it is not considering job cuts at any location at this time, despite the significant economic pressures.

As global occupancies continue to reduce in the hospitality industry, furlough (in markets like the US) or temporary leaves in select other markets will give the company the opportunity to do what is right for the business while ensuring that employees are safeguarded against a potential job-cut. The company's goal is to make sure that the business sustains and leads to the recovery of the industry. Hence the need to tighten its belts. Basis careful consideration of all possible options, this decision of instituting furlough or temporary leaves for a certain number of OYOpreneurs is the best way to ensure jobs are safe while keeping costs in check. This option will enable OYO to continue supporting healthcare coverage and other associated benefits, which is important during such tough times.

The company is also hopeful that as the situation begins to improve globally, they will be able to bring as many of its employees as possible, back to full-time work at OYO.

While highlighting small yet encouraging green shoots of recovery in some markets like China, Denmark and Japan the company acknowledged that these are tough times, and the company's revenues have dropped by 50%-60% while industry revenue for various hotel chain peers has dropped more than 75% globally.

Adhering to the guidelines laid down by the Indian government, OYO will continue its two-pronged efforts to minimise the possibility of infection and maximise social distancing and hygiene. In line with this, OYO recently joined forces with Apollo Hospitals led companies as a part of Apollo's Project Stay I (Stay Isolated) to develop and support accommodation requirements of suspected COVID-19 patients requiring quarantine or self-isolation. The company has recently announced two initiatives namely, 'Donate A Night' and 'Book A Night for self-isolation' to support the Government of India in its efforts to break the chain, flatten the curve and maintain the necessary nationwide lockdown.

With Travel, Hospitality & Tourism sectors among the worst affected by COVID-19, the startup also recently announced that Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & Group CEO, OYO Hotels & Homes will forego 100% of his compensation for 2020, while OYOs entire executive leadership (CXOs) team takes a voluntary pay cut, starting at 25%, with many opting for an additional uncapped amount, and some going up to 50% to enable building the necessary runway for the company. OYO has also facilitated accommodation support to international tourists and engaged with multiple foreign embassies and diplomatic missions in India.

Ritesh Agarwal | Address to OYOpreneurs

Ritesh Agarwal's address to OYOpreneurs - www.youtube.com/watchv=-1V3HE_2XOk&feature=youtu.be.

About OYO Hotels and Homes

Opening its doors in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes, a young hotel startup, today is the world's leading chain of hotels and homes. OYO today operates in over 800 cities in 80 countries, including the U.S., Europe, U.K., India, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan.

For more information, please visit www.oyorooms.com.

~ Newsvoir

OYO Suspends Payment of Monthly Benchmark Revenue to Hotels; Invokes Force Majeure

Hospitality firm OYO said it is suspending payment of monthly benchmark revenue to its hotel partners as it is finding impossible to discharge its obligations under the master service agreement due to Covid-19 pandemic.

In light of this pandemic and various restrictions issued by the governmental authorities, your hotel's revenue has been significantly and adversely impacted and it is unlikely to improve in the next few months, OYO said in a letter to hotel owners.

This abrupt, extra-ordinary and unprecedented drop in your hotel's revenue as a result of the Covid-19 can hardly be considered to be in the ordinary course of business. OYO's performance and obligation in relation to the benchmark revenue under the agreement has become extremely onerous and commercially impracticable, it added.

This letter provides notice of the occurrence of a 'force majeure' event effective from March 12, 2020 on account of the outbreak of COVID-19 being an extraordinary circumstance, which is beyond our control and which could not be avoided by any amount of foresight and care and its severe impact on our performance under the agreement, the hospitality firm said.

"In these exceptional and trying circumstances, you will appreciate that it is impossible for OYO to discharge its obligations under the agreement including, inter alia, the provisions of benchmark revenue," the letter said.

Consequently, OYO will find it virtually impossible to continue to operate the agreement from the point of view of the object and purpose in relation to which the agreement was first executed.

