Telangana govt & Oyo team up for hospitality development

Telangana govt & Oyo team up for hospitality development

OYO

MUMBAI: The Telangana government and hospitality company Oyo have announced their intent to collaborate to develop the hospitality ecosystem in the state. Oyo’s new tech development centre was inaugurated by Telangana minister for IT, electronics and communications K Taraka Rama Rao.

This facility in Hyderabad is designed as a cutting-edge in-house technology hub focused on developing innovative products for customers, partners and employees. National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (NITHM) is in discussions to boost employability in the sector by leveraging Oyo’s expertise to develop a hybrid learning program. Also in the works is an alliance with Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) to maintain, market and promote select properties under the corporation.

K Taraka Rama Rao says, “It is my pleasure to inaugurate this new Oyo tech centre. Oyo is a story of entrepreneurial spirit and innovation bringing about a paradigm shift in the Indian hospitality space. With a thriving business in Telangana and encouraged by the state’s conducive environment, Oyo not only set up a new engineering facility but is also exploring various avenues of partnership such as with NITHM and TSTDC. I look forward to the success of this collaboration."

Oyo founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal adds, “Technology has been the biggest driver towards our growth and expansion in the last four years. We pioneered tech-enabled operational processes to provide beautiful living spaces to travellers. This new centre of excellence for machine learning and artificial intelligence initiatives will help us consolidate our technology leadership. Additionally, strategic partnerships with NITHM and TSTDC will not only impart skilling but also create gainful value for the industry at large.”

The centre will be responsible for management and development of various verticals, including holiday packages, sales technology along with products and solutions for corporate travel and travel agents. It will focus on building supply chain technology and transformation technology teams, growing to 300 engineers by 2018-end.

Oyo chief technology officer Anil Goel adds, “Technology has been a core differentiator for us and our investments here are to ensure we remain future-ready. Our intent is to create value for all aspects of hospitality operations. We will leverage technology across all operational channels, from recruitment to management to training, in addition to customer engagement. We are excited about using machine learning techniques to understand the behavioural patterns of customers, which in turn will enhance customer experience and drive essential business metrics such as conversion and repeat rates.”