OYO’s Ritesh Agarwal is the new keeper of the light
G6 Hospitality’s Sonal Sinha and Agarwal discuss leadership, G6 acquisition
Ritesh Agarwal, OYO Rooms founder and CEO, and G6 Hospitality’s newly appointed CEO Sonal Sinha talked to Asian Hospitality about leadership and the key to success.
Ed Brock is an award-winning journalist who has worked for various U.S. newspapers and magazines, including with American City & County magazine, a national publication based in Atlanta focused on city and county government issues. He is currently assistant editor at Asian Hospitality magazine, the top U.S. publication for Asian American hoteliers. Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Ed began his career in journalism in the early 1990s as a reporter for a chain of weekly newspapers in Baldwin County, Alabama. After a stint teaching English in Japan, Ed returned to the U.S. and moved to the Atlanta area where he returned to journalism, coming to work at Asian Hospitality in 2016.
AT ONE POINT in his life, Ritesh Agarwal had 30 rupees in the bank. Today, as the founder and CEO of OYO Rooms, he is one of the youngest billionaires on the planet.
“Sometimes, when I go to bed, I ask myself, ‘Is this all for real?’ Because exactly 10 years ago, I didn't imagine any of it,” Agarwal said.
Agarwal founded OYO in 2013 as a provider of full-stack technology products and services. Today it serves more than 157,000 hotel and home storefronts in more than 35 countries including India, the U.S., Europe and Southeast Asia. Near the end of last year, it completed its $525 million acquisition of G6 Hospitality from Blackstone Real Estate.
In April, Agarwal and his newly appointed G6 CEO Sonal Sinha attended the 2025 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans. They met with other business leaders and more than 300 of their franchisees, and Agarwal spoke on the View from the Top panel. Agarwal and Sinha sat with Asian Hospitality Editor Ed Brock for an interview, the video of which is embedded here and summarized below. The interview also can be found in our May issue.
Humble beginnings
Agarwal said the story of his beginnings in the hotel industry is similar to those shared by many AAHOA members.
“I started by being the front office of one of the hotels. I cleaned the back office, cleaned the bedrooms, did the work, and most people would have imagined that I'd be lucky if I scraped by and get that one property, and rightfully so, because I had no logical reason to succeed,” Agarwal said. “But I have learned the difference between somebody who makes it versus not is only how desperately they wanted this as an outcome. They're willing to work hard, they're going to put their perspective, they're wanting to learn everything, and that's what I did.”
Starting OYO was definitely a challenge, he said. It was worth the work, but future entrepreneurs should maintain realistic expectations.
“I love the outcome, but the process, while I enjoyed it, I think it's hard, right?” Agarwal said. “Often people, when they start companies, they are told that the reason you should start a company is you will have no boss. You realize very quickly, your customers are your boss, your suppliers are your boss, your lender is your boss, your equity partner is your boss, your team members are your boss, your external business partner is your boss, your city is your boss. Everybody expects accountability from you and hence you have to be comfortable to be accountable to a large number of people.”
However, Agarwal said that with that responsibility comes rewards.
“You get to solve exciting problems. You’ve got to create great outcomes, and I feel like the outcome is well worth it,” he said.
Agarwal and Sinha brought this philosophy into executing one of the company’s largest transactions so far, its acquisition of G6.
Keeping the light on
In December, Oravel Stays, OYO’s parent company, completed the acquisition of G6 that was announced in September. Sinha was named CEO, with Tina Burnett continuing as chief development officer, the company said at that time. 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.
Agarwal and Sinha said the process to make the acquisition began in 2019.
“We've known G6 for a few years. It's an iconic American brand loved largely not just by customers, but also franchisees to be a part of this ecosystem,” Agarwal said. “OYO, on the other hand, had figured out its ability to drive the best digital revenue for our franchisees. So, our perspective was, we could take the best of both worlds.”
When the bidding process began, Agarwal called Sinha for his opinion.
“The moment Ritesh called and said, ‘Okay, this is what I'm thinking,’ we had this conversation where we thought, we'll do it someday, and now is the day,” Sinha said. “That was the feeling I had. We know the power these two platforms have. OYO being a tech platform, we know how to run a mobile app. We know how to distribute with multiple agencies. That's the tech strength that OYO brings. We have more than 500 engineers back in India, and they do a lot of coding.”
OYO aims to invest $10 million to enhance G6’s digital assets, including its website and app, targeting a quadruple increase in apps before summer. The company will use digital targeting, focusing on high-intent customers through direct partnerships with Google and Microsoft.