"As such, OYO is left with no option but to invoke Force Majeure in as much as the pandemic and related consequences have adversely impacted the operation of the premises and the business of the Hotel and to put you to notice that it is constrained to exercise its rights thereunder to suspend payment of the monthly benchmark revenue and/or any other amounts payable to you under the agreement," the letter said.

In this regard, and in the interim, "we propose a revenue share model effective March 12, 2020 whereby our commercial engagement, in supersession of the existing commercial terms, under the agreement will be 10 per cent of net revenue," it noted.

OYO said it is regularly reviewing the position and will communicate once the Force Majeure event / COVID-19 situation has ceased and when it will be able to resume performance of its currently affected obligations under the agreement, the letter said.

Commenting on the development, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) Vice President Gurbaxish Singh Kohli said: "The hotel industry is in the midst of a massive economic catastrophe and OYO's behaviour is absolutely below the belt".

The company has decided to invoke the force majeure clause, via which they are completely suspending payments to hotels and which isn't even in the agreement that hotels have signed, he added.

"Oyo has anyways been regularly defaulting on payments even much before the pandemic and is now using it as an excuse to completely back out of their agreements," Singh said. PTI AKT

CCI orders detailed probe against Make My Trip, OYO

The Competition Commission on Monday ordered a detailed investigation against Make My Trip (MMT) and OYO for allegedly indulging in anti-competitive business practices.

While ordering the probe, CCI also noted that a case against MMT and OYO for entering into a vertical arrangement having an appreciable adverse effect on competition (AAEC) in the market is also "prima facie" made out.

"The Commission is of the view that prima facie a case of contravention against MMT for abuse of dominant position... is made out on account of all the three allegations analysed supra," the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said.

The order came on a complaint filed by Rubtub Solutions Pvt Ltd which operates under the brand name of Treebo Hotels in India and is in the business of providing franchising services to budget hotels.

As per the complaint, Treebo and its partner hotels are being excluded from listing on MMT's platform through abrupt termination pursuant to the commercial arrangement between MMT and OYO.

Besides, MMT is alleged to have imposed "price parity restriction" on Treebo partner hotels through the chain agreement, which restricted it from providing its properties to Booking.com and Paytm at a better price.

Additionally, MMT allegedly imposed an "exclusivity condition" on Treebo through exclusivity agreement which restricted it from listing its properties on Booking.com and Paytm for 72 hours and 30 days prior to check-in for hotels situated in category A and category B cities, respectively.

The complainant said that OYO has abused its dominant position in the market of franchising services for budget hotels in India by entering into an anti-competitive vertical arrangement with MMT, which is a dominant online travel agency (OTA), thereby denying market access to it.

Accordingly, the Commission on "prima facie" finding the contravention of relevant provisions of Competition Act, directed DG, its investigation arm to conduct a detailed probe. PTI SRS

OYO to Lay Off over 1000 People in India as Part of Restructuring Exercise

Hospitality firm OYO is planning to let go over 1,000 people in India as part of its restructuring and reorganisation of teams across businesses and functions to trim redundancy.

In an internal mail to the employees of OYO in India and South Asia, the company's founder and Group CEO Ritesh Agarwal said that asking some of the colleagues to move to a new career outside of OYO has not been an 'easy decision'.

Though the mail to the employees did not provide the numbers of people that are being laid off, sources in the know of the matter put the number at more than 1,000 and said the reason was 'right-sizing'.

One of the implications of the new strategic objectives for 2020, is that, like the leadership team, OYO will reorganise more teams across businesses and functions, Agarwal said.

The strategic objectives of the company are: sustainable growth, operational and customer excellence, profitability, and training and governance, he added.

And this means that, unfortunately, some roles at OYO will become redundant as the company further drives tech-enabled synergy, enhanced efficiency and removes duplication of effort across businesses or geographies, Agarwal said.

"As a result, we are asking some of our impacted colleagues to move to a new career outside of OYO. This has not been an easy decision for us," he added.

