Story – Women asset owner success

This is the 21st century and there is no denying the fact that women are creating a positive impact in their own lives as well as the society. Across different verticals, professions and roles, women are breaking stereotypes and emerging as true winners. Their journeys, personal or professional, are relatable but the fact that they have overcome hurdles and ignored irrelevant criticism is truly inspiring. Careers that didn’t see much female traction back in the day are now increasingly pursued by women – military, construction, independent business and more. With their natural instincts and business acumen, women are stepping into the world of business more than ever.

Today, we bring you stories of 3 such exceptional women who have turned around their lives with great business idea and made a name for themselves in the mostly male dominated hospitality industry

Bhagyashri Jachakh- Pune https://www.oyorooms.com/16064-budget-oyo-9949-hotel-silvver-crest-pune

In 2007, Bhagyashri was working with a BPO as a customer service executive. During a routine lunch break she overheard few people in the canteen talking about an unhappy guest who was missing a home cooked meal. In between this conversation, someone suggested that the guest should look for a service apartment. This is when Bhagyashri’s curious mind wanted to know more and she asked and researched more about service apartments. So, her journey began in the hospitality industry and in 2007 she put up her first 2 bedroom service apartment in a building. She was so passionate and determined, that by December 2007 she had 11 guest houses with 33 rooms and realized a turnover of INR 1.25 cr. But like all successful entrepreneurs she faced some hardships. The society she began her service apartment in started objecting to this commercial activity. Since she was determined to make this business successful, she started looking for a standalone building and in December 2007 she booked a building near the airport, now called the Silver Crest. With her successful track record she managed to get a bank

loan and in 2009 moved into this building post possession. Her clients are majorly corporates and she takes pride in the fact that they have stuck by her since 2007. But with big companies moving their base into metro cities, occupancy started getting affected. Moreover with increasing consumer trend of booking accommodations online, she started looking for the perfect partner. This is when she associated with OYO. With OYO she saw occupancy rates increase and remain stable at 90%. She started getting more demand through online channels.

On her journey, Bhagyashri elaborates, “I have been in the hospitality industry for almost 10 years now and it has been an amazing journey. I believe that with the right mindset, support and determination a woman can achieve whatever she wishes for. I find pleasure in the smiles of my guests and my biggest success is retaining all my clients over the years. OYO has been a true partner and has been supportive of the way I want to run my property. The team has generated more corporate clients for my business and the turnover has consistently increased. Together we are focused towards doing our best and offering guests a truly amazing experience.”

Yolanda Marie Velho, Goa Property: https://www.oyorooms.com/4118-budget-oyo-2863-hotel-4-pillars-goa

Yolanda comes from the rare breed of professionals who have mastered the art of balancing not just one but two successful careers as a hotelier and as a radio jockey. Yolanda was running a fairly successful property in Panjim and working simultaneously as a radio jockey with All India Radio. She came across OYO in 2017, where everywhere she looked around in Goa, she spotted an OYO sign or hoarding. She always felt that her property wasn’t reaching its full potential, and was concerned about its sustainability with so many similar offerings in the city for tourists. On a whim, she decided to explore working with OYO and the rest is history.

Yolanda recollects, “Around two years ago, Goa was literally painted red with OYO hoardings, signs everywhere. People all around were talking about this brand, we also decided to try associating with the brand. At first we only listed 7 of our rooms on OYO, but seeing the profits and the other benefits, we ended up registering all our rooms on OYO. OYO does a brilliant job of marketing our property, we see full occupancy for almost 20 days every month (non – peak season too), something that was

tough to achieve in the past. Our association with OYO has been perfect so far, with a lot of our customers revisiting the property time and again”

Yolanda’s charming personality and approachability makes a positive difference engaging with customers as well as potential partners when compared to her competitors in the popular tourist destination.

Her journey is inspiring to all those who believe that they can have it all, and then some more if only they put their mind to it.

Carol Ignatius Lobo, Goa Property: https://www.oyorooms.com/10855-budget-oyo-6503-tesero-villa-goa

In 2014, Carol was juggling a full time job as well as renting out her second home in Calangute to family and friends. While her earnings were fairly decent, maintenance and cleaning of the property was completely her responsibility. This made her life extremely hectic, with work 5 days a week and then evenings and weekends spent cleaning the second home, keeping it ready for the next set of visitors.

A friend saw her plight and recommended OYO to her in 2016 and since then there has been no turning back for the ambitious, level headed and strong willed entrepreneur. Now Carol runs a successful guest house called Tesero Villa, located strategically in Goa with all its seven rooms on OYO and is extremely pleased with the arrangement so far.

Carol says, “Associating with OYO has been one of my best decisions so far, it has helped my hotel flourish. With the OYO brand association and with them helping market my hotel to tourists, we have almost 90- 92% occupancy throughout the year which is super. We always aim to get a 5 star rating from customers, and have consistently managed to offer quality customer experience”

Being a woman entrepreneur in the city of Goa has its own perks – mainly that everyone is extremely respectful to her and senior citizens, groups of girls as well as young couples find both Carol and her hotel extremely welcoming and comforting.

Comments

0