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<keyword id="125045" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="fitch-ratings" source="Orion">Fitch Ratings</keyword> on Wednesday said it has revised the outlook on <keyword id="2981241" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="oravel-stays" source="Orion">Oravel Stays</keyword> Ltd's (<keyword id="2808667" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="oyo" source="Orion">OYO</keyword>) long-term foreign- and local-currency issuer default ratings to 'positive' from 'stable', while affirming the ratings at 'B-'. The ratings agency also said it has affirmed the rating on the USD 660-million senior secured term loan facility due 2026, issued by OYO's fully owned subsidiary, Oravel Stays Singapore Pte Limited, at 'B-'. "The outlook revision reflects our view that OYO is on track to generate positive EBITDA and cash flow from operations (CFO) sustainably. This follows positive EBITDA in every quarter of the financial year ended March 2023 (FY23), which is the first year of profits since OYO's incorporation in 2012," <keyword id="82981" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="fitch" source="Orion">Fitch</keyword> Ratings said in a statement. It further said, "We expect significant growth in its EBITDA in FY24, led by an ongoing demand recovery in the travel and tourism industry, the company's stable gross margins, and reduction in operating costs." The rating reflects OYO's asset-light business model "that benefits from minimal capex needs, largely exclusive distribution rights, pricing control over storefront inventory, fixed revenue share and strong long-term growth potential", it added. "The business profile's strengths are mitigated by the sector's high competitive intensity and demand cyclicality. The rating also reflects OYO's adequate liquidity," Fitch said. The ongoing demand recovery in the industry is expected to drive revenue growth of over 20 per cent, it said, adding, "we also expect OYO's operating leverage to benefit from a sustained reduction in costs and drive high single-digit EBITDA margins in FY24." On improved cost structure, Fitch said, "We expect the cost-reduction measures OYO undertook in recent years to support its improving profitability in FY24. We believe such reductions will not affect growth, as it has increased its business development staff to prioritise storefront additions." The ratings agency also said it estimates that "OYO's unrestricted cash at FYE23 is sufficient to fund its Fitch-estimated free cash flow deficit of around USD 7 million and annual debt repayment of around USD 6 million in FY24". However, it said, "a greater cash burn than we expect could weaken OYO's liquidity. Any potential default of the debt outstanding at one of OYO's shareholding entities owned by the founder may be a reputational risk and affect OYO's operations, and we treat this as an event risk." SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/suvs-car-with-the-longest-waiting-period-in-india/slidelist/100649287.cms">Mahindra Thar, Tata Nexon and more: SUVs with the longest waiting period</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/centres-fiscal-deficit-for-2022-23-at-6-4-of-gdp-cga-data/articleshow/100649200.cms">Centre's fiscal deficit for 2022-23 at 6.4% of GDP: CGA data</a>

Fitch Ratings revises outlook on OYO's long-term issuer ratings to 'positive' from 'stable'

