OYO, the famous Indian hotel chain, entered the US market in June 2019 and in just four months, was able to acquire 100 hotels under its management. It also stated it adds one hotel a day to its chain and plans to invest $ 300 million in the US market. The Company, in a short period of time, was able to expand to over 60 cities in the US, including Las Vegas, Houston, Seattle and Miami. It also opened a 35,000 square foot casino called OYO Hotel and Casino.
The Gurgaon based startup has been rapidly growing since its inception in 2012. Founded by Ritesh Agarwal, the startup was initially called Oravels Stays, which enabled listing and booking of budget accomodations. After extensive research, Ritesh Agarwal decided to change the name of the company to OYO a year later. The startup also secured a funding of $ 100,000 from PayPal co founder Peter Thiel, just after being launched. OYO has successfully raised $ 1.5 million from global investors ever since.
Within a span of 7 years, the Company has grown globally, with its presence felt in 500 cities across 10 countries. It has over 17,000 employees globally. Today, the Company has over 173,000 rooms under its management and is considered to be India’s largest hotel chain. OYO has also become the world’s third largest hospitality chain.
The Company’s growth can be clearly seen from its 2018 annual report. OYO reported the Company saw a three fold growth and earned a revenue of Rs. 416 crores from its operations in India.
With the Company growing so rapidly in such a short period of time, its founder, Ritesh Agarwal, aims to make OYO the largest hotel chain in the world by 2023.