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Tag: Ritesh Agarwal

  • OYO and Unilever partner to lead the way on hotel cleanliness

    OYO and Unilever partner to lead the way on hotel cleanliness

    New Delhi: OYO Hotels & Homes, one of the world’s leading hotel chains has partnered with Unilever, the global consumer goods company, to enhance OYO’s ‘Sanitised Stays’ initiative with the help of Unilever’s leading home and personal hygiene brands which will be used in the cleaning and disinfecting of OYO properties.

    With higher hygiene standards, minimal-touch services, and enhanced credibility topping the list of customer requirements, Unilever’s R&D team will work with OYO to co-create Standard Operating Procedures for cleaning to maximise the positive effects of Unilever products. OYO properties where these operating procedures are used will display a tag on booking pages to show Unilever products have been used in cleaning services. This global partnership will begin in India and then go live across Indonesia, Vietnam, the US, LATAM and Europe.

    Through this partnership, select OYO properties will have Unilever hygiene kits for guests and cleaning supplies for staff, including products from brands such as Lifebuoy, Domex, Sunlight and Cif. To provide a cleaner and more hygienic experience to guests right from check-in to check-out, OYO has upgraded its cleanliness and hygiene protocols to suit the ‘new normal’ with ‘OYO Sanitised Stays’. 

    OYO founder & group CEO Ritesh Agarwal added, “As the world begins to travel again, we must all collectively ensure that health and safety remain the absolute priority. The scientific expertise of Unilever and assurance of their brands Lifebuoy, Domex, Sunlight and Cif are second to none and we are confident that our guests will have a quality and stress-free experience with ‘OYO Sanitised Stays’ with Unilever’s leading home and personal hygiene products. We’re pleased that by partnering with Unilever and providing their trusted products, we are able to help customers, as well as our staff, stay as safe as possible. With our committed asset owners, we are ready to host consumers across the world and we promise to give our customers the confidence to enjoy the OYO experience as we help drive higher standards in hygiene”

    Hindustan Unilever chairman and MD Sanjiv Mehta said, “With Hindustan Unilever’s long history in India, we are determined to do our part to protect lives and livelihoods and are glad to have found a strong partner in OYO who shares this vision. Through this partnership, Unilever is pleased to be able to help, through our known and trusted home and personal hygiene brands and education on correct use. We remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of millions across the globe, and keeping our communities safe during these times.”

  • OYO elevates Aditya Ghosh to the board; signals strong commitment to sustainable global growth

    OYO elevates Aditya Ghosh to the board; signals strong commitment to sustainable global growth

    New Delhi: OYO Hotels & Homes, the leading global chain of hotels and vacation homes today announced the elevation and addition of Aditya Ghosh, presently CEO, India & South Asia for the hotels and homes business to the company’s board of directors. Aditya is joining Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & Group CEO, OYO Hotels & Homes, Betsy Atkins, Founder & CEO, Baja Corporation and other industry experts like Munish Varma, Managing Partner, SoftBank Vision Fund, Bejul Somaia, Partner, Lightspeed India Partners Advisors, Mohit Bhatnagar, Managing Director, Sequoia Capital India Advisor among others, making it a powerful, diverse, and truly global combination.

    OYO has continuously been investing in further strengthening its corporate governance. The recent appointment of independent director, Betsy Atkins on the Board, who earlier invested in Yahoo and eBay and now Aditya, who hails with a depth of experience in running successful public companies, will both tremendously benefit the company. Aditya’s elevation and addition to a strong group of Board members comes after his successful completion of one year in the company.  During this time, he took the hotels and homes business in India & South Asia to greater heights and implemented several programs to strengthen operating metrics and customer experience thereby more than doubling the asset owner community from 5500+ to 18000+ hotels in a short span of time. In his new role at the board, Aditya will provide strength of governance and leadership as OYO evolves into a truly global high performing company that scales sustainably on the path to profitability with higher expectations from consumers, asset owners, investors and employees. Aditya will focus on five key areas namely, Safety and security, Customer experience, Corporate Governance, Revenue Management and Stakeholder communications.

    Reflecting on the development, Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & Group CEO, OYO Hotels & Homes said, “Aditya’s strong business acumen, problem solving capabilities, passion for building an organization with strong corporate governance and a high performing work culture that thrives on principles of diversity and inclusion, makes him the perfect choice for this larger and more strategic role, at a global level. I am certain that this decision will greatly help OYO achieve its goals, globally.  Like always, we are blessed to have leaders like Aditya who continuously step-up to bigger roles to ensure the company derives benefits from their wealth of experience in such a critical juncture of not just growth, but principled growth for the company. His learnings will be invaluable for all of us.”