OYO is doing everything it can to ensure that the outgoing colleagues receive as much assistance and support as possible through this transition, Agarwal said.

"Every OYOpreneur is important to OYO and ensuring their well-being both during and after their tenure is our number one priority. I want to thank them for their efforts and apologize for the impact this is causing," he added.

Over the past few months, OYO has "also successfully transitioned many of our colleagues into more meaningful roles within OYO by providing mentorship, training and tools to be successful," he added.

OYO has also streamlined the organization by driving synergies across business lines and removing duplication of efforts in some of every day manual processes, he added.

As an organisation, OYO stands strong with its people - not just with those who are impacted, but also with those who will remain an integral part of OYO beyond today, Agarwal said. PTI AKT

OYO Strengthens its Leadership Table for India SA Business

OYO Hotels Homes the world leading chain of hotels homes and spaces has today announced the elevation of three key business leaders within the India South Asia business. The company has elevated Sharad Saxena to Chief Supply Officer - Franchise hotels business South Asia Asit Biswal to Chief Supply Officer - Frontier Businesses South Asia which comprises of OYO self operated hotels (OYO Townhouse Collection O SilverKey) student housing and co-living and OYO Home and Abhinav Ankur to Head of Strategy for OYO India South Asia. These appointments come as a part of the company efforts to drive sustainable business growth in the region while staying true to its mission of creating quality living spaces.

[caption id="attachment_140663" align="alignleft" width="344"] Abhinav Ankur[/caption]

In his new role Abhinav Ankur will be responsible for ensuring the hospitality chain sustained growth in the South Asia region by driving cross-functional strategic initiatives. Abhinav joined OYO Operations function in 2015 and led Central Operations for the India Franchise hotels business. He later went on to manage the bigger mandate of building operating capabilities - people processes technology - for OYO self-operated hotels business. He will be reporting to Rohit Kapoor CEO OYO Hotels Homes India South Asia.

The other two key promotions include Sharad Saxena being elevated to Chief Supply Officer - Franchise business South Asia and Asit Biswal elevated to Chief Supply Officer - Frontier Businesses South Asia. Both Sharad and Asit will be part of the South Asia leadership team. In their new roles both of them will be responsible for driving all outcomes related to sustainable growth customer and asset owner excellence and improved economics.

Commenting on the appointment Rohit Kapoor CEO OYO India South Asia said We are extremely pleased to have Abhinav Sharad and Asit join the leadership team for India South Asia at OYO. As a meritocracy driven organisation we are firm believers in the power of distributed leadership and look forward to seeing the teams thrive under their able guidance. I am confident that they will deliver and add value in accelerating OYO next phase of sustainable growth in South Asia. Big congratulations to all of them.

[caption id="attachment_140664" align="alignright" width="187"] Sharad Saxena[/caption]

Sharad Saxena has been leading OYO Workspaces as the Business Head. Under his leadership OYO Workspaces has grown to 18000+ seats in 27+ centres across 11 cities within a short span of 9 months. Sharad will continue to oversee the Workspaces business in the interim. Sharad is an alumnus of IIT-Delhi and IIM-Ahmedabad and has worked with organizations such as ITC McKinsey Company Ranbaxy and Max India Limited before joining OYO.

[caption id="attachment_140665" align="alignleft" width="324"] Asit Biswal[/caption]

Asit Biswal has been one of the earliest members of OYO Life the company co-living business. He started his journey with OYO in 2015 as Head of the Bhubaneswar Hub. He went on to become the Vice President and National Business Head for OYO LIFE where he steered OYO coliving business towards becoming the fastest-growing and largest long-term rental housing player in India. Asit is an alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad and has worked in organizations such as Infosys and Samsung.

About OYO Hotels and Homes

Opening its doors in 2013 OYO Hotels Homes a young hotel startup today is the world leading chain of hotels homes and spaces. The portfolio combines fully operated real estate comprising more than 44000 hotels with over 1.2 million rooms. Through its vacation homes business the company offers travellers and city dwellers access to over 125000 homes around the world under OYO Home Belvilla Danland Dancenter and Germany-based Traum-Ferienwohnungen brands. OYO today operates in over 800 cities in 80 countries including the U.S. Europe U.K. India Middle East Southeast Asia and Japan.

