Oyo founder Ritesh Agarwal explains why he cleans hotel washrooms

Speaking at the second edition of Mumbai Tech Week on March 1, Ritesh Agarwal highlighted the need for a mindset shift

Oyo founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal has revealed that he still cleans hotel washrooms as part of his leadership approach, setting an example for his team. Speaking at the second edition of Mumbai Tech Week on March 1, Agarwal said, "I still, sometimes, clean washrooms as a role modeling exercise."

 

Agarwal, who founded Oyo in 2012 and built it into a global hospitality giant with over 1 million rooms across 80 countries, was responding to a question on overcoming the fear of failure.

 

"On day one, you have to leave fear, embarrassment, pride, arrogance — everything outside the room and enter, because these are the biggest enemies of entrepreneurial success," he was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

 

 

Agarwal highlighted the need for a mindset shift. "Are you looking to pride-seeking or wealth-seeking? I am very clear that I want to create a big impact," he said.

 

This is not the first time Agarwal has shown his commitment to maintaining hygiene. In July 2023, he launched the 'Spotless Stay' initiative, aiming to enhance hygiene standards across Oyo properties. This program involved daily on-site audits conducted by appointed officers, with Agarwal personally participating to ensure compliance and improvement. 

 

"We're starting with over 3,000+ audits soon and aiming to scale it to 6,000+ by October," he had said. 

 

In December 2024, Oyo's valuation stood at $4.6 billion after Nuvama Wealth and Investment Limited acquired shares worth Rs 100 crore in its parent firm, Oravel Stays Ltd, according to an Economic Times report.