![Ritesh Agarwal](https://img.etimg.com/thumb/msid-88839801,width-650,height-488,imgsize-93158,resizemode-75/ritesh-agarwal.jpg)
This boom in bookings meant more earnings, too. The company ended up generating bookings worth Rs 110 crore in 2021 as OYO saw 90 pandemic weekends more since April 2020 and recorded highest reservations last year.
In a social media post on LinkedIn, Agarwal gave a 2021 recap as he informed customers about the company's growth, profits and future plans.
"Thank you to over a million people who booked more than half a million nights with us this New Years. For all of us at OYO, it was a busy NY (new year)," he wrote on LinkedIn.
"2021 booking was (the) highest among 90 pandemic weekends since April 2020 with total customer bookings globally on our platform worth (around) Rs 110 crore (USD 14.6 million) over the weekend," he further added.
Around 58 per cent bookings for the New Year's eve were made on the same day keeping the trend witnessed since December 2017 that reflected the "impulsive emotion and decision" related with travel, the CEO said. Agarwal said that rooms booked on NY weekend of December 30-31 in 2021 stood at 5.03 lakh as compared to 1.02 lakh recorded in 2016.
The OYO bookings made on the same day for New Year's eve in 2021 was 58 per cent, while it was at 61 per cent in 2020, 57 per cent in 2019, 63 per cent in 2018 and 55 per cent in 2017.
"For so many of us, travel has always been an impulsive emotion and decision. And our data agrees...
% of OYO bookings made on the same day for new year’s eve:
31 Dec 2017: 55%
2019: 57%
2020: 61%
2021: 58%
Surprise surprise, it was higher for entire FY21 at Rs 69%," he said.
Agarwal further reflected on the lessons that OYO learnt in 2021 to better customer experience.
Reflecting on the growth OYO has witnessed so far, Agarwal said in 2021 the chain of hotels has established presence in over 10,000 cities with around 1.59 lakh storefronts in 35 countries. He made the comparison by pointing out how in 2015, OYO only had its base in 127 cities with 1,229 storefronts.
Agarwal further showed hope for growth, travel and exploration, despite the ongoing pandemic as he weighed in on things 2020-2021 taught us. "Let us all brace for what 2022 has in store for us. And while 2020 and 2021 have been hard hitting, we have seen that we will all take every opportunity to indulge in what we all love - travelling and exploring the world around us," he concluded.
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