~ Newsvoir

OYO India Walks the Talk on its Commitment to Quality - Implements 3C Club Red Programs for Improving Customer Experience

Under the 3C program, actions are taken wherever there are little improvements in customer experience despite multiple interventions on staffing, management and day-to-day operations

In the last three months, with an increased  focus on quality & security, 0.5% hotels were checked out for non-compliance and customer experience concerns

Club Red is OYO’s  partner loyalty program aimed at creating a healthy contest amongst hotel owners to offer the best hospitality experience to every guest

OYO Hotels & Homes, India today announced the results of the implementation of its comprehensive 3C evaluation program for all the 18000+ hotels that are part of its growing India SA network. In the last three months, OYO has voluntarily deflated around 0.5% hotels subject to the quality and other checks based on the customer feedback while rewarding thousands of others for their commitment to improved customer experience under its Club Red program for asset owners. Overall, OYO’s annual retention is as high as 99%  across the chain in India & South Asia with 0.5% being voluntary churn and the remaining 0.5% being a result of actions undertaken as part of 3C program.

Club Red is OYO's partner loyalty program that aims to make partnering with OYO an even more attractive proposition for its asset owners and continuously encourage them to offer the best hospitality experience to guests. Hotel owners are judged on their commitment to improving customer experience on a range of parameters including availability, hassle-free check-in, guest-delight and contribution to the business in a healthy contest. The best-performing asset owners stand a chance to win monetary rewards, international trips, among others.

Over 90% of the business at OYO Hotels is generated by repeat and word-of-mouth customers, i.e. customers who have had a pleasant experience in one property/building prefer choosing an OYO over other hotels from time to time. What makes this possible is OYO’s continued joint commitment to ensuring that customers have a great experience at every hotel, which makes them recommend and positively review the property.  This is only possible when OYO Hotels and its valued hotel owners uphold the high quality, service levels, and experience that customers have come to expect of the organization.

Establishing his key priorities for the business, Aditya Ghosh, CEO, India & South Asia said, “For the year 2020, we have recognized consistent product and service delivery as a key priority. Our focus on all facets of customer experience will be relentless in the coming months. To that end, we are continuously evaluating our 18000+ hotels in the country through a comprehensive 3C rating mechanism. The 3C score of a building is a strong determinant of an asset owner’s and OYO’s commitment to meeting standards and, thereby delivering great occupancy and positive recommendations. With utmost conviction towards delivering high-quality accommodation to our customers, any building that does not maintain the necessary 3C level is churned out of our system.’’

Buildings that consistently maintain a 3C level of 0, 1 and 2 are highly sought-after among customers and much appreciated. Hotels that are at 3C level of 3 and below (the last level being 5) are identified and first notified to take note of guest and OYO audit feedback and make relevant changes. Hotels that are able to improve their score are then rewarded. Those that consistently progress from L3 or below to L2 and above are called out and handed monetary benefits as well. Hotels that fail to improve facilities or compliance with OYO guidelines despite reminders and assistance are churned out of the system, basis non-adherence to quality requirements.

It is important to note that some properties/buildings are also churned out of the OYO network basis disagreement over contract requirements. OYO’s endeavour is to clarify all concerns while, at the same time, provide an opportunity for asset owners to independently decide on their interest in continuing the association with OYO basis the terms of their agreements. Overall, the company’s yearly churn stays as low as 1% across its franchised and leased buildings. Every building that becomes a part of OYO’s chain witnesses increased occupancy from 25% to 65% on average in less than 3 months.

The best asset owners that work proactively with OYO on improving customer experience enter a 'virtuous cycle' that ensures that growth fuels growth. It is OYO’s effort to ensure that most of its asset owners enter such a growth cycle wherein performance leads to good customer feedback, which, in turn, leads to better rankings that fuels more occupancy and better returns. This, in turn, enables OYO to invest back into performance with CapEx and expansion.