<ul><li>With COVID-19 impacting the hospitality industry, bringing revenues down to almost zero, to now the steady recovery of the industry, there’s a lot that has happened through the course of the year. </li><li>Hospitality was one of the worst affected industries worldwide, however, with cities unlocking and global restrictions easing gradually, India topped the charts for OYO as the most booked country.</li><li>As OYO launches its annual Travelopedia, Rohit Kapoor, CEO, <keyword id="7036155" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO-Hotels-Homes">OYO Hotels &amp; Homes</keyword>, India &amp; South Asia tells us about India's favourite tourist hotspots, COVID-19 impact on OYO, <keyword id="10519936" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="travel-sentiment">travel sentiment</keyword> this year and some trends he expects to see in 2021. </li></ul>2020 has been a unique year that pushed every brand and industry to transform itself. While it started on a good note for the hospitality industry, with January 2020 (pre-covid) being the most travelled month, April 2020 witnessed most cancellations across the country owing to the government’s precautionary lockdown. Hospitality was one of the worst affected industries worldwide. The grinding halt on travel and tourism impacted home-grown hospitality brand OYO by bringing its revenue down to zero levels during the lockdown. However, with cities unlocking and global restrictions easing gradually, India topped the charts for OYO as the most booked country while Delhi clocked in the most bookings across the world in 2020. Consumer confidence was at its highest during December 2020 as OYO saw the highest number of bookings since India unlocked. Today, Ritesh Agarwal’s OYO has reached ~45% of pre-COVID occupancy levels and its used room nights have grown steadily 40% m-o-m since bottoming out in May. Some of the brands are performing much better with <keyword id="4100346" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Oyo-Townhouse">OYO Townhouse</keyword> operating at 85% of pre-COVID occupancy levels. An OYO Hotel in Shahjahanpur and another in Chennai witnessed an average occupancy of 100% since lockdown. Over 8.5 million new user bookings were made on the OYO app and website in 2020. We caught up with Rohit Kapoor, CEO, OYO - India &amp; South Asia to discuss some of the key trends that came out in its third annual report - OYO Travelopedia 2020. <div type="Video" msid="80040904" hostid="261" title="Rohit Kapoor of OYO hotels and homes on India’s favourite travel hotspots and trends to be expected in 2021" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=80040904"></div> Lockdown’s impact A month down into the nation-wide lockdown, OYO realised that the macro factors cannot be controlled. As the hospitality industry came to a complete halt till the end of June, OYO decided to focus on improving its consumers and stakeholders’ pain points. It also wanted to use its space smartly by giving back to the society. It offered a helping hand to various hospitals and their doctors across the country. “After a few consumers started showing interest in travel, we launched an extensive campaign across the country to get in touch with our partners and stay in very close touch with our consumers. We tried to identify what consumers were thinking, some problems they were facing and what we could do to solve them. We worked with 24+ state ministries, 50+ government and private hospitals and hosted about a 250,000+ hospital staff and asymptomatic patients during the lockdown. 200+ sailors were safely quarantined at OYOs across India. 1,50,000 litres of disinfectant and 70,000 litres of sanitisers were used since April to welcome our guests,” shared Kapoor. OYO also on-boarded Sonu Sood as its brand ambassador, who emerged as a knight in shining armour and has been applauded for his humanitarian work to send thousands of stranded migrants back home during the lockdown. It launched a nation-wide campaign with Sood to woo its consumers. <div type="Youtube" id="ijSg92O1d30" title="OYO Sanitised Before Your Eyes" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ijSg92O1d30/mqdefault.jpg"></div> When Vande Bharat started, approximately 73,000 repatriated Indians completed their institutional quarantine at OYOs across India. Amongst these, most bookings were made by guests travelling from the Middle East, primarily UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar. Insights from OYO’s Travelopedia According to Kapoor’s predictions based on travelopedia’s insights, leisure travel is making a steady comeback - with tourist hotspots of Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Tirupati, Goa, Mussoorie recovering faster than other destinations. The data also revealed that Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad ranked as the most popular cities among business travellers while Jaipur, Goa, Kochi were travellers’ favourite domestic leisure hotspots. <div type="image" title="Oyo travelopedia" msid="80040415" hostid="261"></div> Speaking on one of the most important trends this year for OYO, Kapoor said, “One of the most humbling things we found out that has stayed with me is that a guest has stayed with us 128 times this year, something that tells us that we are on the right path and that our customers have immense faith in us even in tough times. While 2021 will be a new learning in itself, we’re hopeful that the changes we have brought in 2020 will set new precedents in the travel and hospitality sector and we are completely motivated to work towards providing safe stays to all our customers.” We're at that time of the year when people normally are in the mood to travel. Across India, without any surprise, the tourist hotspot of Goa emerged as the most booked beach destination, followed by Kochi, Vizag and Pondicherry. To target these beach-lovers, OYO also launched a campaign earlier this month titled ‘Chalo Beach Chalein.’ <div type="Youtube" id="6W_9U2C7G30" title="OYO | Chal Beach Chalein" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6W_9U2C7G30/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Interestingly, OYO has also seen a resurgence in religious tourism. Puri emerged as India’s top pilgrimage destination, followed by Vrindavan, Tirupati, Shirdi, and Varanasi. In December 2020, over 17 lakh people checked-in over the weekends. December 12, 2020 saw the most number of bookings (so far). The next estimated date is December 31, 2020 (bookings still coming in) Telling us how December turned out for OYO, Kapoor said, “This month, people are traveling to places they wouldn’t have thought of visiting earlier. For example, many of our users have shown interest in Mukteshwar, Ramgad or Bhimtal. Plus, one big change for everyone is that during this part of the year, people travel to international locations -- that’s not happening this year. That demand is getting funnelled to domestic markets and that is a trend I foresee continuing for at least 12 more months.” Kapoor has been traveling himself to locations he wouldn’t have been to otherwise. He has been to Jaipur and Udaipur with his family, then he went to Ramgad and worked from there for 15 days. He has also been on a road trip to Lucknow, Allahabad and Kolkata. From his many road trips to different parts of our country and from OYO’s in-depth research study, Kapoor noticed how people aren’t staying with their relatives anymore. They preferred living in a hotel, which is a cultural shift in our country. Walking us through Travelpedian further, Kapoor said, “If you look at the patterns emerge, the first unlock started with the big cities and we wondered what is it that these big cities offered: one type of cohort was those who wanted to just leave their homes and work from somewhere else. Secondly, people were worried about going and staying in someone else’s home, which is pretty common in India. I was in Allahabad in September and was trying to book an OYO, it was fully sold out. It was because of an exam which was going on and it was booked by parents whose kids were appearing for that exam. Third thing we saw is seasonality disappearing because work from home is allowed. The classic pattern of people travelling during peak seasons and vacations is phasing out. People are going away for staycations, working for 8-10 hours and using the rest of time for leisure. Lastly, they are also up for impromptu plans because they want to be reasonably sure that they are ready to travel.” OYO’s goals for 2021 The focus areas in 2021 would be more or less the same at OYO. Kapoor said that one thing that COVID-19 has taught us is that the future is unpredictable and the team is prepared for uncertain 2-3 quarters. “We have learnt the power of building product-led solutions for partners and that we will continue to invest in that. We want to open OYO-products and solutions to a much wider set of customers. We have all kinds of customers today but I think we have the opportunity to present OYO as the best option for anybody who is seeking good-quality experience. OYO has been recognised as the best start-up to work with and my focus would be to continue being the best place to work with for our target not just in India, but globally as well.”

