#BoycottOYO: OYO responds after ad linking its presence to God sparks online controversy, clarifies it was meant to...

Hospitality company OYO has responded to criticism after one of its advertisements triggered an online controversy for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. The issue arose after an advertisement in a Hindi newspaper included the phrase, “God is everywhere, so is OYO.”

The statement upset many social media users, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their displeasure. Some users demanded an apology from OYO, stating that comparing God with a hotel chain was inappropriate. The hashtag “#BoycottOYO” also started trending, with one user commenting, “OYO must apologize… Comparing God with OYO is wrong… We should not remain silent on this.”

Following the backlash, OYO released a statement on X, explaining that the ad aimed to promote religious tourism in India and was not intended to offend anyone. The company said, “We have immense respect for the diverse faiths and beliefs in our country and celebrate India’s rich spiritual traditions. As more Indians embrace spiritual tourism, we are dedicated to enhancing this sacred experience – and that is what we wanted to highlight through our print ad today.”

OYO also announced its plans to expand its presence in religious tourism, stating that it would add 500 more hotels in 12 major pilgrimage destinations by the end of 2025.

This is not the first time OYO has faced controversy. In 2021, the company came under criticism when an OYO hotel refused to accommodate a customer from Jammu & Kashmir. The company later apologized. In 2020, OYO faced backlash after a group of travelers in Puducherry found that the hotel they had booked did not exist.

OYO recently repositioned itself as a “family-friendly” brand and introduced new policies allowing some partner hotels to deny bookings to unmarried couples.

Founded in 2012 by Ritesh Agarwal, OYO is a hospitality company that provides affordable accommodations in India and over 35 countries, including Europe and Southeast Asia. The company has been expanding its business, announcing a $10 million investment in digital assets for G6 Hospitality and INR 448 crore investment in the UK over three years.

Financially, OYO reported a significant rise in profit. In the third quarter of the 2024-25 financial year, its profit after tax (PAT) increased nearly six times to INR 166 crore, compared to INR 25 crore in the same period last year. The company’s revenue also rose by 31% to INR 1,695 crore from INR 1,296 crore in Q3 FY24.