Commenting on the commitment, Aditya further added, “Any building owner who would earlier charge customers as per their whims and fancies or not deliver on their service promises are obviously not happy now because OYO Hotels mandates them to follow laid down service standards at affordable rates for the consumer. We actively communicate with our 18000+ asset owners and are also regularly addressing any constructive feedback to create a better business and experience.”

About OYO Hotels and Homes

OYO's portfolio currently combines fully operated real estate comprising of more than 35,000 hotels and over 1.2 million rooms and offers guests around the world access to over 125,000 vacation homes. In the OYO vacation homes category, OYO operates OYO Homes, Belvilla, Danland, Dancenter along with Germany-based Traum-Ferienwohnungen brands can be found in more than 800 cities in 80 countries, including the U.S., Europe, U.K., India, Malaysia, Middle East, Indonesia, Philippines, and Japan. In India, we have over 18,000 hotels  and over 270,000 rooms, with footprints in over 500 cities covering all 28 states and 9 UTs of the country.

OYO Announces Partnership With Biz2Credit to Provide Small Business Financing Options to Asset Partners

OYO, the world's third-largest and fastest-growing chain of hotels, homes and spaces*, has partnered with Biz2Credit, a leading online financing resource for small businesses, to provide working capital and commercial real estate loans to existing and potential hotel partners.

OYO, the world's third-largest and fastest-growing chain of hotels, homes and spaces*, has partnered with Biz2Credit, a leading online financing resource for small businesses, to provide working capital and commercial real estate loans to existing and potential hotel partners.

The partnership with Biz2Credit will start from the US market and will aid its efforts to provide hotel owners with fast financing efficiently for a wide range of purposes, including renovation, redesign, infrastructure upgrade and investment in technology for improved revenue management and operations.

“We are excited about partnering with Biz2Credit to support our asset partners across the United States, with their financing requirements,” said Abhinav Sinha, Chief Operating Officer and Operating Partner, OYO Hotels & Homes, USA. “Biz2Credit is one of the best known, longest established and most successful companies in the FinTech space. They are an important strategic partner for OYO as we pursue our expansion plans in the U.S. and elsewhere while staying true to our commitment to our real estate partners by putting skin in the game. We are certain that through this partnership, our asset partners will be able to benefit from OYO’s tech-enabled and data science-backed world-class expertise in interior design and renovations and revenue management.”

A pioneer in the FinTech industry, Biz2Credit uses the latest technology to connect small business owners with financing options based on each potential customer’s unique business profile. All transactions are conducted in a safe, efficient, and price-transparent environment that’s fully online.

“This will be a mutual referral agreement in which Biz2Credit will also refer its hotel clients to OYO for potentially opening new OYO properties,” said Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit’s CEO and one of the top experts in small business financing and FinTech. "We are proud to partner with a growing global hospitality company that has brought its successful business model to the real estate owners across many countries. Biz2Credit helps streamline the financing process and saves time, effort, and cost in order to get business owners the best financing options available today."

OYO, as the world’s third-largest hotel chain, is using technology, business expertise and talent to create beautifully designed, chic and comfortable living spaces. The company has attracted some of the world’s leading investors, including Airbnb, SoftBank Vision Fund, Greenoak Capital, Sequoia Capital, and Hero Enterprise.

When 19-year-old Ritesh Agarwal founded OYO, he couldn’t have imagined it would be the world’s fastest-growing hotel chain only six years later. That success in the U.S. and across the world led Agarwal to sign a $2 billion primary and secondary management investment round, allowing him to increase his stake in the business.

Opening its doors in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes is the world’s third-largest and fastest-growing chain of hotels, homes, and spaces, by room count*. The portfolio combines fully operated real estate comprising of more than 23,000 hotels and 125,000 vacation homes.

