The budget hotel chain Oyo has officially launched its brand with 250 franchises across Thailand.
Oyo Thailand offers 8,000 rooms at 250 hotels in 13 cities, including Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Hua Hin.
Mandar Vaidya, chief executive for Southeast Asia and the Middle East at Oyo, said that while Thailand is a relatively new market for Oyo, it will grow to play a significant role in the growth of the business in Southeast Asia.
Oyo operates in over 160 cities with more than 2,500 franchised and leased hotels across Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. That number is expected to rise with the addition of Oyo Thailand.
"The addition of Thailand to the Oyo family in Southeast Asia and the expected influx of tourists, particularly from Asia to Thailand, and the increased frequency of flights by airlines into Thailand will reinforce our market leadership position in the region and help us achieve our goal of having 2 million rooms under management in Southeast Asia by 2025," Mr Vaidya said.
Alpana Dubey, deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in Thailand, said more than 2 million tourists from India are expected in Thailand this year, and Oyo has a key role to play in transforming the tourism landscape.
"Oyo is one of India's success stories and a brand that's recognised not just in India, but globally," Mrs Dubey said. "It gives me immense pleasure to welcome them to Thailand and wish them all success here in the Kingdom."
Ashutosh Singh, country head of Oyo Thailand, said the group's mission is to upgrade all forms of real estate and enable the middle class to travel.
"The hospitality industry is going through a process of innovation and evolution with technology at the core of it all," he said. "Oyo is committed to partner with the government of Thailand and agencies like the Tourism Authority of Thailand to leverage technology to design new offerings and draw more tourists to Thailand. We are committed to offer a superior stay and travel experience to millions of guests in Thailand while helping improve the yield for independent hoteliers in the country."