Today we have announced ‘Samarthan by OYO’, which includes several welfare benefits for the families of our patrons, deceased due to COVID-19 as part of our bereavement support in the country.
In the unfortunate event of death due to COVID-19, bereavement support will include the following measures:
- We will support the deceased patron’s family by transferring three months of commission of take-rate to the property’s OYO Secure Wallet – a digital wallet for hotel and home-owners to give them real-time visibility of their earnings. Additionally, the company has waived off any pending dues against the property
- Fund the education of the patron’s children (up to two) for five years
- Extend medical coverage of up to INR 5 Lakhs for the spouse and children (up to one) for a period of three years
- Provide mentorship and internship opportunities to the eligible members of the deceased partner
We have been continuously extending support to our community of entrepreneurs, providing them with access to COVID-19 related resources, including verified information on facilities, oxygen supply, and medicines. Vaccination against the virus is essential to fight COVID-19 and bounce back to normalcy. Our effort to get our patrons and their staff vaccinated through the ‘VaccinAid’ initiative has resulted in more than 2500+ hotels now declaring their staff as fully vaccinated, and this number is growing every day. We have also organised vaccination camps across multiple cities in the country. Additionally, we have partnered with MediBuddy to provide a dedicated 24/7 healthcare line for free consultation and guidance for its partners.
Commenting on these developments, Rohit Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, OYO India & South-East Asia (OYO INSEA) said, “We acknowledge the contribution of OYO’s independent, small hotel and home-owners. Hundreds of OYO’s partners came forward selflessly to support the country with quarantine, self-isolation, and accommodation requirements. Some of these hotel partners even lost their lives while serving society and their customers. This is our small contribution to acknowledge their efforts. We also took up vaccination as our #1 people priority as soon as it was opened up for the 18+ age group, resulting in more than 2500+ hotels now declaring their staff as fully vaccinated with the ‘VaccinAid’ tag. Together with our partners, we stand stronger and continue to make a difference as the country unlocks in phases and the economy revives.”
Mrs Jyotshna Dash, wife of late OYO hotel partner Mr Yudhisthir Dash from Capital O 9010 Hotel Railview, Bhubaneswar said, “We thank OYO and the on-ground team for all they did for us. Although it is challenging, my family and I find comfort that OYO is taking care of us through their ‘Samarthan’ initiative. Children’s education and health welfare are the biggest worries in today’s time. With OYO’s support, my children will get the quality education and mentorship opportunities they deserve along with health protection.”
Mr Lithesh Kumar, owner of Capital O 14731 Halcyonhillside Kukatpally, Hyderabad said, “The pandemic has deeply impacted OYO’s hotel and home-owners ecosystem. We are grieving the loss of some of our proud partners who lost their lives to COVID-19. In times like this, Samarthan by OYO initiative with its welfare benefits will support the impacted families of deceased OYO hotel partners to run their business smoothly in the coming months. Throughout the pandemic, OYO’s team have been in touch with me, taking stock of my and the family’s well-being. I’m grateful for the continued support and how OYO is stepping up for the partner and home-owner community in the country.”
As you may already know, we recently rolled out similar welfare benefits for the families of our OYOpreneurs, deceased due to COVID-19 as a part of our bereavement support. ‘Samarthan by OYO’ – COVID-19 patron bereavement support is in line with our commitment to support our small hotel partner and home-owner community and ensure that our patrons receive the necessary support and assistance at every step. We launched multiple strategic tech products to support our patrons further to boost occupancy and enable cash flows to maximise their earnings. We rolled out VaccinAid, a feature that shows the vaccination status of the hotel staff on the OYO App. Majority of these hotels clock in 60-70% better occupancy. Additionally, twe use technology to support our hotel partners in demand generation for properties through products like OYO Discover – a tech-driven product for acquiring new customers, and OTA Powerplay – a revenue-generating product that boosts the property’s OTA ranks and increases conversion rate, among others.