Using tech to meet needs of customers

NEWDELHI: The mantra for surviving in pole position is staying relevant to customers by knowing what they really want, according to hotel chain Oyo Hotels and Homes (India and South Asia) CEO Aditya Ghosh.

Speaking at the Hindustan Times Tourism Conclave on Friday, Ghosh said as a market leader, his company knows that there is no space for complacency and it has to earn its stripes on a daily basis.

Ghosh said a lot of data and science went into understanding what the customer wants. He added very data-oriented decisions are taken for every aspect.

Ghosh said far more choices are now available to Indian travellers and also methods through which they can access services.

He said his company started from Gurugram with one hotel six years ago and is now the thirdlargest hotel chain with over a million room keys. He added their biggest hotel, with 700 rooms in Las Vegas, has just come up.

Asked about the future of the hospitality industry and if bots would be seen at receptions, Ghosh said hotels would be more efficient in terms of time and money. He said in future hotels would know the needs of customers much faster based on their social media profiles. “But to do it for tens of millions of customers…that is the way I would like to put it,” he said.

Ghosh said technology could be used to ease customer experience. He added that often entry to a hotel takes up to 15 minutes, when this process can be made much simpler. “Technology really helps us understand customers, drives speed and makes processes efficient,” he said.

“We are a highly tech-driven company, but if tomorrow, sending a pigeon gives me a better result, I am all for the pigeon,” he said.

He referred to social media and trolling and said he listens to it but does not get distracted. “You think that if there is any nugget which can help me improve.”