As part of the outreach, OYO is in touch with over 15 diplomatic missions in India and has already helped stranded foreign tourists.
COVID19 is having a huge impact on the entire hospitality industry worldwide with occupancy rates plunging. In these uncertain and difficult times, continuing its fight against COVID19 and supporting the Government of India in its efforts to break the chain and maintain the necessary nationwide lockdown, OYO has taken a series of measures to accommodate foreign nationals stranded in the country as well as provide support to frontline medical staff, aircrew, corporates, tourists, PGs, etc who need accommodation. Reaching out to 15+ embassies, the company aims to support the Ministry of Tourism in efforts to secure shelter for all travellers in need across the country.
As part of the outreach, OYO is in touch with over 15 diplomatic missions in India and has already helped stranded foreign tourists from the US, Brazil, Belgium, Portugal, Australia, Chile, Argentina and Indonesia in availing accommodation during the nationwide lockdown in OYO properties across tier 1 and tier 2-3 cities in India including Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Rishikesh, Pondicherry, Ranchi, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, and Jalandhar.
The company set up a swift response team to understand requirements of the stranded tourists, initiated contact with embassies, guests and the Ministry of Tourism and identified hotels that can be of service in this hour of need. In order to ensure the necessary hygiene and sanitation as well as protection for frontline staff, all medical and health & safety requirements for smooth check-in, as required by the Ministry of Health & WHO are being complied with. The company has also been providing regular updates to said embassies on the wellbeing of the foreign nationals.
Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and Group CEO, OYO Hotels & Homes, said, “These are testing times for the world and we at OYO, too have been deeply impacted by COVID-19. Both revenues and occupancies have dropped. Our commitment to the community at large remains, however, remains unflinched and we want to do everything possible to ensure we can provide reliable accommodation to persons stranded- be it tourists, travellers, PGs, essential service providers etc while maintaining the highest standards of hygiene and safety for guests, employees and asset partners. The lockdown we believe will surely help flatten the curve and we are standing strong with the Government to offer support to those who are stranded and in need of accommodation. We also thank the embassies for trusting us with their requirements. As a hotel chain, it is our responsibility to demonstrate ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ during these testing times. We are grateful for the efforts of each and every professional whose role requires them to be at the forefront of India’s fight against COVID-19 and we want to do our bit in this fight.”
