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OYO, A HOSPITALITY technology company, is providing accommodation for approximately 150 differently-abled artisans and entrepreneurs participating in the ongoing Divya Kala Mela across India. The company identified more than 200 hotels in different cities, including Varanasi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Patna, Surat, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, and Shimla. The selection of hotels is based on specific parameters, such as ramp and lift facilities mandated by the authorities, Oyo said in a statement. OYO recently collaborated with Khelo India Para Games 2023 in Delhi, offering accommodation to over 1500 participants in 45 hotels across the city, the statement added. Additionally, as part of its broader role as an event management agency, OYO handled catering and coordination for the games. Dedicated teams were deployed in various shifts to provide round-the-clock assistance to all participants.

INDIA-BASED ORAVEL STAYS, parent company of travel technology firm Oyo, completed the previously announced $525 million acquisition of G6 Hospitality from Blackstone Real Estate. The company is also restructuring G6's leadership, replacing President and CEO Julie Arrowsmith and other top executives effective Tuesday. In September, Oravel Stays agreed to acquire G6 Hospitality from Blackstone Real Estate for $525 million in an all-cash deal. On Tuesday, Oyo named Sonal Sinha as CEO, with Tina Burnett continuing as chief development officer, the company said in a statement. G6's chief financial officer, chief brand officer, general counsel, chief information officer and chief human resources officer also are being replaced. "We will continue to invest in skills that are unique and critical to the G6 business, such as supply, account management, corporate sales, brand standards, offline marketing, and safety and security," said Gautam Swaroop, OYO International's CEO. "Over the years, OYO has successfully leveraged capabilities developed in India in technology, revenue management, e-commerce, procurement, legal, finance, and HR and will extend these to the G6 business as well."

HOSPITALITY FIRMS OYO ROOMS and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts recently joined relief efforts in Ukraine. OYO is offering free accommodation to refugees fleeing the war-torn country and Wyndham made a cash donation to a charity supporting child victims of the war. OYO appealed to more than 600 Belvilla home-owners on its platform in Poland, to open their holiday homes to refugees, it said in a statement. "These stays will be free for refugees who cannot pay for them, and the costs will be borne by us and our home-owners who volunteer to host refugees. We will support them administratively, and help cover operational expenses incurred," OYO said.

INDIA-BASED ORAVEL Stays, the parent company of the global travel technology company OYO, has agreed to purchase G6 Hospitality, franchiser for the economy Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands, for $525 million from Blackstone Real Estate. The all-cash transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. Since launching in the U.S. in 2019, OYO has expanded to operate more than 320 hotels across 35 states, according to a joint statement from the companies. It aims to add around 250 hotels to its network this year, offering a technology suite, global distribution network and marketing expertise. "This acquisition is a significant milestone for a startup company like us to strengthen our international presence," said Gautam Swaroop, CEO of OYO International. "Motel 6's strong brand recognition, financial profile and network in the US, combined with OYO's entrepreneurial spirit will be instrumental in charting a sustainable path forward for the company which will continue to operate as a separate entity."

INDIA-BASED ORAVEL STAYS, the parent company of OYO, is reportedly in talks to raise $200 million in a primary funding round, according to Business Standard. The funds are expected to support OYO's potential acquisition of G6 Hospitality, which owns the budget Motel 6 and Studio 6 chains in the U.S. Oravel Stays aims for a valuation between $4.5 billion and $5 billion, up from its previous $2.4 billion valuation, though still below its earlier $10 billion target. The company is in discussions with offshore institutional and private Indian investors to secure the funding, Business Standard reported. Among the private investors involved are InCred Wealth, J&A Partners, the Mankind Pharma family office, and ASK Financial Holdings, all of whom previously valued OYO at $2.4 billion. OYO, backed by SoftBank, has not commented on the matter.

MORE THAN ONE million people used OYO Rooms worldwide on New Year's Eve, a 58 percent increase compared to 2023. Furthermore, approximately 768 guests checked in every minute globally during the same period. Beyond the booking surge, OYO is expanding globally, opening a hotel every 2-3 days, according to the company. "The New Year is off to an incredible start, with over 1.1 million travellers staying with us worldwide this NYE-marking a 58 percent increase from 2023, with the addition of Motel 6 and Studio 6 to our family," wrote Ritesh Agarwal, OYO's CEO, in a post on X. "It's clear the world is ready to celebrate, and we're proud to be part of this exciting journey."

HOSPITAITY FIRM OYO Rooms has filed fresh documents with India's stock market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India, for an Initial Public Offering in early next year, media reports said. The company filed fresh financial documents on Sept. 19 and is now targeting an IPO in January 2023, according to CoStar. OYO filed preliminary IPO documents in 2021, only to shelve the listing plan earlier this year after the prolonged pandemic hurt its growth and forced the company to cut thousands of jobs. The latest financial documents showed narrower losses and a rebound in sales for the year through March 2022 and in the three months to June 2022.

HOSPITALITY TECHNOLOGY FIRM OYO aims to invest $10 million to enhance G6 Hospitality's digital assets, including its website and app, targeting a quadruple increase in apps before summer. The company will use digital targeting, focusing on high-intent customers through direct partnerships with Google and Microsoft. The investment will fund data-driven digital campaigns to reach customers actively searching for accommodations with an aim toward boosting booking conversions and franchise partner value, G6 Hospitality said in a statement. "By concentrating our resources on users most likely to convert, we're optimizing our marketing spend and delivering more value to our franchise partners," said Shashank Jain, G6 Hospitality's head of online revenue. "The investment underscores G6's commitment to supporting its franchise network by driving direct bookings and reducing dependency on third-party platforms."