    Aditya Ghosh, newly appointed board member, further stated, “I am thankful to the Board for inviting me into the august group to further build OYO as a global brand to reckon with, by not just growing fast, but growing right. You may have heard me repeat this past year, that one of the biggest characteristics about OYO is the opportunity that we have to create a truly global brand out of India – one that is recognised and respected the world over for positively impacting the lives of thousands of employees, creating millions of economic opportunities as well as delighting millions of guests with hospitality experiences across multiple price-points. The opportunity is all this and more, as we aim to set new standards of corporate governance and build a sustainable business at scale, with a clear path to profitability. I am, therefore, excited and keen to play a larger role and harness my experience in helping a public company operate well and ascribe to high standards of sustainable growth. I hope to actively impact the ability of this 20,000+ OYOpreneurs strong organisation, around the world, to achieve its mission and work with some of the sharpest minds across various industries who are part of OYO’s venerable board, to guide the company, as it delivers against its values and promises to all stakeholders.”

    OYO has also announced the appointment of Rohit Kapoor, the current  CEO, New Real Estate Businesses as the CEO for the entire India and South Asia business. Over the last year, Rohit has been overseeing the growth of OYO LIFE – the brand’s long-term rental housing portfolio as well as other new real estate businesses in India. Rohit’s remit will now also span the operations of over 18000+ hotels across 500+ cities in India SA.

    Rohit Kapoor, newly appointed CEO of OYO Hotels & Homes, added, “This is a great opportunity as well as a humbling responsibility and I thank Ritesh and Aditya for the trust and confidence placed in me. Given the impressive performance of the hotels’ business in India and South Asia, I do have some big shoes to fill.  I will do my best and Aditya has promised to be my guiding light in the process. In the last one year, the performance delivered, has been tremendous in not just scaling operations across 500 cities and 18000+ hotels but also delivering on sustainable growth with financial prudence. I look forward to working with Aditya & Ritesh during the transition period and also working with each one of the 10,000+ strong OYOpreneur community in India & South Asia as we lead  by example and set new standards of excellence for OYO and the hospitality industry at large.”

    In the last six+ plus years, OYO has consistently built a culture of innovation and meritocracy supported by the organisational tenet of distributed leadership that empowers and expedites independent decision-making. OYO has not lost a single leader while continuing to attract top talent from the world over.  Aditya and Rohit will be working closely through the coming month to enable a smooth and seamless transition. As part of his new role, Aditya will continue to remain accessible whenever needed.

    Ritesh, further added,“I congratulate Aditya for being a great thought partner and look forward to his continued support and guidance to OYO and its leadership team. I am also excited to announce the appointment of Rohit Kapoor as the CEO of the entire India & SA business. Rohit has been with OYO now for over a year now, and in the last 12+ months, he has worked closely with me on various strategic initiatives across businesses. I am certain that OYO India & South Asia will continue to grow from strength to strength under his able leadership.”

  • Oyo expands footprint in China

    Oyo expands footprint in China

    MUMBAI: Indian budget hotel company Oyo Rooms has forayed into China to cater to the country’s burgeoning hospitality industry. Oyo Rooms.

    The Softbank-backed Oyo in China will have 11,000 exclusive-franchise or merchandised rooms across 26 cities. The service will be available in Xiamen, Kunming, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Nanjing, Xian among others.

    The company will compete with already established players in the market including Home Inns, GreenTree and Motel 168.

    Oyo founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal says, “The country’s tourism industry is on the cusp of booming and flourishing wherein it enjoys a strong influx of both domestic and international tourists; also the market is as fragmented as the Indian hotel market. With our expertise in managing chain of hotels backed by technological innovations, we will further continue to strengthen our footprint while empowering neighbourhood hotels to emerge in the same league as the big boys of hospitality.”

    The company is looking at expanding its footprint in international markets, with Dubai and Indonesia being high on its priority. Agarwal is also said to be exploring opportunities in the UK and US markets.

  • Telangana govt & Oyo team up for hospitality development

    Telangana govt & Oyo team up for hospitality development

    MUMBAI: The Telangana government and hospitality company Oyo have announced their intent to collaborate to develop the hospitality ecosystem in the state. Oyo’s new tech development centre was inaugurated by Telangana minister for IT, electronics and communications K Taraka Rama Rao.

