OYO will emerge stronger because the need for value will only rise: Mayur Hola

The travel and hospitality industry has seen one of the severest impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic. But with lockdown restrictions being lifted and the world trying to get back to some semblance of normalcy, businesses are now strategising for the new market realities.

For the hospitality industry, ensuring strict hygiene and safety of customers will be of utmost importance. Amid tough market conditions, Mayur Hola, Head of Global Brand, OYO Hotels & Homes, remains optimistic and has been striving hard to resume operations across India and globally.

Also read: Mayur Hola to head Creative for OYO, India & SE Asia

At a virtual press conference recently, OYO announced the launch of ‘Sanitised Stay’, a minimal touch initiative to minimise the impact and innovate to fulfil the new standards of good quality travel and hospitality experience. In July 2020, OYO partnered with Unilever to co-create standard operating procedures (SOP) for cleaning and for its ‘Sanitised Stay’ initiative.

In the beginning of the pandemic in India, OYO launched a few digital films – ‘Do the Namaste’, ‘Heroes of OYO’ and ‘Everyday Heroes’. These films spread awareness about following guidelines, safety measures and also showcased the glimpse of new normal in the country.

In conversation with Adgully, Mayur Hola talks about the collaboration with Unilever, the strict safety measures undertaken, how hospitality industry is looking for revival, operating in the new normal and much more.

How did OYO come up with the idea of collaborating with Unilever to start the sanitisation drive in your key properties? What is the arrangement with Unilever?

We right swiped on each other. I mean, it’s a fairly obvious decision to partner. We’ve launched ‘Sanitised Stays’ globally. Unilever is a global brand with products that can help us enhance our scrubbing and cleaning. Partnering helps us make great products available to our asset owners at super competitive prices, and keeps our guests even safer.

Whose initiative was this and will it be for the long term? What is the objective of this collaboration? And how are both the organisations going to benefit from this tie-up? Travel and stay have still not opened up. There is still fear engulfed in many people’s minds. How will this innovative step help the customers and will it open up the bookings for your properties?

This is a mutual and global strategic brand tie-up. What’s great for both Unilever and us are the shared opportunities here. We begin by placing their hygiene products, as I mentioned. Our global network of hotels and high repeat user base holds enormous potential in terms of VAS and placement of other products, which we’ve begun exploring. This is a big reason for a long-term collaboration between the two brands.

Our customers are slowly but surely returning to us, with the adoption of ‘Sanitised’ tagged properties seeing much higher occupancy. So for sure, this will only help reassure our guests even more as things open up.

Do you plan to revisit the tariffs in view of the additional safety and security that you are providing to your guests?

At this point, we’re increasing the coverage of our ‘Sanitised Stays’ to be able to offer that option to as many guests as possible. We might review pricing later, but for now we continue to offer this choice at the same affordable prices that we’ve always maintained.

Now that lockdown restrictions are being lifted, are you seeing an increase in your room occupancy? By introducing the sanitisation and reassuring customers what kind of traffic are you expecting in the near future?

As places keep opening up and we help our partners reopen their businesses, we are seeing green shoots all over the world. Our Europe vacation homes are seeing excellent occupancy numbers, India continues to grow back slowly but surely, as is the case with South East Asia. The US ran at steady occupancy through this whole period. We’re expecting a slow but sure return to pre-COVID numbers in due course of time, in the meantime we continue to see our core users make a welcome return.

Finally, there is going to be a new normal as the lockdown is removed in some time. How are you planning to address the new normal and what will be your strategy to achieve the pre-COVID traffic for your properties?

I’m not big on terms like ‘new normal’. The planet has been through crises many times over. And we find a way to come back stronger. This is not to say that we aren’t in a pandemic right now. We’ll need to be a lot more careful and protect ourselves, we must always do that. But as with humanity, our brand will emerge stronger because the need for value will only rise.

How do you plan to promote this new safety facility that you are offering your clients and guests? Are you planning to run any tactical campaign to create awareness of the same?

We’re communicating with our guests and partners across India, SEAME, Japan, the US and LATAM on all our organic and paid channels. To begin with, we’re reaching out to our core user base. And later, to a wider audience as things open up. The great thing about being responsible for a global brand is that every part of the world is at a different stage in terms of their recovery and where the brand is at. So, no two tasks are exactly the same. That’s super challenging, but fun to strategise and execute. 

We’re happy with the businesses that we’re helping reopen, the relationships we’re reuniting, the workforce we’re enabling to go about their jobs and the awareness we’re creating about our efforts to keep our guests everywhere safe.