Additionally, OYO along with Vacation Homes categories managed by the company under OYO Homes, Belvilla, Danland, Dancenter along with Germany-based Traum-Ferienwohnungen brands can be found in more than 800 cities in 80 countries, including the U.S., Europe, U.K., India, Malaysia, Middle East, Indonesia, Philippines, and Japan. For more information, log onto https://www.oyorooms.com.

Founded in 2007, Biz2Credit has arranged more than $2 billion in small business financing and has several times been named to Crain’s New York’s Fast 50 and was ranked among the top 200 fast-growing companies on Deloitte's 2018 Technology Fast 500.

Biz2Credit is expanding its industry-leading technology in custom digital platform solutions for leading banks and other financial institutions. Biz2Credit has operations in four large global markets: the United States, Canada, India, and Australia.

The platform is SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified and runs on Amazon Web Services with 99.9% availability.

~Via Business Wire India

OYO and EdTech Startup PlanetSpark to Set up 500 'New Age' Learning Centres for Kids

OYO Hotels & Homes, South Asia’s largest, China’s second largest, the world’s third largest and fastest-growing chain of leased anind franchised hotels, homes & living spaces and PlanetSpark, an EdTech startup, have entered into a partnership to bring education closer to children.

Under this partnership, OYO is offering space in OYO Townhouse across the country to PlanetSpark to set up more than 500 ‘new age’ learning centres for children across India. Under the “Learn At Your Nearest OYO” model, these spaces will cater to all the learning needs of neighborhood children studying from KG to Standard 8. Funded by FIITJEE, India’s largest test prep company, PlanetSpark is on a mission to organize and standardize after-school education across the country. With 400 learning centers across all the 7 Indian metros currently, PlanetSpark plans to scale-up and fulfill the demand that is being generated on its Mobile App and other digital platforms.

OYO’s mission is to upgrade all forms of real estate and thereby provide quality living spaces to travelers around the world. Since its launch back in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes has brought about a change in the budget hotel franchising and leasing segment, giving Indian consumers an opportunity to experience standardized hospitality at affordable prices. Through this initiative, OYO is taking a step forward in its mission by offering these quality spaces to promote education.

“Through our interactions with OYO team we realized that OYO too had plans to scale up their supply over the next few months. We, therefore, felt that instead of putting in our efforts separately, it will be beneficial to join hands to have a force multiplier. Also, we only wanted to partner with a trusted brand where parents can send their children without any safety concern" said Kunal Malik, Co-Founder of PlanetSpark.

On this partnership, Ankit Tandon, Chief Operating Officer, Operated Business, OYO Hotels & Homes said, “We are happy to partner with PlanetSpark and bring education closer to children by offering quality spaces. We hope that our standardized and appealing interiors and modern amenities along with the quality education offered by PlanetSpark make for a great learning atmosphere and experience for the students.” 

The PlanetSpark learning platform has a publicly available App, where parents discover gamified learning content loaded with thousands of learning games, cartoons, videos, quests, and quizzes. The gamified

content stack is customizable and can be adapted to student learning patterns. PlanetSpark plans to use learning centres housed in OYO Townhouse as “A Student can learn anything” model by taking the immersive education experience under the expert guidance of teachers in every corner of India. The learning spaces inside the OYO Townhouse will have appealing interior design, child-friendly furniture, PlanetSpark’s engaging content and certified tutors, thus creating a truly standardised experience.

PlanetSpark Co-Founder Maneesh Dhooper says, "In K8 space, an inspiring learning space in the neighborhood is a ‘must have’ for the parent and currently no organized player exists that solves for this need. The new initiative with OYO is already a big hit with the parents and we are witnessing a major spike in enrollments”.

Founded in 2016, Gurgaon-based PlanetSpark is the brainchild of Maneesh Dhooper and Kunal Malik

which connect parents and qualified tutors through a full stack platform. Drawing its inspiration from child cognitive psychology, and learning pedagogy, PlanetSpark is making students fall in love with academics in an engaging and gamified fashion. With over 300 experience centres, PlanetSpark is revolutionising the K8 tuitions by leveraging the hyper-casual games to help children learn. PlanetSpark is funded by FIITJEE, India’s largest test prep company.