Over 8.5 million new user bookings were made on the OYO app and website in 2020: Rohit Kapoor

Satya Nadella-run <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword> is in advanced talks to invest in Airbnb-backed Indian budget hotel chain <keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">OYO</keyword> at a valuation of $9 billion, the media reported on Friday. According to a TechCrunch report citing sources, a deal may close soon but the "proposed size of the investment is unclear". Both Microsoft and OYO declined to comment on the reports. The Ritesh Agarwal-run hospitality chain has Airbnb, Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing and ride-hailing firm Grab as strategic investors. The news comes after OYO announced earlier this month that it has raised $660 million from global institutional investors as <keyword id="4462417" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="tlb">TLB</keyword> (Term Loan B). A company statement had said that the offer was oversubscribed by 1.7 times and the company received commitments of close to $1 billion from leading institutional investors. "We are delighted by the response to OYO's maiden TLB capital raise that was oversubscribed by leading global institutional investors. We are thankful for the trust that they have placed in OYO's mission of creating value for owners and operators of hotels and homes across the globe," said Abhishek Gupta, Group Chief Financial Officer, OYO. The company said it will utilise these funds to retire its past debts, strengthen the balance sheet and other business purposes including investment in product technology, it said. OYO is the first Indian startup to be publicly rated by Moody's and <keyword id="82981" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fitch">Fitch</keyword>, two of the leading international rating agencies. The Microsoft deal "may also involve OYO shifting to use its cloud services," the report mentioned. OYO has aggressively been expanding its operations to several markets including Southeast Asia, Europe and the US in recent years. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tech-mahindra-shares-price-jump-because-management-sees-a-10-plus-growth/articleshow/84882133.cms">Tech Mahindra shares surge as for the first time in over five years the management sees a 10% plus growth</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/cleartax-major-acquisitions-and-hiring-2021-funding-on-the-way/articleshow/84880048.cms">Clear(Tax) has planned major acquisitions and hiring for this year, in talks with investors to raise funds</a>

