We had a pretty euphoric time when we got the millionth check-in on 18th January, 2016. It was an undeniably huge feat for us and the feeling that we have delivered one million delightful stays is something that we are proud of and are humbled by at the same time. Our growth has been terrific and it would have been nothing, if not for our customers.

The moment the countdown on the OYO website registered the millionth check-in, some of our ecstatic colleagues burst into a flash mob. As the management and the rest of our colleagues joined in the revelries, the editorial team of the Official OYO Blog realized that it was time to ask the old guns at OYO about what this means to them and their reflections on the year that went by, and this is what they told us.

THE TEAM IS GEARING UP FOR MULTI-MILLION CHECK-INS
–    Ajay Srivastava, VP, Engineering

We started with a lean team of around 20 engineers and built scores of products over a few months. This rapid technology development has resulted in business expansion riding on that technology – from just three cities at the beginning of the year to more than 160 cities by the end of the year. The engineers at OYO get to see the real world impact of the technology they build and the competitive advantage their efforts give OYO.

Millionth check-in means a lot for us. From the very beginning, we have focused on building scalable technology which can serve thousands of customers. OYO’s growth has been exponential and unpredictable. And to match it, our tech team is gearing up in numbers and we are getting ready for multi-million check-ins.

THE PARTY JUST KEEPS GETTING BIGGER
–    Sumanta Sengupta, Head, Online Marketing

It was the Christmas Eve of 2014, the 3rd-floor office was converted into a makeshift discotheque. Singla (Himanshu) and Vyas (Himanshu) were setting the floor on fire with their dance moves. This was the aftermath of receiving an elated phone call from Ritesh at 11.30 PM asking me to shut down all marketing campaigns as we were sold out till 1st January, 2015.  Fast forward to January 2016 and we have completed 1 million check-ins and we are in no mood to slow down. The party just keeps getting bigger and bigger and the marketing campaigns never stop.

I still feel the same motivation and passion while coming to office that I felt on the first day of joining OYO. The challenges have grown and the teams have grown, but the fighting spirit remains the same.

THIS IS JUST DAY ONE!
–    Mridul Muralidharan, AVP, CXO Office

On 18th January, the clock struck 3:30. The counter crossed ONE MILLION. The OYO family roared. One millionth customer served. Having spent close to a year in this wonderful place, having seen the company grow exponentially; the journey, I would say has been truly exhilarating. While I pause for a moment to bask in the revelry, I believe that there is a long road ahead. As Ritesh says, every day is day one. Every day we will continue to innovate, continue to do better than the day before.

THE SEVEN DAY WORK WEEKS ARE PAYING OFF
– Nijish Nair, Head, Affiliates and Alliances

I still remember that day when we operated just 250 rooms and managed to get sold out! That night we had celebrated over pizza, and exactly 13 months after that, we celebrated 1 million check-ins! Surely, time flew, but all the late nights and seven-day working weeks were definitely worth it.

I am glad to be a part of such an incredible journey and excited to have brought a significant change in the hospitality industry.

Cheers to the millions more to come! 🙂