MEERUT: The discreet refuge of Oyo rooms — an occasional sanctuary for countless couples, married or not — will soon come with a caveat: no proof of marriage, no lodging. This policy shift by the hospitality unicorn — known for its budget-friendly and convenient stays — stems from a storm stirred in Meerut’s alleys, where house keys have in recent months clattered in protest.
Designed to spark debate, the new Oyo rule requires couples to first confirm their marital status, with hotel managers granted the authority to turn away the unwed. But how did it come to this? A cascade of complaints erupted in the bustling UP city in May last year, when a group of women, their house keys dangling in hand, staged a protest outside the district magistrate’s office. Their demand? To “deposit” their house keys with the authorities. “We cannot live in our colonies anymore,” they said, citing “illegal activities” that included couples frequenting budget hotels in the city’s residential areas.
The complaints quickly escalated to the Meerut Development Authority (MDA), triggering a crackdown on establishments near residential zones. “We received complaints from residents about commercial activities happening in residential areas and rent agreements being flouted,” said Abhishek Pandey, vice-chairperson of the MDA, speaking to TOI. The crackdown primarily targeted the Jani and Kankerkhera neighbourhoods, where such hotels had mushroomed. “We sealed 25 hotels, many of which carried Oyo’s branding,” he added.
“These days, you put up an Oyo sign, and even a two-room apartment becomes a hotel,” said Sarla Devi, a resident of Vishnupuri Colony. “It’s a nuisance. Couples, some as young as school-going, were visiting these places, which had shady appearances. It was affecting our children and the environment.”
The protests quickly spilled over into neighbouring districts, prompting scrutiny across the Meerut-Ghaziabad-Noida belt, an area where Oyo properties proliferated. On Dec 31, Ghaziabad authorities sealed dozens of hotels operating under dubious conditions.
For Oyo, the situation revealed deeper issues. An internal survey uncovered that several properties using the Oyo brand were unauthorised. A spokesperson for the company’s PR agency, who requested anonymity, said: “A few hotels had their agreements cancelled, and many were found misusing Oyo branding without official ties with us. We’re now working closely with the authorities to identify and act against such cases.”
In an official statement last Nov, Nitin Thakur, global head of strategic alliances and communication at Oyo, acknowledged the fallout. “We’ve found that such incidents are mostly reported in properties using Oyo branding without authorisation. We are enhancing our monitoring systems and implementing robust mechanisms to identify and take action against such properties swiftly,” he said.
This, though, isn’t just a public relations exercise; it’s a bid to “restore trust in the brand while responding to the social fabric of the communities it serves”. For now, the policy will be piloted in Meerut, with the possibility of expansion in the rest of the country.
