OYO Encourages Technology Adoption for Small and Medium-sized Lodging

The travel-tech company OYO launched the OYO 360 service feature which aims to help technology adoption for small and medium-sized accommodations who want to become their partners.

OYO 360 is a standalone onboard system for prospective Patrons or property partners of this Indian company. This innovation, designed with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, allows property owners to digitally onboard independently, in just 30 minutes.

According to OYO, in a written statement, this process is much faster than the conventional onboard process which takes up to 15 days.

According to the company, this latest feature of OYO is also a response to the pandemic that demands the acceleration of the use of technology in small and medium-scale inns.

“The adoption of technology is the foundation for small and medium-sized property businesses to be able to navigate the challenges during COVID-19,” said Agus Hartono Wijaya, Country Head of OYO Indonesia, quoted Saturday (18/6/2022).

Agus added, during the pandemic OYO presented technological innovations, to help lodging partners to meet customer needs and expectations, especially regarding contactless and standardization of hygiene.

“In the future, we will continue to strengthen technology integration in all of our services from upstream to downstream, including in the onboard process through the OYO 360 feature,” said Agus.

He also hopes that more small and medium-scale property and inn owners will be able to develop their business and implement digital-based accommodation management services more efficiently with OYO.

Digital Technology Adoption

Through the OYO 360 feature, hotel industry players, especially the accommodation and small-medium business ecosystem, can adopt reliable and best-in-class digital technology on a modern basis.

These technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning and data science, to simplify and improve operational efficiency. OYO claims, since 360 ​​was launched globally, this feature has received a positive response.

Since its launch, OYO 360 has attracted more than 57 thousand website visitors and 2,500 property owners across Indonesia to join OYO.

Based on internal OYO data, on average, OYO property and lodging partners globally managed to get 80% of digital booking requests, compared to requests before joining the OYO platform which was only around 10-20%.

“With OYO 360, we open up opportunities for accommodation owners and entrepreneurs in Indonesia to register directly and maximize the use of technology to join the OYO network,” added Agus.

OYO 360 Registration

To register for OYO 360, property and inn owners can visit the OYO360 website and enter “Join OYO”. Business owners can complete the necessary documents such as basic property details (number and category of rooms), property pictures, property facilities and one Legal ID.

Property owners who have registered in the OYO application will then go through a more detailed verification and validation process by the company’s internal team.

Previously, OYO revealed that it had tried to adapt broadly in response to the needs of its partners and customers during the pandemic.

“We are optimistic that OYO 360 is the right strategy to continue to expand the OYO network while at the same time responding to the challenges of adopting digital services in the hotel industry, which is expected to open up more opportunities for small and medium-sized property and lodging businesses to reach consumers through digital technology,” said Agus.

Innovation during a Pandemic

A few months after the pandemic hit Indonesia, OYO launched the Sanitized Stay initiative, a long-term commitment to ensuring a comprehensive implementation of health and safety protocols in operations.

OYO also introduced a touchless check-in feature in Indonesia to respond to the increasing public interest in contactless services.

The company also introduced standardized services and automated chatbots to quickly resolve customer inquiries, a loyalty program and an easy refund system if the customer needs it.

Thanks to these factors, the company said, the majority of OYO consumers continue to return to their platform, and more than 80 percent of new consumers find local places to stay through the platform.