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How OYO is devising tech and allied capabilities to boost conventional hospitality

By on September 03, 2018

Technology and innovation play an important role in driving new business practices in the hospitality industry. A hotel owner from Goa, the story of Edgar Cotta is a perfect example of how the integration of technology has helped usher a major transformation in the hospitality business.

A psychologist-lecturer in Goa, Edgar Cotta quit his job and forayed into hospitality by taking ownership of a family property named ‘Village Royale’ in Calangute. Initially, the 16-year-old property was operated according to traditional hospitality practices. At that juncture, he faced many challenges, including no business during the off-season and low occupancy.

During those days of struggle, Edgar kept contemplating how to make his business more profitable. That’s when he heard about OYO and decided to partner with the hospitality chain. In fact, Edgar was one of OYO’s first hotel partners when they initially began business in Goa. “Earlier, the business was very challenging and least profitable,” recalls Edgar.

As a part of the partnership, OYO assists every hotel that gets onboard by upgrading the property to match OYO standards. OYO’s team of on-ground, civil experts work round-the-clock to ensure hotel offerings, room amenities and overall services are standardised, promoting better customer experiences. The hotel chain has a 300-people strong team that helps in the transformation process at a quick pace. In stark contrast to industry practices, OYO can transform its partner hotels in a span of 3-14 days. This results in hotels receiving top-notch transformation and staff training to deliver as per guest expectations.

Discussing the transformation OYO provided the property, Edgar stated, “OYO played a significant role in standardising rooms. They sanctioned both financial support for overhauling the property while offering additional support in the form of adding LED TVs, AC, Wi-Fi, CCTVs, Dish TV, quality linen, etc. and built new conference rooms. They also identified the areas of improvement needing special attention and managed the off-season business. Consequently, our property received increased occupancy, incremental ARR and better finances.”

Talking about customer feedback and expectations, Edgar said, “Before partnering OYO, we faced multiple hurdles in retaining old customers. With OYO, we have now gained enhanced customer trust and more repeat visits. Indeed, positive customer feedback has improved drastically. Nowadays, a better clientele comes visiting and spending more on our range of services. "

Elaborating his experience with OYO, Edgar said, “It’s been an enlightening experience. After the initial ups and downs, it was a matter of understanding the OYO way of doing business and for OYO to comprehend our challenges. Today, we have crossed that stage as our relationship has matured.”

OYO Hotels is India’s largest hospitality chain operating in more than 160 cities across India, China, Malaysia and Nepal. With 5,000-plus exclusive hotels and 100,000 rooms in its chain, OYO works in close coordination with asset partners while exercising full control over the hotels in driving a standardised quality experience for travellers. Its network covers major metros, regional business hubs, top leisure destinations as well as pilgrimage towns.

About OYO:

OYO Hotels is South Asia’s largest hospitality chain operating in more than 160 cities across India, China, Malaysia and Nepal. With over 5500 exclusive hotels in its chain and 100,000 rooms, OYO works in close proximity with its asset partners while exercising full control over the hotels for ensuring a quality experience for travellers. Its network includes major metros, regional business hubs, top leisure destinations as well as pilgrimage towns.

OYO has received many accolades for its pioneering efforts in the hospitality sector including The Economic Times Startup of the Year, IAMAI’s India Digital Awards (2018), Government of India’s National Entrepreneurship Award for the Hospitality Category (2017), Hotelier India Awards (2017) and Real Innovation Award (2017) by London Business School. LinkedIn has ranked OYO as one of the top employee attractors in India three years in a row (2016, 2017, 2018). OYO is backed by leading investors, including the SoftBank Group, Greenoak Capital, Sequoia India, Lightspeed India, Hero Enterprise and China Lodging Group.