Microsoft is in advanced talks to invest in OYO at a valuation of $9 billion, say media reports

IPO-bound <keyword id="2808667" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="oyo" source="Orion">OYO</keyword> on Thursday said it has appointed <keyword id="10052750" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prakash-padariya" source="Orion">Prakash Padariya</keyword> as the Chief Information Security Officer for IT and security teams. ''In his role at OYO, Prakash will helm a security strategy for OYO's systems globally, including regions such as India, SEA (Southeast Asia), Europe, the USA and the UK,'' the hospitality technology platform said in a statement. At OYO, Prakash will lead the operations for teams working specifically for IT and cyber security services. He will also be responsible for leveraging technologies such as Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence to enhance the cyber security functions. Padariya joins OYO from the Netherlands-headquartered online payment solutions provider PayU, where he had served in a similar role, the statement said. Padariya will directly report to the company's Chief Technology Officer Ankit Mathuria. ''I am super excited to join OYO at this stage where all of travel is transforming and resurging post COVID-19. I am honoured to be a part of this team and can't wait to start developing solutions to enhance the maturity of all of OYO's products to the next level of security and privacy,'' Padariya said. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/amazon-and-future-agree-to-discuss-an-out-of-court-settlement-after-nearly-2-years-of-legal-battle/articleshow/89968120.cms">Amazon and Future agree to discuss an out of court settlement after nearly 2 years of legal battle</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/mukesh-ambanis-reliance-announced-a-partnership-with-sanmina-a-us-based-electronics-manufacturer/articleshow/89960792.cms">Reliance teams up with US-based Sanmina to create a high-tech electronics manufacturing hub in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/mobikwiks-upasana-taku-says-all-the-companies-that-made-their-grand-entry-into-bnpl-will-have-a-grand-exit-too/articleshow/89960652.cms">INTERVIEW: Mobikwik’s Upasana Taku says all the companies that made their grand entry into BNPL will have a grand exit too</a>

