Hospitality firm OYO on Tuesday said it is taking several measures to minimise the impact of COVID-19, and innovating to meet new standards of good quality hospitality experience at its hotels.

These steps include customer, asset partners and employee-centric initiatives to identify challenges and operate in the post-lockdown hospitality sector, OYO said in a statement.

In the first phase, OYO plans to implement measures such as sanitised stays with minimal touch and booking platforms will feature a 'Sanitised Stays' tag to showcase properties that clear background checks for sanitisation, hygiene, and protective equipment, it added.

The company plans to implement these measures in 1,000 hotels within the next 10 days and as the lockdown relaxes, and aims to implement the measures in all 18,000 hotels in the country, OYO said.

The company understands that there will be drastic changes in customer needs in a post-lockdown world. Therefore, to operate in the given circumstances, OYO has devised measures to manage and deliver on customer expectations, it added.

The measures will include revamping guest check-in and check-out to a minimal touch process and minimal contact service during the stay.

The steps also include training of on-ground teams and measures such as health screening for guests as well as staff, frequent proper sanitisation of the space, encourage in-room dining, among others, OYO said.

"As a responsible hospitality chain, we at OYO, are working towards welcoming guests, post-lockdown and maintaining health, hygiene and well-being as our topmost priorities for all our stakeholders including our guests, partners and OYOpreneurs," OYO India & South Asia CEO Rohit Kapoor said.

Customer behaviour is seeing changes across the hospitality industry with hygiene, safety standards and minimal-touch SOPs soon to become the norm, he added.

"Given the situation, our teams across the length and breadth of the organisation are innovating new ways to ensure safety and hygiene to welcome all our guests," Kapoor said.

First Published:May 19, 2020 5:32 PM IST