UAE asset owners are reaping the benefits of technology to catapult their hotel occupancy, guest ratings and customer experience to phenomenal levels in today’s highly competitive hospitality sector. Two such asset owners share how their journey with OYO has driven growth and success for them and their assets.
Abdulla Al Hashemi, owner of OYO 140 Al Hashemi Hotel – and the first Emirati asset owner on the OYO platform – has witnessed an increase of almost 20% in occupancy levels (from 65% to 83%) in just a month. The revenue has also increased 1.5 times in the same period, and the hotel is now present on all OTAs and meta-search engines with great content, photographs and ratings, giving it enhanced visibility and reach among guests.
Similar success story is seen in another Deira-based hotel, OYO 101 Click Hotel, where occupancy went up from 69% to as high as 94% in just under 6 months. This was due to the significant improvement in hotel ratings and enhanced property information across platforms. With several such success stories, OYO is further fueling the growth of UAE’s small- and mid-sized entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry.
This has been possible due to OYO’s proprietary technology that enables hotel owners to monitor their hotels’ performance and boost occupancy levels.
“I am proud to be the first Emirati hotel owner to partner with OYO in the UAE. The company has benefitted my property significantly, both financially and aesthetically. A year ago, we weren’t aware of OYO or the difference it will make to our business. However, today, we are not only delighted but also surprised to see how OYO has transformed our offerings to customers and helped us scale the growth trajectory both with regard to our occupancy levels and resultant revenues. Now I am keen to extend and expand my association with OYO, as it is worthy of my trust,” said Abdulla Al Hashemi, owner of OYO 140 Al Hashemi Hotel.
In UAE, OYO has already served about 120,000 guests from 80-plus countries in more than 20 hotels located across five Emirates and 40 homes in Dubai. The company currently manages over 1,300 exclusive rooms across Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al-Khaimah, Fujairah and Ajman.
OYO Hotels & Homes aims to grow its market share and touch 150 Hotels by 2020 through its globally followed ‘Manchise’ business model. This model combines the best of management contract and franchise agreement. OYO Hotels & Homes aims to grow its footprint within the two, three- and four-star hotels by deploying this model in the UAE.
Another Indian asset owner in UAE, the Mehta family, forayed into the world of hospitality with Suba Guest House in 1977 in India. Since then to today, the Mehta family owns 9 buildings across India and UAE that have more than 600 rooms. A few years ago, the company’s passion for technology drove the Suba Group of Hotels to create iPad-controlled rooms in their properties.
“I am passionate about technology and that helped us pioneer iPad controlled rooms in India and UAE. Before OYO, we weren’t getting enough exposure, but in less than 6 months of operations, we’ve increased our reach and profits through OYO’s state-of-the-art technology and a super organised team,” said Mansur Mehta, Managing Director, OYO 101 Click Hotel, Deira, and OYO 119 Suba Star Hotel Apartments, Deira.
“In addition to occupancy levels, OYO asset owners have also enjoyed higher customer ratings during this phase. A complete transformation and upgrade to premium levels has definitely strengthened their relationship with the end consumers and has translated into increased revenues. Our technology helps asset owners to get real-time information on the health of their hotel investment through visibility of cash flows, business performance, pricing, customer reviews and recommendations,” said Manu Midha, Regional Head, Middle East, OYO Hotels & Homes.
“We have invested heavily in our tech platform, which is actually the backbone of our growth story. We have ensured that each aspect of every hotel is attended to through our platform. However, the most important aspect is that of online procurement and inventory management, which drastically enhances revenues for asset owners,” added Manu.
OYO Hotels & Homes, South Asia’s largest, one of China’s top five, and the world’s 6th largest chain of leased and franchised hotels, homes & living spaces. OYO’s mission is to upgrade all forms of real estate and thereby provide quality living spaces to travelers around the world. Since its launch back in 2013, OYO Hotels has brought about a change in the budget hotel franchising and leasing segment, by offering standardized good quality hospitality experiences at affordable prices. OYO today host guests from around the world in over 18,000 franchised and leased hotels and over 515,000 rooms, adding over 64,000 rooms every month, globally.
