OYO partners with Telangana Govt to promote hospitality, skill development

Budget hospitality chain OYO and Telangana Government announced their intent to collaborate to develop the hospitality ecosystem in the state, on the sidelines of the inauguration of OYO's new Tech Development Centre.

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 Hospitality sector by leveraging OYO's expertise in the hospitality segment 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.

Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO, OYO, said, "Technology has been the biggest driver towards our growth and expansion in the last four years. This new Centre of Excellence for Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) 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 currently owns an 8,500-plus hotels in more than 230 cities within its network, through innovation in technology, training and strong brand recall. OYO is the global pioneer of a new business model that was developed in India, where-in the company partnered with hotels to standardise and transform their rooms to deliver a hassle-free experience to guests. It pioneered the use of technology in budget-hotel operations and created a new kind of a hospitality company.

OYO has several consumer friendly touch-points such as the OYO App which allows guests to control every aspect of their experience - from booking hotel and cabs to ordering food.

Recently, the company introduced OYO Captains, a unique concierge service to ensure smooth travelling and on-stay experience. OYO currently operates in India, Malaysia and Nepal.