A biography for Ritesh Agarwalhasn’t been written yet.
“It is very important to find a calling and pursue it.”
“The only constant in my life besides OYO is Lisa, my dog. She's a Lhasa apso. The only reason I shop is to buy accessories for Lisa.”
“Dropping out of college was never the plan, but it made me eligible for the Peter Thiel Fellowship. I was the first Asian to win that grant!”
“We are an asset-light transformative platform that converts sub-standard unbranded hotels/unutilized vacation homes into quality living spaces, with easy to book, hassle-free check-in experience.”
“Abhinav Sihna is my partner and the COO of Oyo, and is also the head of the United States division. He spends all of his time building out the United States market for us and has moved out here full-time.”
“We actually distribute using AirBnB because they're the vacation management company and they distribute us, which is why AirBnB is also a small shareholder in our company.”
“Indian companies have a very exciting global opportunity, Indian companies are well-respected globally, doors of business are more open. So that has been a focus for us, how do we globalise faster?”
“That's our thesis, to operate in a few places and make them home, rather than operate in many places and not have significant ownership.”
“I grew up in Rayagada in Orissa state in eastern India. Few people have even heard of it.”
“We are reviewing and evolving our business plan as times go. But in the long term, we remain confident about creating a large scale business.”
“There are so many people who are dependent on me. You know, setting expectations, and then feeling afraid. But I am a firm believer in the fact that good work has always been recognized.”
“We have partnered Highgate to create our first key flagship property in Las Vegas - Oyo Hotels & Casino.”
“Long story short, right after my twelfth grade, the six months between school and university, and that is the time when I came to Delhi and I said that let me try and build a company of my own.”
“In our education system, we're so focused on the building blocks that sometimes we try to keep the kids from looking at the larger picture.”
“I started taking programming lessons at the age of 10.”
“Nobody or no company in this world can say they have got everything right and it has been a perfect journey.”
“When I go to colleges for talks, I encourage the students to drop out.”
“Strong focus on customer experience coupled with strategic investments in proprietary technology has helped us maintain a high net promoter score while empowering our hotel partners.”
“Showing your ID while entering or doing a manual check-out when leaving - are these the things you do at home? No. If I have them in hotels, how will you feel at home during your stay then?”
“One should accept failure, and be willing to learn, unlearn and relearn again.”