·        The police and OYO join hands to curb immoral activities including human trafficking in Kolkata hotels

·        As part of the initiative, strict action against those using OYO’s brand illegally will be one of the top priorities for the police

·        Priyabrota Roy, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Division, Kolkata addressed a seminar on curbing immoral activities in partnership with the hospitality industry

·        He appreciated OYO’s role in making hospitality services accessible and convenient for common people in the country

·        He also shared his views and suggestions on making hotels a safe place for guests

·        More than 30 OYO hotel operators participated in the seminar

 January 20, 2024, Kolkata: The police department has initiated a special drive in its fight against immoral activities including human trafficking in hotels in Kolkata in partnership with OYO. As part of the initiative, strict action against those using OYO’s brand illegally will be one of the top priorities for the police.

The company, committed to ensuring safe and secure stays for its guests, organised a seminar in partnership with the police to raise awareness, educate stakeholders, and promote a collaborative approach in the fight against immoral activities in hotels in Kolkata. More than 30 OYO hotel operators along with top police officials in the city participated in the seminar. The initiative reiterates OYO’s zero-tolerance policy against any kind of immoral activity in its partner hotels.

Priyabrota Roy, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Division, Kolkata addressed the seminar as the chief guest and said “OYO has been playing an important role in promoting tourism and making hospitality services convenient for people in India. However, with the growth of tourism, we also face issues related to law and order. Therefore, I would like to encourage hotels to ensure that rooms should be given to guests only when they produce a valid photo ID card”.

He also shared his views on the role of the hospitality industry as partners and neighbourhood watch to help police in promoting safety protocols in hotels. It includes regular monitoring and storage of CCTV camera footage in hotels and their surroundings, supervising day-to-day activities such as maintaining a proper record of all the people staying in the hotels and maintaining a list of top police officials and nearby police stations in case there is any help required.

Varun Jain, Chief Operating Officer, OYO said “OYO has more than 450 hotels in Kolkata and surrounding areas and the numbers are constantly growing with the growth of tourism. We understand our role as a responsible player in the hospitality industry. We are planning to organise training sessions for the employees of our hotel partners to train and sensitise them about the importance of maintaining safety and security protocols in hotels”.

OYO has a robust safety and security system to ensure that hotels listed on its platform must comply with the safety-related laws and guidelines issued by local law enforcement agencies. It also provides regular safety and security-related training to its hotel partners and their employees to watch out for red flags such as guest behaviour and unusual check-in patterns and take preventive actions.

This initiative is a part of OYO’s national program on promoting safe hospitality in India. OYO has already launched this program in key cities in India including Gautam Buddha Nagar (NOIDA), Chandigarh and Lucknow.