“Our primary commitment today is to make sure our current franchisees make so much more. We just came out of the first quarter. I'm happy to share that when the industry declined year-on-year on revenue, we have delivered three and a half percent up year on year,” Agarwal said.
Maintaining optimism
As the U.S. economy continues to rock from President Trump’s tariffs, even though some are on hold, Agarwal said he remains optimistic about doing business in the U.S. During his panel AAHOACON2025 discussion, he talked about meeting Trump in New Delhi when he was visiting and getting a good impression of the two countries’ relationship.
“I think the relationship, people to people, between India and the U.S., has been incredible,” Agarwal said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the U.S. right after President Trump's inauguration, building on their existing relationship. Agarwal s
“I think that there is a unidirectional sentiment of more investments from India to the U.S. and the U.S. to India. I don't think that's changing anytime soon. And the good thing is we are less impacted by tariffs,” Agarwal said. “I'm an entrepreneur. I'm an optimist by definition, because we have American hotels, mostly American customers, I'd say over 95 percent of our customers are domestic and American workers. If you combine three of those, we have very little impact from the tariffs.”
Agarwal said the company already is investing $10 million in G6’s technology stacks and it is hiring sales and marketing people. They also are recruiting and expanding on various different divisions.
“There are people who supported me, who supported others, and we all feel like we want to give back, right?” Agarwal said. “What better than Shark Tank, which millions of people watch, it's probably one of the most watched business shows around the world?”
Spark acquired the 120-key Home2 Suites by Hilton Wayne in Wayne, New Jersey.
Hunter Hotel Advisors facilitated the transaction with DC Hospitality Group affiliates.
The 2020-built hotel is near William Paterson University and less than 20 miles from Manhattan.
SPARK GHC RECENTLY acquired the 120-key Home2 Suites by Hilton Wayne in Wayne, New Jersey, from affiliates of DC Hospitality Group. Hunter Hotel Advisors facilitated the deal for an undisclosed amount.
The 2020-built hotel is less than 20 miles from Manhattan in a commercial corridor with major employers including Driscoll Foods, FedEx Group, Advanced Biotech, St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital, and the Passaic County Administration, Hunter said in a statement. William Paterson University, Willowbrook Mall, and MetLife Stadium are also nearby.
It features an on-site fitness center, business center and indoor pool.
“The Home2 Suites by Hilton Wayne represents the type of asset we target,” said Patel. “Its proximity to major corporate demand generators, higher education institutions, and retail and entertainment venues supports strong performance.”
Hunter’s senior vice presidents, David Perrin and Spencer Davidson, brokered the transaction.
Patel said this is their second transaction with Hunter and praised the process and partnership.
“We look forward to building on the hotel’s recent performance and continuing to deliver guest experiences in the Greater New York City community,” he said.
Northstar Hotels Management recently acquired a 78-key Residence Inn and an 81-key Courtyard near the Jacksonville, Florida, airport.
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Global pipeline hit a record 15,871 projects with 2.4 million rooms in Q2.
The U.S. leads with 6,280 projects; Dallas tops cities with 199.
Nearly 2,900 hotels are expected to open worldwide by the end of 2025.
THE GLOBAL HOTEL pipeline reached 15,871 projects, up 3 percent year-over-year, and 2,436,225 rooms, up 2 percent, according to Lodging Econometrics. Most were upper midscale and upscale, LE reported.
The U.S. leads with 6,280 projects and 737,036 rooms, 40 percent of the global total. Dallas leads cities with 199 projects and 24,497 rooms, the highest on record.
LE’s Q2 2025 Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report showed 6,257 projects with 1,086,245 rooms under construction worldwide, unchanged in project count and down 3 percent in rooms from last year. Projects scheduled to start in the next 12 months totaled 3,870 with 551,188 rooms, down 3 percent in projects but up 1 percent in rooms. Early planning reached 5,744 projects and 798,792 rooms, up 10 percent in projects and 9 percent in rooms year-over-year.
Upper midscale and upscale hotels accounted for 52 percent of the global pipeline, LE said. Upper midscale stood at 4,463 projects and 567,396 rooms, while upscale reached 3,852 projects and 655,674 rooms. Upper upscale totaled 1,807 projects and 385,396 rooms, and luxury totaled 1,267 projects and 245,665 rooms, up 11 percent year-over-year.
In the first half of 2025, 970 hotels with 138,168 rooms opened worldwide. Another 1,884 hotels with 280,079 rooms are scheduled to open before year-end, for a 2025 total of 2,854 hotels and 418,247 rooms. LE projects 2,531 hotels with 382,942 rooms to open in 2026 and 2,554 hotels with 382,282 rooms to open globally in 2027, the first time a forecast has been issued for that year.
