The hospitality industry is undergoing some of the most drastic changes in its history. The COVID-19 pandemic has created fundamental shifts in consumer behaviour, especially related to travel and hospitality. Higher hygiene standards, minimal contact service and enhanced credibility top the list of consumer requirements while planning travel as the country unlocks. A changing landscape, in combination with new standard operating norms, is bringing novel challenges and numerous business opportunities for entrepreneurs in the field of hospitality.
Lankapalli Uma Rama Lingeswararao also known as Ravi from Vizag, is one of the few visionaries who decided that entrepreneurship was his true calling. Growing up, he wanted to be a pilot, but due to various reasons, it didn’t happen. After graduating in electronic engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad in the year 2009, Ravi worked as a Graduate Engineer Trainee in Tata Wireless teleservices in Jharkhand. In the span of 18 months, he learnt the crucial lessons of analysing data, conducting research and building relationships with several stakeholders. The exposure gained at his job helped Ravi to absorb the different verticals of engineering and thereby broadening his horizon.
In a move to become financially independent, Ravi decided to try his hand at entrepreneurship by choosing an alternate career that of hospitality. In the year 2017 with the help of a friend, Ravi started off with a property in the city of Vizag that would later transform into a hotel. Driven by passion and a motivation to start his own business, he got the first property Hotel Sea Tree onboarded with OYO Hotels & Homes in the year 2018. Shortly after this, his hotel was flooded with customers with raving reviews about the property and comfortable stay-in experience. Witnessing success with his first hotel, and growing appetite for affordable, high-quality accommodations, Ravi is currently in the process of getting his second hotel onboarded as well. The city of Vizag has been long known for its rich landscape and picturesque beaches that offer a unique experience to all types of travellers. The city and it’s offerings have been a boon for self-starters like Ravi who with the support of OYO Hotels & Homes have been providing high-quality stay-in experiences for people all along.
Speaking of his journey, Ravi, owner of Capital O 45731 Hotel SeaTree, says, “ I always wanted to be an agent of change by impacting people’s lives. To be successful as an entrepreneur meant to work on my passion consistently without stopping. I wanted to become financially independent, however, I was afraid to take this risk alone. During that time, I had just begun exploring the idea of running my hotel in the city. The brand was bringing a great change to the hospitality landscape and empowering a large segment of small inventory hotels, all of which motivated me to start a partnership with them. Shortly thereafter, my friend and I started with one property in Vizag and with OYO’s help, we have increased the size of our inventory over the years. Even in the post-COVID world, we have 100+ rooms operating in different geographies of Andhra Pradesh. I owe my success to friends, family and my repeat guests who have been instrumental in making this business a success. My hotel has also been equipped with the ‘Sanitised Stays’ tag initiative and together with OYO we are taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our guests.”
OYO Hotels & Homes through support from its hotel partners like Ravi has been spearheading newer standards of operating measures to deliver safe and quality stay-in experience to its guests. OYO’s CO-OYO app, which is the go-to place for all partners to have complete visibility on their performance, pricing, reviews have been further upgraded with Chat support, a self-help section and support ticket centre. Over seven years, the hospitality chain has empowered thousands of micro-entrepreneurs in India to help them in becoming job creators. OYO’s business proposition where it leverages technology along with its culture of service to simplify operations and drive consistent, high-quality execution is contributing to the success of hotel owners who are going above and beyond in pursuing alternative career choices.