    This facility in Hyderabad is designed as a cutting-edge in-house technology hub focused on developing innovative products for customers, partners and employees. National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (NITHM) is in discussions to boost employability in the sector by leveraging Oyo’s expertise to develop a hybrid learning program. Also in the works is an alliance with Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) to maintain, market and promote select properties under the corporation.

    K Taraka Rama Rao says, “It is my pleasure to inaugurate this new Oyo tech centre. Oyo is a story of entrepreneurial spirit and innovation bringing about a paradigm shift in the Indian hospitality space. With a thriving business in Telangana and encouraged by the state’s conducive environment, Oyo not only set up a new engineering facility but is also exploring various avenues of partnership such as with NITHM and TSTDC. I look forward to the success of this collaboration.”

    Oyo founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal adds, “Technology has been the biggest driver towards our growth and expansion in the last four years. We pioneered tech-enabled operational processes to provide beautiful living spaces to travellers. This new centre of excellence for machine learning and artificial intelligence initiatives will help us consolidate our technology leadership. Additionally, strategic partnerships with NITHM and TSTDC will not only impart skilling but also create gainful value for the industry at large.”

    The centre will be responsible for management and development of various verticals, including holiday packages, sales technology along with products and solutions for corporate travel and travel agents. It will focus on building supply chain technology and transformation technology teams, growing to 300 engineers by 2018-end.

    Oyo chief technology officer Anil Goel adds, “Technology has been a core differentiator for us and our investments here are to ensure we remain future-ready. Our intent is to create value for all aspects of hospitality operations. We will leverage technology across all operational channels, from recruitment to management to training, in addition to customer engagement. We are excited about using machine learning techniques to understand the behavioural patterns of customers, which in turn will enhance customer experience and drive essential business metrics such as conversion and repeat rates.”

  • OYO among LinkedIn’s top 10 for job-seekers

    MUMBAI: Action and engagement by over 500 million LinkedIn members have put OYO among the top 10 companies in India that attract the best talent. It is the only hospitality player among the top ten, rubbing shoulders with marquee global and Indian companies such as Alphabet, Amazon, Flipkart, KPMG, Adobe and Reliance Industries. OYO has jumped seven places to the 9th spot (from 16th last year) in the second edition of the LinkedIn’s survey titled Top Companies 2017: Where India wants to work.

    “OYO is an urban innovator that continues to engage world-class talent driven by commitment and passion to transform the world,” said OYO founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal.

    OYO CHRO Dinesh R said, “OYO is a unique workplace that caters to diverse skill-sets bound by a common thread – the drive to excel and impact the world.”

    According to LinkedIn Tech Editor Adith Charlie “The list of market leaders in their chosen sectors represents the firms where LinkedIn members most want to work now. Our methodology takes into consideration three main pillars to uncover the companies our members are most interested in; job applications, both views and applies on postings; engagement with employees as well as with the company directly and retention.”

    In a short span of over three years, OYO expanded its network to become the largest hospitality company in India.

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  • fonePaisa wins ‘e-payment award’ at PICUP-FICCI-Nasscom event

    MUMBAI: fonePaisa, a payments solutions, a universal payments company, was recognised as the best fintech company in the ‘e-payments category’ at the recently held PICUP Fintech Awards 2017’ for their Unified Payment and Reconciliation platform. The ‘PICUP Fintech 2017 awards were held in association with FICCI and Nasscom and aimed at recognising the best innovations from Fintech companies in diverse areas. Fintech companies were given the opportunity to showcase their innovative products and solutions to an eminent jury comprising of senior representatives from the banking fraternity, corporates and leading technology companies.

    The event was graced by FICCI senior VP and Edelweiss chairman and CEO Rashesh Shah, IBA chairman and Central Bank of India CMD Rajeev Rishi, BCG senior partner and MD Nicolas Harle, Reserve Bank of India deputy governor R Gandhi and NASSCOM president R Chandrasekhar.

    fonePaisa offers an omni-channel payment platform that can work on any technology and form factor, for consumers and businesses and can process payments using any mode including cards, wallets, bank accounts, UPI and virtual accounts as well.

    fonePaisa founder – CEO Ritesh Agarwal said, “fonePaisa aims at making payments easier, faster and safer. Being recognised as a winner in payments category is proof that fonePaisa is striving to revolutionise the way businesses and individuals send or receive payments.”