CEO & Founder, Oyo Rooms
Search every verified Ritesh Agarwal interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Ritesh Agarwal, founder and CEO of OYO, spoke at multiple events in the past two months about the company's global expansion, the impact of AI on business, and regulatory challenges in tourism. At a PHDCCI event in April 2026, he described OYO's growth, noting that the company's bookings exceed 35,000 crore rupees annually, with over 25,000 crore coming from outside India. He stated that OYO is the largest vacation rental brand in Europe and the largest economy brand in the U.S. following the Motel 6 acquisition. Agarwal also discussed the financial strain during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that revenue dropped 70% overnight while costs were committed to a 2.5-times expansion, reducing the company's cash runway from 3.5 years to four months. He outlined three current guardrails for the business: an average customer rating of 4.5 or higher, property owners earning more than the previous year, and double-digit margins. In June 2026, at the FII PRIORITY Europe conference in Rome, Agarwal addressed overtourism, calling it a challenge that can be solved through collaborative regulation. He advocated for consistent licensing laws across Europe, arguing that varying regulations within the same country create complexity for global businesses. He also expressed support for the EU Inc. initiative, saying that greater harmonization of business rules across the EU would benefit investments. On AI, Agarwal described himself as a "resident AI teacher" who runs monthly training sessions for employees, emphasizing the importance of combining business context with technological expertise. He identified the application layer of AI as a major untapped opportunity, particularly for companies like OYO.
“I believed in the promise that a company which is built in India with the power of digital and technology can become a global market leader in the world of travel and hospitality. Most people would not. It makes sense. Entrepreneurship is being contrarian.”
“The revenue forget three and a half times growth got eliminated by 70% overnight but the cost was already committed two and a half times expansion. So by these two maths a company which had cash for around 3 and 1/2 years suddenly had cash for 4 months.”
“Over tourism is a challenge. It can be solved but it can be solved if we get together and design the best regulation.”
“The biggest challenge in my mind is enterprise. Europe has many countries and every country has their own format of regulations, laws of running a business. And I think EU is not benefiting from one EU format with which it could run like United States. So I think I saw that the president of EU recently announced the EU...”
“I believed in the promise that a company which is built in India with the power of digital and technology can become a global market leader in the world of travel and hospitality. Most people would not make sense. Entrepreneurship is being contrarian. Key agar aap jo bharosa karte ho sab log bharosa karte hain to I'm s...”
“The revenue, forget three and a half times growth, got eliminated by 70% overnight. But the cost was already committed, two and a half times expansion. So, by these two maths, a company which had cash for around three and a half years suddenly had cash for four months.”
“I have simple three guardrails today: customer rating should be average 4.5 plus, property owner should make more money than they made last year as a especially in property of the quality is good, and the last is margin has to be double digit percent or close to that. Until these three things are there we keep growing...”
“In the world of AI revolution, the first effort was the infrastructure. You build the servers, chips, data sets, which is the Nvidia and equivalent. The second one is the foundational models, which I think it is settled that there are few foundational models that become very big. We have our own Indian foundational mod...”
“Out of our over 35,000 crores of bookings a year, over 25,000 would come outside of India. We are the largest vacation rental brand in all of Europe. Whether you go to Saint-Tropez, the city of Paris, we are the largest apartment and villa managers in all of these cities. We are the largest economy brand in US. Could s...”
“That $100,000 changed my life.”
“Today it is increasingly how do you make sure that that same scale can translate into profitable growth, so you want growth but you also want to make sure it is sustainable.”
“There is a massive 10,000 crore fund of funds that the government has set up; there are more venture capitalists and AIFs today powering the startup story than ever before, and there is more foreign capital coming to India than ever before.”
“India is now close to becoming the number three economy, that is, only the United States and the People's Republic of China are the two countries ahead of us. I genuinely believe from my heart that we can definitely create 1 crore startups in India.”
“Over time we want to have all our numbers in a single ERP system so that reporting and consolidation of numbers becomes very easy.”
“Investor money should only be used for explosive expansion, new plant, big marketing spend, new brand launch but not to be spent on operational expenses. If investor money stops then the company closes down.”
How can you build a global hospitality business while exceeding customer expectations? Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO of OYO, joins Ana Blanquart at the FII TV Studio during FII PRIORITY Europe 2026 in Rome to discuss his journey from building a startup to taking OYO public, the future of hospitality, and his experience as a panelist on Shark Tank India. Watch the full interview for insights on entrepreneurship, innovation, hospitality, and sustainable tourism. #FIIPRIORITY #EuropeReimagined
RITESSH AGARWAL FOUNER & CEO PRISM PARENT CO OF OYO PHDCCI 15.05.206 @RITESSHAGARWA OYO @OYO @OyoonElshaabOfficial @phdcci9049 @pritee_rajput-32 @UPTakofficial @AJTAKNEWSS
How do you build a billion-dollar empire when you start with nothing? In this exclusive interview, OYO Founder Ritesh Agarwal shares his incredible journey from being the "black sheep" of his family to becoming one of India's most successful entrepreneurs. In this video, we cover: The early days of selling SIM cards at age 13. How the Thiel Fellowship ($100,000) changed his life. The "Contrarian" mindset needed to build a brand like OYO. Why the first 3 years of a startup are the absolute hardest. Ritesh's personal take on wealth vs. being rich. Advice for the next generation of Indian founde…
India’s startup ecosystem is often described as slowing down. Funding is tighter. Caution is everywhere. But is that narrative even accurate? In this conversation, Ritesh Agarwal offers a contrarian view on what’s really happening inside India’s startup ecosystem. From the shift away from easy money to the rise of profitable, disciplined growth, he explains why this phase may actually be healthier—and more sustainable—than the boom years. #startups #India #riteshagarwal #Oyo For more videos subscribe to our channel: / @ndtvprofitindia Visit NDTV Profit for more news: https://www.ndtvpr…
In this exclusive episode of the Altus Podcast, we host Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & Group CEO of OYO, for an in-depth conversation on how technology, systems, and strategic decisions enabled OYO to scale into a global hospitality brand. As OYO expanded across countries, managing finance, compliance, operations, and rapid growth became increasingly complex. In this podcast, Ritesh shares how adopting Oracle ERP helped bring structure, visibility, and scalability to OYO’s fast-growing business. This episode also highlights the trusted partnership between OYO and Altus, an Oracle Partner, and how…
Shark Tank India Season 5 Ritesh Agarwal, Kanika Tekriwal, and Viraj Bahl discuss the evolving landscape of Indian entrepreneurship, in an exclusive chat with India Today’s Bhavna Agarwal. Agarwal, Founder of OYO Rooms, reveals his company's parent entity, Oravel Stays, has been rebranded as Prism and details his investment strategy of seeking founders focused on "10 years of compounding." He refers to the show as the "national classroom of business" and suggests it should be a "Pitcher Tank" centered on the entrepreneurs. Kanika Tekriwal, Founder of JetSetGo, speaks about her experiences as a…
In this episode, Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO of OYO and a Shark on Shark Tank India Season 5, breaks down his strategy for building a “BILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS” in a candid, no-filter conversation. Hosted by Harsh Madhani of Pinkvilla Biz, this discussion dives deep into the realities of building and scaling a startup, the self-doubt, investor pressure, uncomfortable decisions, and the moments founders rarely talk about publicly. This is an honest, unfiltered look at what it truly takes to build and survive in India’s startup ecosystem. Whether you’re a startup founder, investor, or aspiring…
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