Dear all,

Hope your families and you are keeping safe through these difficult times. We should not let our guards down and practice and encourage all COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. 

Despite the times we are in, some of us need to travel and seek accommodation outside of our homes due to a variety of reasons. May it be for required isolation post-travel, or for staying near a hospital where a loved one might be undergoing treatment or simply because you need a calm safe spot to work from for a change. I am writing to you today to assure you that OYO is ready for you and our stays are almost always available next door to your reason for stepping out of your home.  Here are the safety protocols and procedures that are implemented at OYO to give you the confidence that if you need a place to stay, OYO is ready and prepared to welcome you as an alternative to your home. 

1. Sanitised Before Your Eyes: Last year we launched an industry-first initiative called ‘Sanitsed Before Your Eyes’.Just request your hotel’s staff to sanitise high touch spots or frequently touched surfaces such as TV/AC remotes, phone, switches, door handles/knobs,  bath fittings, etc and they will sanitize these right in front of your eyes.
2. App and WhatsApp-based assistance: We understand that you may have several queries and we will resolve them. Traveller Assistance is a dedicated section on our app to help you with all COVID-19 related statewise travel guidelines, visibility to restrictions while booking a hotel, quarantine requirements, and access to COVID-19 testing assistance on the app in partnership with ICMR approved pathology labs. Besides this, Yo! Chat, our 24*7 chatbot can help you resolve queries faster than calling us.
3. Contactless Check-in: Use the OYO App or the link sent on your booking SMS to upload your ID and now seamlessly check-in even before you arrive. This enables social distancing at OYOs by eliminating the interaction at the front desk/reception.
4. Daily temperature checks: To ensure we welcome you safely, we are conducting mandatory temperature checks/thermal screening for guests, partners and employees across our properties
5. Staff fully trained in safety protocols: Over the past year, we have trained hotel staff to ensure frequent sanitisation of the space, encourage in-room dining, ensure availability of sanitisers and mandate safety gear at all times.
6. Floor markings for social distancing: All OYOs have clearly outlined distance markers on floors to highlight the physical distance we must maintain
7. Using high-quality PPE & cleaners: To maintain the highest standard of hygiene, all our properties are equipped with high-quality cleaning agents and disinfectants suitable for deep cleaning and disinfecting the space, with a focus on frequently accessed touchpoints
8. Behind the scenes safety: Hotel processes have been updated to include COVID-19 safety procedures as part of  housekeeping practices, health screening for all, interaction with  outside suppliers and contractors and compliance with health advisories and government regulations

While we strengthen our safety measures for guests, serving the communities you live in is equally important. During these times, frontliners are risking their lives daily to protect others. They truly are the backbone of the nation. These workers are fighting against the virus for long hours, every day. After a hard day of work, we understand that they may need a safe space to rest well and recuperate. As a responsible corporate citizen, we have extended our support towards frontliners under our OYO Care initiative. At present, we have tied up with several hospitals and local authorities to support COVID-19 patients, the medical community, essential workers to offer pay-per-use quarantine and self-isolation facilities at some of our properties at minimal prices. 

So, do you know a frontline worker who could use our help? Please let them know that they can check-in at an OYO stay next door. All you need to do is dial 0124-6201741 or email us at wecare@oyorooms.com.

We are present across States and Union Territories and this enables us to help those who are battling COVID-19 at the frontlines. This means anyone who’s seeking quality accommodation, will find us just across the street or right next door. Be it a doctor looking for a safe space to self-quarantine after a day’s shift, a journalist covering news round the clock to keep us updated, or law enforcement officers who need to rest well before heading back to work the next day, we are ready to welcome everybody. With our Stay Safe Alliance with hospitals, local government authorities and various organisations, we are going above and beyond our own readiness to provide a safe space for everybody. 

Your safety is our priority. Be rest assured, your health and well-being matters the most to us. We urge you to follow all precautionary measures to maintain social distancing and flatten the curve with the same resilience as last year.  Stay home and stay safe. And if you need to step out, we are ready to safely welcome you at an OYO next door. Stay next door.

Best,

Ritesh Agarwal – Founder & Group CEO, OYO Hotels & Homes

PS:. Please feel free to share these initiatives with your near and dear ones so that they know there is a safe stay available for them right next door, in case they need to step out of their homes. You can forward this online link with them.