OYO to add 500 hotels in host cities of coming cricket world cup

Hospitality technology platform OYO declared it will add 500 new hotels in the next three months in host cities of the upcoming men's cricket world cup in India to meet the expected rise in booking demand. The new hotels will be strategically situated near the stadiums, ensuring ease of access for cricket fans traveling from around the world to witness their favorite teams in action, OYO said in a statement. Travel demand automatically goes up whenever the dates for a marquee cricket tournament are announced, an organization spokesperson said.

"OYO will add 500 hotels in host cities in the next three months to meet the demand for the Cricket World Cup. We want to ensure that everyone who is traveling from far away to watch their favorite teams has access to comfortable and affordable accommodation," the spokesperson added. Hotel tariffs have already increased due to heightened demand across host cities three months ahead, OYO said, adding it has also witnessed a significant surge in demand for the duration of the tournament. The ICC ODI men's world cup will begin on October 5 and conclude on November 19. It will be played in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Delhi, Dharamsala, Chennai, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Pune. The final will be played in Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, online travel services provider MakeMyTrip has also launched a program asking residents in the host cities to list their property on its platform in the wake of a "significant surge in search of homestays in cities such as Ahmedabad, Dharamshala, and key metros". "We have observed a significant surge in search of homestay properties for October and November in select cities across the country. This is a good sign and indicates that cricket fans are more willing than ever to explore homestays as an accommodation option," MakeMyTrip Chief Business Officer - Alternate Accommodation & Customer Contact Group Parikshit Choudhury said.

MakeMyTrip said it has also developed a new feature reflecting the distance of the accommodation from the cricket stadium in the city to help cricket fans in booking the most suitable accommodation option. "A large proportion of homestay properties in cricket centres across October and November is still available for cricket lovers at an economical price," Choudhury added.