HAMA is accepting submissions for its 20th annual student case competition.
The cases reflect a scenario HAMA members faced as owner representatives.
Teams must submit a financial analysis, solution and executive summary.
THE HOSPITALITY ASSET Managers Association is accepting submissions for the 20th Annual HAMA Student Case Competition, in which more than 60 students analyze a management company change scenario and provide recommendations. HAMA, HotStats and Lodging Analytics Research & Consulting are providing the case, based on a scenario HAMA members faced as owner representatives.
Student teams must prepare a financial analysis, a recommended solution and an executive summary for board review, HAMA said in a statement.
“Each year, the education committee looks forward to the solutions that the next generation of hotel asset managers bring, applying their own experiences to issues in ways that reveal new directions,” said Adam Tegge, HAMA Education Committee chair. “This competition demonstrates that the future of hotel asset management is in good hands.”
The two winning teams will each receive a $5,000 prize and an invitation to the spring 2026 HAMA conference in Washington, D.C. HAMA will cover travel and lodging.
Twenty industry executives on the HAMA education committee will evaluate submissions based on presentation quality, the statement said. HAMA mentors volunteer from September through November to assist teams seeking feedback and additional information. Schools will select finalists by Jan. 15, with graduate and undergraduate teams reviewed separately.
The competition has addressed topics in operating and owning hospitality assets and HAMA consulted university professors to update the format for situations students may encounter after graduation, the statement said.
This year’s participants include University of Denver, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Boston University, Florida International University, Michigan State University, Columbia University, Morgan State University, Howard University, New York University and Penn State University.
Stonebridge Cos. added the Statler Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton, to its managed portfolio.
The hotel, opened in 1956 and relaunched in 2017, is owned by Centurion American Development Group.
The property is near Main Street Garden Park, the Arts District and the Dallas World Aquarium.
STONEBRIDGE COS. HAS contracted to manage the Statler Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton in Dallas to its managed portfolio. The hotel, opened in 1956 and relaunched in 2017, is owned by Centurion American Development Group, led by Mehrdad Moayedi.
It has an outdoor pool and more than 26,000 square feet of meeting space, Stonebridge said in a statement. The downtown Dallas property is near Main Street Garden Park, the Arts District, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Deep Ellum, Klyde Warren Park, and the Dallas World Aquarium.
“The Statler is an extraordinary asset with a storied history in Dallas, and we are thrilled to welcome it to our managed portfolio,” said Rob Smith, Stonebridge’s president and CEO. “Its blend of modern hospitality with timeless character makes it a natural fit within our lifestyle collection. We look forward to honoring the property’s legacy while enhancing performance and delivering an elevated guest experience.”
Stonebridge, based in Denver, is a privately held hotel management company founded by Chairman Navin Dimond and led by Smith. The company recently added the 244-room Marriott Saddle Brook in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, to its full-service portfolio.
G6 Hospitality and the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association will support Texas hotel advocacy.
G6 adds an economy-brand perspective to policy and support discussions.
The two will co-host workshops for market education and talent development.
G6 HOSPITALITY, PARENT of Motel 6 and Studio 6, recently joined the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association to expand a statewide coalition on advocacy, public safety and market growth for its Texas franchisees. The company brings an economy-brand perspective to discussions that influence policy, operations and guest experience across the state.
The two will co-host workshops, forums and tech showcases to support market education, best-practice sharing and talent development statewide, the duo said in a statement.
“As we join THLA, our goal is to contribute to a stronger Texas lodging ecosystem—advocating smart policy, elevating safety and guest experience and providing collaborative learning opportunities for our franchisees and employees statewide,” said Sonal Sinha, G6 Hospitality's CEO. “We’re proud to add our voice and scale to THLA’s efforts while equipping our franchisees with Texas-specific resources to operate confidently and grow.”
The company will support discussions on competition, consumer protection, tourism promotion and workforce initiatives for independent and branded hotels, the statement said. OYO CEO Ritesh Agarwal is chair of G6 Hospitality.
“G6 Hospitality’s membership strengthens our initiatives that help advance Texas hotels," said Scott Joslove, THLA's president and CEO. "Their reach in the economy segment brings valuable insights to policy development, workforce initiatives and community safety programs that benefit properties in every market and price point."
THLA works with state and local leaders to promote business growth, protect consumers, and support hotels with legal guidance, policy insights and education, the statement said. The association will provide Texas-specific compliance and operations training for G6 owners and teams alongside G6’s standards.