OYO : Strategic Acquisition and Expansion
INDIA-BASED ORAVEL STAYS, parent company of travel technology firm Oyo, completed the previously announced $525 million acquisition of G6 Hospitality from Blackstone Real Estate. The company is also restructuring G6’s leadership, replacing President and CEO Julie Arrowsmith and other top executives effective Tuesday.
In September, Oravel Stays agreed to acquire G6 Hospitality from Blackstone Real Estate for $525 million in an all-cash deal. On Tuesday, Oyo named Sonal Sinha as CEO, with Tina Burnett continuing as chief development officer, the company said in a statement. G6’s chief financial officer, chief brand officer, general counsel, chief information officer and chief human resources officer also are being replaced.
“We will continue to invest in skills that are unique and critical to the G6 business, such as supply, account management, corporate sales, brand standards, offline marketing, and safety and security," said Gautam Swaroop, OYO International's CEO. "Over the years, OYO has successfully leveraged capabilities developed in India in technology, revenue management, e-commerce, procurement, legal, finance, and HR and will extend these to the G6 business as well.”
The company plans to add 150 hotels to the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands next year and accelerate G6 Hospitality's growth through technology integration, property upgrades, and market expansion.
Encouraging brand growth
OYO said it will maintain and strengthen the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands, which have strong recognition and a loyal customer base built over decades. The company will honor all existing franchise agreements, including exclusivity rights, and ensure current franchise teams continue operations without disruption.
Oyo, known for its fast-growing international hotel portfolio powered by technology, plans upgrades to enhance guest experience and operational efficiency. The company will deploy its 300-strong team of product specialists, including software engineers, product managers, and designers, to develop and implement digital solutions, including a mobile and web booking experience and dynamic pricing capabilities to optimize rates across room types year-round.
Meanwhile, the company plans to reduce reliance on OTAs, expand its network of distribution partners and strengthen direct booking channels and corporate demand.
Corporate restructuring
As part of the acquisition, Oyo restructured the G6 executive team, the statement said. Those leaving G6, effective Tuesday, include Adam Cannon, chief brand officer; Farah Bhayani, general counsel and chief compliance officer; Perry Ping, CFO; Mary Fregia, chief human resources officer and Brent Haines, CIO.
New appointments include Nishant Boorla and Anuj Ladha to lead brand performance, Manas Mehrotra as head of central operations and Subhankar Choudhary as head of revenue, e-commerce, and sales.
Oyo also announced leaders in its global capacity center supporting G6: Rakesh Prusti as group general counsel, Dinesh R as group CHRO, Rakesh Kumar as group CFO, Shashank Jain as group CTO, Nitin Thakur as head of global strategic alliances and communications and Aparna Rathore as global procurement head.
The company plans to hire primarily for franchisee-facing roles while consolidating and streamlining functions to enhance organizational synergies, the statement said. Franchise development, support, and safety and security teams remain fully intact. As part of the integration, OYO and G6 will merge select corporate operations with OYO’s global excellence teams.
SoftBank is Oyo’s largest shareholder with 46.62 percent, while founder Ritesh Agarwal owns 33.15 percent. Founded in India in 2012 by Agarwal, the company quickly expanded domestically before entering Europe, the U.S., and other parts of the Americas in 2019. The G6 acquisition further supports Oyo's growth in the Americas over the past decade.
Oravel Stays and SoftBank Group recently launched their premium hospitality brand, SUNDAY, in the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates. Simultaneously, OYO’s serviced hotels business achieved 250 percent growth in its first year, adding 700 hotels since September 2023 and surpassing its target of 200.