OYO To Open 1st Flagship Property in Las Vegas, Partners with Highgate

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Hospitality firm OYO on Friday said it has partnered with hospitality investment and management company Highgate to open first key flagship property -- OYO Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, US.

The property will undergo a transformation, which is to be completed by this year.

Highgate will assume the management of the hotel, and Paragon Gaming will continue to operate the casino, the company said in a statement.

"With our newest hotel at Las Vegas, we are excited to cater to a completely different audience segment and are certain that this will be the perfect start to OYO's journey in Las Vegas," OYO Hotels & Homes founder & CEO Ritesh Agarwal said.

Earlier in June, OYO had announced plans to invest USD 300 million in the US, he added.

"OYO Hotel & Casino offers a tremendous opportunity for Highgate to partner with a visionary company like OYO in one of the world's most dynamic hospitality markets,” Neil Luthra, a principal of Highgate said. PTI AKT RUJ

OYO Workspaces Enters Hyderabad with New Co-Working Centre of over 700 seats

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) OYO Workspaces, part of hospitality firm OYO group, Thursday said it has entered Hyderabad market with the start of a new co-working centre with capacity of over 700 seats.

The new centre will be under Innov8 brand, which the company has recently acquired.

Now, Oyo Workspace has 22 centres with over 15,000 seats across 10 cities in the country. It operates under three co-working brands namely Workflo, Powerstation and Innov8.

Last month, OYO announced its entry into a new vertical OYO Workspaces and said it aimed to have 50 centres across the country with a total seat count of around 35,000 by the end of 2019. ''

With the acquisition of Innov8, OYO introduced a multi-brand approach with two other coworking brands -- Powerstation and Workflo, which designed to meet the needs of over 80% of the working population in the country.

While Powerstation is a vibrant yet professional Co-working Solutions fully managed by Oyo for medium and large businesses, startups, and freelancers, Workflo on other hand is budget-friendly, functional co-working solutions catering to the aspirations of a rising India.

Oyo had earlier said that it is set to open the doors to our 21+ workspaces with more than 15000 seats across 10 cities of India. Of these, Innov8 is spread across 6 cities of Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and Mumbai, with 16 centers hosting over 600 employees of reputed Indian and multi-national brands. Powerstation has one center in Gurgaon with a capacity of over a 1000 seats and Workflo has 4 centers across NCR, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Goa with a hosting capacity of over 1500 seats.

PTI MJH

OYO Rolls out Hindi Support to Woo Users from Tier II, III cities

Indian hospitality firm OYO Hotels & Homes on Monday said it has started offering multi-lingual support, including languages like Hindi and Bahasa, on its customer app and mobile web platforms.

Multi-lingual support is now available for Hindi, English, Bahasa (Indonesia), Arabic, Japanese and Vietnamese languages, and the company plans to introduce additional Indian and international language support in the coming months, a statement from OYO said.

"Through its newly launched multi-lingual support on the customer app and mobile web platforms, OYO aims to offer a hassle-free and customised booking experience to millions of users across the world," it added.

In June this year, OYO witnessed about 40 per cent demand coming from non-metro users in cities like Jaipur, Noida, Pune, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, Indore, Dehradun, Patna, Bhopal and Ghaziabad.

OYO said offering Hindi language support will help the company extend support to more users in tier-II and tier-III cities in India, and reach out to the growing number of vernacular internet users.

Using the 'Change Language' functionality, users will be enable to switch from English to the available languages and access the booking service.

OYO Lite, a lighter version of the customer app, has been rolled out in Hindi and Bahasa languages.

"With this multi-lingual support, we aim to make user interactions hassle-free and convenient, further adding to the overall customer experience across the world. Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India and we believe that the language support makes us more accessible to our customers in tier II and III cities," OYO Hotels & Homes Group Chief Technology and Product Officer Anil Goel said.

