Oyo, Microsoft in tie-up for ‘next-gen’ travel and hospitality products
Microsoft Corp. and Oyo Hotels & Homes have announced a multi-year strategic partnership to co-develop "next-generation" travel and hospitality goods and solutions.
Oyo will use Microsoft Azure as a "key enabler" to foster cloud-based innovations, with the solutions aimed at small and medium hotel and home business operators. Small and independent hotels and homeowners will be able to use Oyo's latest technology to manage their guests' experiences, increase revenue, and operate operations, all while benefiting from Microsoft Azure's "security" and "scalability."
Microsoft has also made a strategic equity investment in Oyo, according to the Ritesh Agarwal-led business, albeit the value of the share was not disclosed. ET first learned of the news of the deal on July 30.
The partnership with Microsoft, according to Abhinav Sinha, global chief operating officer, and chief product officer at Oyo Hotels & Homes, will speed up the deployment of the company's products, allowing it to have a greater impact through an integrated technology ecosystem available on the cloud for businesses in the most remote parts of the globe.
"For our guests, this partnership will result in more personalization, better options, differentiated experiences, and a better future guest experience. The company's commitment is further bolstered by Microsoft's equity investment "Sinha explained.
Oyo announced it will create 'Smart Room' experiences for travellers using the Oyo platform, including premium and customized in-room experiences.
The experience will include self-check-in, a digital record of arrivals and departures, self-Know Your Customer (KYC), IoT-managed smart locks, and virtual assistance, all powered by Microsoft's Azure IoT.
“We are looking forward to driving innovation in travel and hospitality by combining the power of Azure with the tech and product stack established by Oyo,” said Anant Maheshwari, president, Microsoft India. “It's thrilling to see how the Microsoft cloud is allowing digital natives like Oyo to speed industry transformation and innovation, transforming the challenges of the post-pandemic era into future opportunities,” he added.
Apart from co-innovating, Oyo said it will start sharing existing workloads with Microsoft Azure and embrace the Microsoft 365 suite for greater collaboration and productivity, as well as migrate to Github Enterprise for expediting software development in a "safe" manner.