OYO appoints Prakash Padariya as Chief Information Security Officer

<ul><li>Following the successful response to its recent brand films #AisiReachGaye and ‘Kalki Kal Dekhenge,’ OYO recently launched a new advertisement with Chitrangada Singh and Kunal Kapoor.</li><li>In the ad, Kapoor loses a bet to Chitrangada and plays golf while wearing a ghagra.</li><li>This unique set of ads from OYO has generated a lot of chatter on social media and has sparked a meme fest.</li><li>We speak to Mayur Hola - Head of Global Brand, OYO and Kavikrut, Chief Growth Officer, OYO about the latest campaign, its target audience and timing.</li></ul>At a time when hospitality brands are observing a silent period, OYO rolled out a multi-film 360-degree campaign with Gul Panag, Kalki Koechlin, Chitrangada Singh and Kunal Kapoor. It was during the peak of COVID that OYO aired its first advertisement during the India VS South Africa ODI match. While it was a risky bet for the brand, especially before its upcoming IPO, to talk about travel without really propagating travelling, OYO’s new campaign has still won many hearts and has also organically trended on Twitter thrice for all of its ads. Last year in December, OYO saw its <a href="https://twitter.com/riteshagar/status/1479737071719759875">busiest month</a> as over a million people booked rooms with the brand for the New Year’s long weekend. We asked OYO whether this campaign was planned for December and delayed due to the sudden surge in cases, Kavikrut, Chief Growth Officer, OYO said no, it felt like the right time now. Explaining why OYO chose January to roll their campaign out, he said, “December was one of the highest travel peaks for India and yet, that's not when you saw this campaign. You're seeing this campaign at a time when you're stuck at home, and you're thinking about being out there either for travel, leisure or for business. You're thinking about where else I could be? And it's at that point of time, we want there to be a recall and memory of OYO in their minds and for what could it be? That's when you zoom back into the features and say, it could be anywhere which is nearby, Assi Reach Gaye ad is about that; you don't need to reach anywhere, you could just stay here. We felt like this is a good time to just put them out there. People will love the films irrespective of the time we are in.” As the whole country relives 2020 and people are stuck at home yet again, they have the space and time to watch new content and absorb it. Mayur Hola - Head of Global Brand, OYO added that any consideration campaign needs to start a little bit ahead of when you want the customer to act, particularly when you decide that the consideration you seek is from a newer audience. “So our intent to do it now is to be a little ahead of the game and not just advertise when things open up and people have already made plans. And a lot of audiences today react spontaneously. Consideration takes a little more time, hence, the need for the campaign that we planned. I don't think anything else plays a role at all in our choice of timing. This is simply consideration and perception that we would focus on and are giving it the time it needs to bed in,” explained Hola. OYO’s first advertisement of 2022, ‘Assi reach gaye’ featured Gul Panag and an adorable kid who stole all the attention. The film showcases how a kid, who hasn’t had a chance to travel due to the pandemic, would react on a long road trip. It takes you through many stages of his journey, starting with the child enjoying the views of the scenic hills, turning to boredom and finally to restlessness after spending hours in the car. Hereon, the film captures the many quirks of a now impatient 4-year-old child, who incessantly nudges his mom from the backseat and asks, “Assi reach gaye?” With over 4000 tweets, this ad trended on number 2 on Twitter. <div type="Youtube" id="ZK7WgxuO6X8" title="Assi Reach Gaye | OYO Rooms Official" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZK7WgxuO6X8/mqdefault.jpg"></div> It is for the first time that the relatively young hospitality brand OYO is targeting Indian families with a huge media splash. Hola mentioned that OYO has seen some very unique use cases, which inspired its latest campaign to some extent, and realised that while the brand has a young perception in the market, it is used by audiences across age groups. Sharing a few examples, he said, “We live in small homes across the country and people sometimes just don't have the space to fight. So on the surface, you have a couple checking into a room but really they're going in there to squabble because they can’t scream at each other at home. I know that feeling. We have unique use cases of people taking a pitstop, studying, spending the night after a party, which is a big one for us; people just found it safer to check into a room nearby wherever they've been partying and not take a long ride by cab back home. So, we're trying to talk about the various audiences who own us already, and reach out to even further audiences, in terms of families and so on. In one way, it is reflective of usage already and in another way, we want to add more to that pool.” Following the successful response to its brand films ‘Assi Reach Gaye’ and ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/ZWt_6msbML0">Kalki Kal Dekhenge,</a>’ OYO released a third ad film last week featuring Chitrangada Singh and Kunal Kapoor. With this film, OYO highlights its app’s ‘search the view’ feature which enables people to discover stays with a view they would like. In the ad, Kunal loses a bet to Chitrangada and plays golf while wearing a ghagra. Within a few hours, this film also trended on Twitter on number three with more than 5,500 tweets. The idea behind these ads, Hola said, is to put OYO’s app at the heart of everything. It promotes different features that the app offers. It will be seen in multiple channels across GEC, News, Infotainment and the Kids genre. It will also promote the first film across its owned PR channels.

OYO is now targeting families through its communications to ring in its next phase of growth