TRAVELERS ACROSS THE world are increasingly opting for short-haul destinations and making last-minute bookings over planned trips, according to a report from OYO Rooms. With a steady rise in vaccination coverage, combined with the easing of restrictions across regions, travelers have embraced the spirit of travel wholeheartedly, especially during holidays and festive long weekends. Oyo's Mid Season Global Holiday Trends 2021 report said that Labor Day in U.S., Gandhi Jayanthi in India, Ascension Day in Europe and Summer Holidays in UK were the most popular holidays among travelers this year. According to the report, Labor Day, New Year's, Martin Luther King Jr Day, Memorial Day and Thanksgiving are America's most travelled holidays. Coastal hotspots such as Seattle and Miami have been wildly popular during public holidays, followed by California's Nevada City, Houston and Dallas, the report added. AAA Travel forecast that 53.4 million Americans would travel for Thanksgiving this year, and a survey from Motel 6 found that 82 percent of holiday travelers believe it is important to spend that time with loved ones. However, another survey from the American Hotel & Lodging Association found only 29 percent of Americans are likely to travel for Thanksgiving and 33 percent are likely to travel for Christmas.

ORAVEL STAYS LTD., OYO's parent firm, and SoftBank Group recently launched their premium hospitality brand, SUNDAY, in the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, OYO's serviced hotels business saw 250 percent growth in its first year, adding 700 hotels since September 2023, surpassing its target of 200. The international expansion is part of OYO's ongoing efforts to strengthen its premium property portfolio globally, the company said in a statement. "Our data shows growing demand for premium, experience-driven accommodations," said Puneet Yadav, Oravel's UK business head. "This strategic move allows us to tap into the luxury segment while maintaining our commitment to delivering value across all price points."

FOUR HOTELS RECENTLY joined Hospitality International's hihotels brand, including three Red Carpet Inns along the East Coast and a new-build Scottish Inns outside of Houston, Texas. The company expects more growth in the future. Hihotels includes five brands Scottish Inns, Red Carpet Inn, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns and Passport Inn. The new properties include. Red Carpet Inn in Elkton, Maryland, 55 rooms, former Days Inn Red Carpet Inn in North Brunswick, New Jersey, 50 rooms, former independent Red Carpet Inn in Edison, New Jersey, 42 rooms, former OYO Hotel Scottish Inns in Richmond, Texas, 35 rooms, new construction While three of the four are conversions, the property in Richmond is the latest new build to join the brand. Two other Scottish Inns construction projects are currently ongoing in Texas in Houston and Forest Hill. Another new build recently opened in Hitchcock, Texas.

SOUTH INDIAN CITY Hyderabad topped the list of most-booked cities in India for 2024, according to a recent study by OYO. Religious tourism remains strong, with Puri, Varanasi, and Haridwar as key spiritual destinations, drawing large numbers of pilgrims. OYO's annual "Travelopedia 2024" report analyzes travel trends using its booking data. "2024 has marked a year of transformation in global travel," said Shreerang Godbole, OYO's global chief service officer. "Travellers are embracing flexibility, whether for business or leisure. Remote work trends are driving demand for both quick getaways and long stays." Hyderabad led bookings, with growth in both leisure and business travel, followed by Bengaluru, Delhi, and Kolkata, the study found. Uttar Pradesh remains India's top travel state, with Maharashtra, Telangana, and Karnataka also showing strong booking volumes. Smaller towns like Patna, Rajahmundry, and Hubli saw up to 48 percent year-on-year booking growth, indicating rising interest in non-metro destinations.

G6 HOSPITALITY INTERNATIONAL Inc. and HotelKey plan to update technology across its U.S. and Canada properties, with HotelKey remaining the core property management system for all Motel 6 and Studio 6 properties. G6, now part of OYO's global portfolio, is led by Ritesh Agarwal as chairman, while HotelKey is led by Aditya Thyagarajan as president. The announcement was made at the Radisson Blu, Nagpur, Maharashtra, in the presence of Nitin Gadkari, India's union minister of road transport and highways, the companies said in a joint statement. "HotelKey's feature set and user-friendly interface have consistently delivered strong results for property owners," said Agarwal, also the founder and CEO of OYO. "Their PMS platform's high adoption rates and positive feedback from hoteliers show why they're the ideal technology partner for our franchisees. HotelKey's success story exemplifies Indian technology excellence, with core development and engineering operations based in Nagpur."

ORAVEL STAYS, OYO'S parent company, plans to expand its premium brand, SUNDAY Hotels, to 100 properties globally by fiscal year 2026, according to a PTI report. The four- and five-star brand, launched in May 2023 as a SoftBank-Oravel Stays joint venture, has expanded to 10 countries with 30 hotels. The brand is present in India, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. The initiative is part of Oravel's strategy to grow its premium hotel footprint globally, PTI reported, citing a spokesperson. "There are 30 SUNDAY Collection hotels already open across 10 countries, including India, and the company plans to ramp up expansion in FY26, targeting 100 hotels," the spokesperson said.