Oyo's new SOS button promises to make Indian hotels safer

• Oyo launches a SOS button for its consumers.
  
• The unicorn startup also has a trained Oyo Safety Response Team.
  
• With a pilot project in Gurugram currently, the service will soon be available across 25 cities in India.

Indian unicorn hospitality startup Oyo Rooms has launched a SOS button for its users. The in-app SOS button will help users staying in Oyo hotels or partnership hotels to alert authorities during an emergency situation.

The hospitality chain has also trained a 24x7 OYO Safety Response Team (SRT) which will be able to help consumers. The app will also initiate a call with local law enforcement authorities if the situation arises.

A pilot of the SOS button has already been launched with Gurugram and will soon be made available in 25 cities.

With increasing number of women and solo travellers in the country, the feature has been long due. “We believe that this will enable guests especially women and solo travellers to feel secure further encouraging travellers to travel to and within India," said Aditya Ghosh, CEO - India and South Asia, OYO Hotels and Homes.

Oyo, which is the largest hotel chain in South Asia, aims to be the world’s biggest hotel chain. “We will have one million rooms inventory into our fold in the near distant future. I think, it should happen in a year and a half,” Ghosh had told the news agency PTI on January 15.

The company had recently raised $100 million from China’s ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing, in continuation with the $1 billion fund Oyo was raising. Oyo’s valuation stays at $5 billion.

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