<ul><li><keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">OYO</keyword> is buying @Leisure from <keyword id="420697" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Axel-Springer">Axel Springer</keyword>, the media and technology company, for $415 million. </li><li>This will add 300,000 rooms to OYO’s list.</li><li>Vacation homes are becoming a big part of OYO’s strategy, after having launched OYO Homes in 2017.</li></ul>From a unicorn in 2018 to becoming a global hotel chain, Indian hospitality <keyword id="138263" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="startup">startup</keyword> OYO <keyword id="6368036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="hotels">Hotels</keyword> &amp; Homes has achieved a lot within a year. Now, OYO is once again in the news for having acquired Amsterdam-based <keyword id="7586774" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Leisure-Group">@Leisure Group</keyword> of hotels. OYO is buying @Leisure from Axel Springer, the media and technology company, for $415 million. The acquisition marks an important step in OYO’s journey, as this becomes one of the biggest acquisitions done by an Indian startup in the global arena. With the acquisition, OYO will now have @Leisure’s more than 30,000-fully managed holiday homes across 13 countries in Europe and a subscription-based home management service with over 85,000 homes across 50 countries. This will add 300,000 rooms to OYO’s list. OYO has 175,000+ rooms in India, whereas in China it has 322,000+ rooms and in the rest of the world put together, it is adding 60,000 rooms every month. In India, over 15 cities have 200 OYO hotels per city. “If one were to look at Europe alone, there is an ever-increasing demand for vacation homes with an increasing trend of booking an entire home. Through this acquisition, the size and scale of the opportunity can be immediately unlocked for OYO’s Homes business. Today, more than 2.8 mn holidaymakers from over 118 countries book their holiday every year with @Leisure Group. The combined strength of both brands can scale the opportunity multifold,” said OYO’s Global Chief Strategy Officer, Maninder Gulati. Vacation homes are becoming a big part of OYO’s strategy – it had launched OYO Homes in 2017. OYO Homes already has over 15,000 villas and apartment units globally. Global expansion mode In a bid to become the world’s largest hotel chain (OYO currently holds the 6th position), OYO has been fast expanding its businesses in India and globally. In 2017, OYO had entered the China market and rapidly expanded to be one of the biggest hotel chains in the country. In fact, OYO has more rooms to offer in China than it does in india. Earlier in 2019, OYO announced its partnership with Japan-based SoftBank Corp and the SoftBank Vision fund to launch a new venture called Oyo Hotels Japan. It had also started a housing rental service in Japan called Oyo Life. The company also has a presence in Indonesian, European and Sri Lankan markets. In September 2018, OYO had opened its signature OYO townhouses in London. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/oyo-upgrades-its-app-for-hotel-owners-and-offers-financing-marketing-support-and-timely-payments/articleshow/68940755.cms">OYO upgrades its app for hotel owners and offers financing, marketing support and timely payments</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/oyo-partners-with-softbank-to-launch-oyo-hotels-japan/articleshow/68719436.cms">OYO partners with Softbank to create a joint venture for its Japan business</a>

OYO's $415 million acquisition of Amsterdam-based holiday home chain part of plan to become the world's largest hotel company

Tech giant <keyword id="10387" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microsoft" source="Orion">Microsoft</keyword> and travel technology platform <keyword id="2808667" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="oyo" source="Orion">OYO</keyword> on Thursday announced that they have entered a multi-year strategic alliance to co-develop next generation travel and hospitality products and technologies. OYO will adopt <keyword id="1033762" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft-Azure" source="Orion">Microsoft Azure</keyword> as a key enabler to drive cloud-based innovations and reimagine the hospitality and travel tech industry. The solutions will be geared to benefit patrons who operate small and medium hotel and home storefronts. Microsoft has also made a strategic equity investment in OYO. "Combining the power of Azure with the tech and product stack developed by OYO, we are looking forward to accelerating innovation in travel and hospitality," Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>, said in a statement. As part of this alliance, OYO will develop Smart Room experiences for travellers on the OYO platform, such as premium and customized in-room experiences for its guests. Using Microsoft's Azure IoT, the experience will include self-check-in supported by a digital register of arrivals and departures and self-Know Your Customer (KYC) along with IoT-managed smart locks and virtual assistance. "We are excited to join hands with Microsoft in our constant endeavour to improve business opportunities for the small and independent hotel and home owners, and to redefine experiences for travellers," said Abhinav Sinha, Global COO and Chief Product Officer - OYO Hotels and Homes. "This alliance with Microsoft will accelerate the deployment of our products in the hands of small businesses we work with, allowing us to create even more impact through an integrated technology ecosystem available on the cloud for businesses in the remotest corners of the world," Sinha added. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/ford-motor-to-stop-manufacturing-cars-in-india-4000-employees-may-lose-jobs/articleshow/86065322.cms">Ford Motor to stop manufacturing cars in India; 4,000 employees may lose jobs</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/amazon-vs-future-retail-supreme-court-stays-delhi-high-courts-verdict-enforcement/articleshow/86064426.cms">Amazon Vs Future Retail: Supreme court stays Delhi High Court's verdict enforcement</a>

