Hotel app faces hill backlash.... DARJEELING OWNERS THREATEN TO SHUN OYO OVER `HIDDEN COST'

TT, 15 Sep 2019, Siliguri: Hotel owners in Darjeeling town have threatened to stop honouring reservations made through OYO Rooms, an online platform run by the Gurgaon based Oravel Stays Private Limited, if the company does not come up with "certain clarifications" in a week.

"We have been facing several problems with OYO Rooms and have time and again communicated with their representatives. But there has been little response from their end. Most of us have doubts about the hidden charges which they deduct from the booking amounts.

Also, in many cases, hoteliers are not paid for value-added services included in the bookings by the company," said Tashi Pencho, vice-president, Darjeeling Hotel Owners' Association.

Calls to senior officials of OYO in the region went unanswered. A local representative of the company said "they are looking into the issue".

On Friday, the association had convened a meeting in Darjeeling where two representatives from the company were present. "They could not specifically tell us when these issues would be resolved and sought another week's time from us. We want to make it clear that if the company does not take any initiative within the next seven days, we would have no other option but to stop accepting bookings from them. Also, we will not honour the bookings which have been made through them by guests," added Pencho.

The hotel owners also mentioned that bookings are made at rates much lower than the floor prices of their hotels and force check-ins are done against cancelled bookings.

Abhinay Tamang, a representative of OYO, who was present at Friday's meeting and had spoken with the hoteliers, denied elaborating on the issue. "We are looking into it," Tamang said..