Over the last many months, digital commerce companies like Amazon and Flipkart have been rolling out vernacular support on their platforms to tap the next 200 million internet users.

According to industry reports, Hindi internet user base is likely to outgrow the English user base in India by 2021, and along with Marathi and Bengali users will drive volume growth.

After adding the capability of browsing and transacting in Hindi language to its India website and app last year, US e-commerce giant Amazon had recently announced an automated messaging assistant (chatbot) in Hindi that can help customers who prefer Hindi to engage for getting their queries resolved.

Walmart-owned Flipkart has also rolled out Hindi support and plans to add other vernacular languages like Tamil, Telugu and Bengali on the platform in the coming months. PTI SR

Oyo to Invest $334 Mn to Strengthen Presence in European Vacation Rental Mkt

Hospitality firm Oyo on Wednesday said it will invest 300 million euro (over Rs 2,390 crore/ US$334 Mn) to strengthen presence in European vacation rental market, given the increasing preference for vacation homes by customers.

The decision follows the rapid growth of the recently acquired brands Belvilla, DanCenter, Danland and Traum-Ferienwohnungen, combined with the many opportunities still to be capitalised within the vacation rental industry, Oyo Hotels and Homes said in a statement.

"The company has committed to invest EUR 300 million in the business, with a special focus on strengthening the relationship with homeowners and enabling them with the resources required to deliver chic hospitality experiences," it added.

The firm will aim to expand the presence of OYO Home, Belvilla and Dancenter brands across Europe to pursue the opportunity of becoming the number one vacation rental brand globally, the statement said.

"Globally, vacation rentals represent a massive multi-billion Euro opportunity, the largest of which is in Europe," Global Head Oyo Vacation and Urban Homes, and Chief Strategy Officer Oyo Hotels & Homes Maninder Gulati said.

With Europe spearheading the vacation and urban home rental trend globally, Oyo Vacation Homes is uniquely positioned to capitalise on its experience and insights aided with Oyo's proven approach towards building the world's largest global vacation rentals business, he added.

"To support our vision towards becoming the largest full-service vacation rental business, we will make significant investments to expand our footprint in the market," Oyo Vacation Homes CEO Tobias Wann said.

Amsterdam-headquartered Oyo Vacation Homes is part of Oyo Hotels and Homes.

The company's portfolio currently comprises more than 23,000 hotels and 1,25,000 vacation homes, with over one million rooms globally. PTI AKT

Softbank to Invest in Punjab through OYO for Student Housing

Japan's Softbank Group on Tuesday evinced interest to invest in Punjab's real estate sector, with focus on student housing through OYO, an Indian hotel start-up backed by the SoftBank Group.

A high-level delegation of the group, led by its MD Hiroki Kimoto, called on Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here, who extended his government's full support in the realisation of Softbank's investment plans in the state.

Amarinder assured the delegation of seamless and smooth investment in the state through its single-window clearance platform, Invest Punjab, in the fast-track mode.

The new Industrial Policy, coupled with lucrative incentives and facilities, was facilitating investors in a big way, with over Rs 50,000 crore investment already realised on the ground during the past two years, the chief minister told the delegation members, according to an official statement here.

Earlier, briefing the delegation on the various investible projects, Additional Chief Secretary, Investment Promotion and Industries & Commerce Vini Mahajan said that Punjab had a vibrant real estate sector, with areas around Chandigarh seeing excellent growth.

Reputed international players are looking at affordable housing, student and senior citizen housing facility as a potential investment sector, she added.

Taking part in the deliberations, Lovely Professional University Vice Chancellor Ashok Mittal said they were in advanced talks with Softbank for a potential collaboration for the construction of student hostels, as there was a huge demand for hostel facility for the domestic as well as international students.

Softbank is one of the biggest investors in the Indian startup ecosystem, with approximately 20 per cent of its investments in India-based businesses, the statement said. PTI SUN