Microsoft announces strategic investment in OYO

Business Insider is proud to announce that Ritesh Agarwal, founder and CEO of SoftBank-backed hotel chain <keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="OYO">Oyo</keyword>, will speak at the inaugural <a href="https://trendsfestival.com/?utm_source=tf_usa&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=ticketn=ticket">BI Global Trends Festival</a>, a virtual event taking place the week of October 19-23, 2020.Agarwal, who founded Oyo when he was 18, predicts rapid changes in people's travel habits resulting from the coronavirus pandemic."The hospitality industry will never be the same again, that is absolutely clear," Agarwal <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/small-the-new-big-for-hotels-post-pandemic-says-oyo-ceo-2020-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">told Reuters</a>. "Small hotels are going to be in vogue. In my view, small is going to be the new big, wherein people will rethink a lot about going back to that 1,000-room hotel versus going to a 40-room niche hotel."Oyo allows guests to book rooms on its mobile app. Promising more revenue to hotel owners, the company transforms local hotels into Oyo franchises and takes a cut on every booking.As a college student, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indian-budget-hotel-startup-oyo-expands-to-the-uk-2018-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Agarwal won $100,000 from the Thiel Fellowship</a>, a grant for young entrepreneurs. Oyo has since raised more than $3 billion in capital, including $700 million from Agarwal himself as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oyo-raises-15-billion-from-ceo-and-other-backers-at-10-billion-valuation-2019-10">part of a deal that raised Oyo's valuation</a> to $10 billion. SoftBank has been funding the company since 2015.Hear Agarwal discuss the future of travel at the <keyword id="9732021" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="business-insider-global-trends-festival">Business Insider Global Trends Festival</keyword>. Get your tickets today.<h2><a href="https://trendsfestival.com/en/tickets-for-trends-festival.html?utm_source=tf_usa&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=ticketn=ticket">Buy tickets &gt;&gt;</a></h2>

Oyo CEO Ritesh Agarwal to speak at the Business Insider Global Trends Festival 2020

<ul><li><keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">OYO</keyword> has announced a Joint Venture with <keyword id="163404" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Softbank">Softbank</keyword> Corp and Softbank Vision fund to launch <keyword id="7496028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Oyo-Hotels-Japan">Oyo Hotels Japan</keyword>. </li><li>Softbank has been an investor in OYO since 2018.</li><li>OYO had recently announced its funding from Airbnb as well.</li></ul>Indian hospitality <keyword id="152045" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unicorn">unicorn</keyword> OYO has announced its partnership with Japan-based SoftBank Corp and the SoftBank Vision fund to expand its business in Japan. The new venture called Oyo Hotels Japan will be led by Prasun Chaudhary, one of OYO's founding members. OYO had recently announced its housing rental service in Japan called Oyo Life. The company’s official statement said that their business in Japan would “empower small and independent asset owners in Japan with its rapid transformation capabilities and integrated hotel / ryokan management system powered by advanced AI technology.” Softbank has been a loyal supporter of OYO. The Japanese investment firm has been one of OYO's investors since 2015. It was Softbank's investment that led OYO into the Indian unicorn club with a $5 billion valuation in September 2018, a huge jump from the $900 million valuation it had until then. OYO which had expanded its business in China in 2017 had already made China one of its biggest markets. Now, with its entry into Japan it aims to get closer to its dream of being the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">world’s biggest hotel chain.</a> “OYO is already the most preferred brand in the budget to mid-segment hospitality space in several global markets, where our operational expertise in revenue management, and distribution, through both offline and online channels, has helped us gain significant momentum,” said <keyword id="1670338" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ritesh-Agarwal">Ritesh Agarwal</keyword>, Group CEO &amp; Founder, OYO Hotels &amp; Homes. OYO had recently announced a strategic investment from global giant Airbnb. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/home-renting-giant-airbnb-invests-in-indian-unicorn-oyo-rooms/articleshow/68670636.cms">Airbnb picks up a stake in its Indian rival Oyo Rooms</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/oyo-rooms-eyeing-acquisition-of-freshmenu/articleshow/68112104.cms">Oyo wants a bite of foodtech, may acquire Freshmenu: Report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">A 6-year-old Indian startup wants to be world’s biggest hotel chain</a>

