Aiming to engage the young and unmarried customers of the country mostly between 20 and 30 years, which constitutes almost 35% of its customer base, hotel aggregator OYO Rooms has launched ‘Relationship Mode’.
This new feature allows such couples to make bookings at some of its properties.
Kavikrut, the chief growth officer, OYO Rooms, said, “A substantial number of our customers are in the age group of 18-30 years and this category could be served best with such initiatives. We are not catering to a niche audience, neither is this a gimmicky marketing tactic.”
Couples in India could easily be denied a room by conservative owners, if they are unwilling or unable to furnish proof of their marriage. It is not mandatory by any law though.
“As a customer-focused business, we are identifying and solving problems that can impact the stay experience. With this launch, we are making sure couples can identify and check-in to their OYO without any hassle,” added Kavikrut.
According to OYO, in a rough estimation 60% of the 6,000 hotels in 100 cities they have tie-ups with have been found to be couple-friendly.
“A customer can search for a couple-friendly hotel by logging into their account, clicking on the relationship mode in search preferences and then proceed to searching. They can also search for all the hotels in a city and filter the results by selecting the OYO for Couples option,” Kavikrut said.
The introduction of the feature is in keeping with the age group of OYO’s customers, 35% of whom are between 20 and 30 years and 25% between 30 and 40 years.
He added, “Our whole point is – we will ensure you feel welcome, and we will respect your privacy and freedom.”
Backed by Japanese telecom and internet giant SoftBank, OYO Rooms emerged as one of the hottest and most well-funded local startups last year. It will be competing with StayUncle through which guests can rent rooms in hotels in 11 cities in 12-hour morning and evening slots.
Priced between Rs 1,400 and Rs 5,000, the Delhi-based StayUncle was started this year by Sanchit Sethi. It is a similar budget hotel launched exclusively for unmarried couples.
