Indian hotels group checks in to Blackpool in series of partnerships

OYO Gresham Hotel, Blackpool

A fast-expanding Indian hotel chain has signed partnership deals with 10 Blackpool sites as it continues its growth throughout the UK.

OYO was founded by Ritesh Agarwal in 2013 and claims it is now the world’s sixth largest hotel chain.

It operates budget hotels as well as rental homes across countries including China, US, the UK, and India.

Backers include Japanese conglomerate Softbank, Airbnb, Sequoia and Lightspeed, and OYO plans to invest £40m in the UK in 2019.

It has now launched in Blackpool.

Beginning with a deal with OYO Gresham Hotel in early March, OYO has boosted its presence in May with the addition of OYO The Blarney Stone, OYO Arncliffe Hotel, OYO Martell’s Hotel and a number of others that will take on the OYO name in the coming weeks.

The company, which works with small and mid-size independent hotels to improve their performance and enhance the customer experience, is looking to engage with further independent hotel owners as it continues to seek investment opportunities in Blackpool and more widely across the North West.

Jeremy Sanders, head of OYO UK, said: “We’re very excited to have arrived in Blackpool – one of the UK’s most iconic seaside destinations – at such a significant time for the town.

“Last month, a House of Lords Committee recommended seaside reinvention should begin in Blackpool – a vision OYO not only supports, but is acting on right now.

“OYO has chosen Blackpool as its entry point for the North West as we see a real opportunity to add value to its hotels and, in turn, the local community.

“Blackpool has the potential to attract new audiences and cement its reputation as a thriving coastal resort and we at OYO want to help drive that success.”

Through its proprietary technology, revenue management capabilities and operational expertise, OYO works with independent hotel owners to improve their financial returns while ensuring guests have a great experience during each and every stay.

Its team of hospitality experts also works with owners to transform the property itself, often co-investing to improve infrastructure, standards and the look and feel of the hotel.

OYO’s flexibility means that it can work with all types of hotel – business, leisure, metropolitan, rural, large or small – with the single aim of using its technology and hotel expertise to deliver value for hotel owners, and customers alike.

The company now has a network of more than 18,000 franchised and leased hotels across 500 cities and 10 countries.

It launched in the UK – its first market outside of Asia – in October 2018, and now has 50 hotels representing more than 1,000 rooms across UK cities, towns and coastal resorts.

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