OYO partners with Softbank to create a joint venture for its Japan business

<ul><li>OYO founder <keyword id="1670338" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ritesh-Agarwal">Ritesh Agarwal</keyword> was recently booked in a cheating case by a hotel owner in Bengaluru. </li><li>But there have been multiple such incidents across the country. </li><li>In the US too, OYO has been facing similar issues.</li></ul>OYO Hotels &amp; Homes, the Indian unicorn that has gone global seems to be going through a bad time. Founded by Ritesh Agarwal, OYO is on its way to hit its ambitious target of being the world’s largest hotel chain. It helps that they are already South Asia’s largest hotel chain by the number of rooms. OYO also recently launched OYO Partner Engagement Network (OPEN) through which it set up four regional Partner Advisory Councils which “provides a platform to discuss and determine micro and macro issues driving the future of hospitality in India”. Yet the past few months have been turbulent. From multiple FIRs to an uprising from hotel owners, OYO is now dealing with multiple cases. Cheating case against Agarwal and others Recently, a Bengaluru <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/cheating-case-against-oyo-founder-ritesh-agarwal-6-others/articleshow/71905131.cms">hotelier</a> filed a cheating case against Agarwal and six others claiming that the OYO hasn’t paid him his dues. According to the complaint, the hotelier has claimed that OYO was supposed to pay him ₹7 lakh a month for room bookings but failed to do so since May 2019. "Our lawyers are looking into the matter and will be taking strong legal action as these claims are incorrect and defamatory in nature. OYO Hotels &amp; Homes will initiate appropriate criminal proceedings against the Bengaluru owner who is sensationalising a civil dispute to attract attention. On studying a similar matter where an FIR was wrongfully filed in September, the honourable Karnataka High Court recently stayed the adverse actions via an injunction in Bengaluru. We, therefore, have strong reasons to repose our faith in the justice system," said a statement from OYO. OYO also claims to have an annual retention as high as 99.5% across the chain in India &amp; South Asia. Incidents at OYO Hotels Recently, a national level shooter was found dead in an OYO hotel reportedly due to electrocution. On the other hand, an employee in a Gurugram-based OYO hotel was also accused of <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/electrocution-case-oyo-says-it-is-cooperating-with-police-authorities/articleshow/71607725.cms">raping</a> a guest. In both cases, OYO has said that it is working with the authorities and helping with the investigation. Hotel owners’ rising rage Hotel partners have been raising their concerns about OYO for quite some time now, with some even calling it the <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/business/hotel-operators-who-partnered-with-oyo-call-it-biggest-online-fraud-demand-criminal-probe-against-softbank-backed-startup-7462021.html">‘biggest online fraud’.</a> Multiple protests have also been organised by hoteliers against OYO across the country. Most of the protests have been about clearance of dues. Another point <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/current/corporate/as-softbank-oyo-booms-over-10000-hotels-cry-foul-and-check-out/story/383337.html">raised by hotel owners</a> has been that while OYO charges 20% franchise fee on room revenues, it ultimately takes more money through different sources that aren’t disclosed initially. Trouble in America too OYO, after having had a great run in China, also expanded to the US. It has even taken over a Hooters hotel in Las Vegas and rebranded it to be an OYO hotel. US-based media outlet <a href="https://skift.com/2019/10/24/budget-chain-oyo-can-be-a-nightmare-for-u-s-hotel-operators-despite-its-hype/">Skift</a> has reported that several hotel owners complained that OYO’s partner management system didn’t work properly along with non payment of dues. CCI investigation MakeMyTrip and Oyo’s commercial agreement is being investigated by the Competition Commission of India. The alleged dominance that they would enjoy is now under scanner. And prima facie, MakeMyTrip is identified as ‘dominant’ in the online travel market while OYO holds the same position in the hotels market. The joint effect of their partnership could alter the way the market operates. “OYO has been prima facie found to be a significant player in the ‘market for franchising services for budget hotels in India,” said the report. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/why-makemytrip-and-oyo-are-in-trouble-with-the-cci/articleshow/71818051.cms">MakeMyTrip and Oyo are in trouble with the CCI, opening up a gray area for business partnerships in India</a>

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Fitch Ratings revises outlook on OYO's long-term issuer ratings to 'positive' from 'stable'

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Microsoft announces strategic investment in OYO

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Oyo CEO Ritesh Agarwal to speak at the Business Insider Global Trends Festival 2020

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OYO partners with Softbank to create a joint venture for its Japan business

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