How Ritesh Agarwal Leads OYO with Hands-On Work in 2025
RITESH AGARWAL, FOUNDER and CEO of OYO, revealed that he still cleans hotel washrooms as part of his leadership approach, setting an example for his team, according to India’s Economic Times daily. He was speaking at the second edition of Mumbai Tech Week on March 1.
Agarwal, 31, who founded OYO in 2012 and grew it into a global hospitality firm with more than 1 million rooms in 80 countries, was responding to a question on overcoming fear of failure.
"On day one, you have to leave fear, embarrassment, pride, arrogance—everything outside the room and enter, because these are the biggest enemies of entrepreneurial success," Agarwal was quoted as saying in the report.
"I still sometimes clean washrooms as a role-modeling exercise," he said.
His message was that leadership is not about titles but about setting standards through action, Economic Time reported. Agarwal also highlighted the need for a mindset shift.
"Are you looking to seek pride or seek wealth? I am very clear that I want to create a big impact," he said.
This isn’t Agarwal’s first focus on hygiene.
In July 2023, he launched “Spotless Stay” to improve standards at OYO properties, with daily audits by appointed officers and his personal participation.
"We're starting with more than 3,000 audits soon and aiming to scale it to 6,000+ by October," he had said.
Meanwhile, OYO is planning to go public in six to 12 months after posting its first full-year net profit in the financial year 2023-24, its 12th year of operation, Mint reported.
In December 2024, OYO was valued at $4.6 billion after Nuvama Wealth and Investment bought Rs 100 crore worth of shares in parent firm Oravel Stays, according to Economic Times.
Bloomberg earlier reported that OYO is fast-tracking its IPO as the deadline approaches to repay the $383 million loan taken by Agarwal.
OYO-owned G6 Hospitality, parent of Motel 6 and Studio 6, signed with Los Angeles-based S.R.E Enterprises LLC to develop a 295-room Motel 6 near the Las Vegas Strip, set to open in May.
