OYO says the Ghaziabad Police is cracking down on unauthorized hotels using its brand

Travel booking platform OYO on Wednesday said the Ghaziabad Police have closed more than 50 ‘bogus’ hotels using its name.

The police also sent a report to the licensing agency following a complaint filed by the company against these agencies, OYO said in a statement.

In a statement, OYO said, the company and the Ghaziabad police have launched a joint campaign to “eliminate unauthorized and fraudulent hotels using the OYO brand”.

The tourism forum had previously issued legal notices to these hotels, demanding the removal of their logo.

“As part of this campaign, the police visited the identified areas and issued warnings to their management, stressing the legal consequences of using fake OYO brand,” the statement said.

The company’s statement quoted Rajesh Kumar, in-charge commissioner of police, Ghaziabad, as saying, “The campaign was mainly targeted at unauthorized centers that have come up and are misusing the word “OYO” on their boards. Such centers have been identified and closed as per the procedure”.

Varun Jain, Chief Operating Officer, OYO India said “These unauthorized hotels often deceive customers… Our cooperation with law enforcement ensures action against fake hotels that misuse the OYO name, to protect our guests and brand integrity”.

On Sunday, PTI reported that the tourism industry has introduced a new check-in policy for partner hotels, starting in Meerut, introducing guidelines that apply this year when unmarried couples will no longer be welcome to check-in.

Under the revised policy, all couples will be asked to present valid proof of relationship upon check-in, including online bookings.

OYO has empowered its partner hotels to reject bookings for couples based on their discretion, subject to location sensitivity, the company said.