MUMBAI, 27 AUGUST, 2019 (GPN):   OYO Hotels & Homes, India &  South Asia’s largest chain of hotels, homes and spaces, hosted its first Partner Advisory Council meeting in Delhi under the aegis of OYO Partner Engagement Network (OPEN) – the ongoing year long commitment of support and engagement with 10,000+ asset owners across the country. The inaugural Partner Advisory Council, under OPEN provides a unique opportunity to OYO hotel owners, OYO India SA leadership and respected third party policy and legal luminaries to represent the interests of the OYO Hotels network across the country and provide a platform to discuss and determine micro and macro issues driving the future of hospitality in India.

The current inaugural composition of the OYO India Partner Advisory Council includes the following members:

●        Mr. Vinod Zutshi, IAS, Former Secretary of Ministry of Tourism

●        Mr. V.K.Duggal, IAS, Former Home Secy and former Manipur and Mizoram Governor

●        Mr. N.R. Wasan, IPS, Former Director General of Bureau of Police Research and Development

●        Ms. Kiron Prabhakar, Partner & Founder, PAV Law Offices

●        Mr. Arup Borthakur, Asset owner from Jorhat, Assam

●        Mr. Ravi Tak, Asset owner from Jaipur

●        Mr. Amol Dhir, Asset owner from Agra

●        Mr Uttam Ichake, Asset owner from Pune

●        Mr. Aditya Ghosh, CEO, OYO India and South Asia

●        Mr. Rakesh Prusti, General Counsel, OYO

●        Mr. Ayush Mathur, Chief Supply Officer, OYO India and South Asia

In the first meeting of the Partner Advisory Council held in Delhi, members stressed on the need to continually evolve the relationship between OYO and its asset owners and how the Council would act as a crucial forum for discussion on relevant matters and programs for asset owner advancement. The meeting established the broad objectives of the Council, chiefly, advising OYO on working shoulder to shoulder with its asset owners for both the growth of their business, and for jointly realizing the potential of the hospitality industry in India.

Suggestions from some of the members included:

Mr. N.R. Wasan IPS, Former DG of Bureau of Police Research and Development	The need to ensure random checks on quality, given how customers’ perceptions can quickly change via social media with even a single incident of customer dissatisfaction. He stated that standardization of processes such as procurement should continue to be a focus area, as that will allow customers to know what to expect.
Mr. Amol Dhir, OYO Asset owner from Agra	Advised on setting up local chapters of the Partner Advisory Council over time so asset owners give feedback and share practices and learnings regularly that can then be discussed at the national Partner Advisory Council. This will ensure quick transfer of learnings and knowledge so as to prevent misunderstandings and misconceptions about OYO’s and asset owner’s roles and responsibilities.
Mr. V.K.Duggal, IAS, Former Home Secy and Manipur, Mizoram Governor	Suggested agenda should encompass not only key Asset Partners concerns (at the Partner level), but also factors at the policy and governance level in districts, states and centre that can impact tourism and hospitality. Mr. Duggal pointed out that a pre-meeting can also help draw a tighter agenda and how  a newsletter for PAC members can inform and update on progress and bottlenecks if any.
Arup Borthakur OYO Asset owner from Jorhat, Assam	Highlighted a few areas namely, the need for hotel managers to manage the staff through the day as well as the property end-to-end. He also reflected on the need for Capital O to be more differentiated as a brand through awareness activities.
Vinod Zutshi IAS, Former Secretary of Ministry of Tourism	Mr. Zutshi highlighted the need for continual work on R&D, quality gap analysis, and working with Govt. to participate in and contribute to govt. programs such as Swadesh Darshan Scheme. He also pointed out that price competitiveness is a strength that OYO should bring forth and market even more, as it is one of the strengths of India’s hospitality sector as well, which is a key USP in attracting overseas travelers.
Mr. Ravi Tak, OYO Asset owner from Jaipur	Highlighted the need to attract business from overseas travelers, especially for heritage properties.

Presenting the pillars of OPEN to the Council, namely, Business, Growth, Engagement and Recognition, and the various initiatives OYO has been undertaking for each of these key pillars, Aditya Ghosh, CEO, India & South Asia mentioned, “The suggestions and discussions in the first meeting of OYO India’s Partner Advisory Council lays a strong foundation for what’s to follow. By identifying key areas of improvement and closing plan of actions quickly for activities such as provisioning dedicated hotel management resources, improving brand awareness for mid-market brands and investing in quality checks aggressively, a lot of progress has been made already and we will look to share updates as well as highlight areas for further improvement in our next meeting in September.”

The ‘Partner Advisory Council’ is part of the larger initiative of OPEN: OYO Partner Engagement Network,  an industry-first year long asset owner and franchisee partner program to help 10,000+ building owners in India to reach their business goals. The discussion was a great opportunity to hear Partner Advisory Council member’s suggestions and insights for creating an ecosystem for asset owner success.

Under OPEN, OYO has launched a slew of initiatives including a dedicated microsite, Co-OYO app for asset owners, Cash in Bank business advances (Over INR 45 crore has been disbursed to hotel owners and there is an INR 170 crore disbursal pipeline) and a pan-India Partner Privilege Program to reward and recognise top performing hotel owners.

About OYO Hotels and Homes

Opening its doors in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes is the world’s third-largest chain of hotels, homes, managed living and workspaces. The portfolio combines fully operated real estate comprising of more than 23,000 hotels and 125,000 vacation homes. Additionally, OYO along with Vacation Homes categories managed by the company under OYO Homes, Belvilla, Danland, Dancenter along with Germany-based  Traum-Ferienwohnungen brands can be found in more than 800 cities in 80 countries, including the U.S., Europe, U.K., India, Malaysia, Middle East, Indonesia, Philippines, and Japan. For more information, log onto https://www.oyorooms.com/