Ritesh Agarwal Wants You to Rename OYO—For ₹3 Lakh

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Synopsis

OYO’s Ritesh Agarwal launches ₹3 lakh naming contest to rebrand its parent company amid IPO plans—one word could change everything.

Key takeaways

• Founder Ritesh Agarwal opens the naming rights of Oravel Stays to the public.
• Winner bags ₹3 lakh and a chance to meet the entrepreneur himself.
• The name will potentially shape OYO’s upcoming premium hotel app.
• This bold move coincides with OYO’s push towards an IPO and global repositioning.

Rebranding OYO: A Public call for a bold new identity

In a move shaking up India’s startup scene, OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal has turned to the public to help rename Oravel Stays—the parent company of his global travel tech venture.

The stakes? A hefty ₹3 lakh prize and an opportunity to meet Agarwal himself. But this isn’t just about a name. It’s about building a legacy brand that transcends hospitality.

“We’re renaming the corporate brand behind it all,” Agarwal shared in a candid Instagram post. “Not the hotel chain, not a consumer product — but the parent company powering a global ecosystem of urban innovation and modern living.”

The contest, now open for entries, aims to create a new identity “born in India, but built for the world.”

One word, one brand, global impact

The brief isn’t straightforward. The ideal name must be one-word, bold, tech-forward, and human—yet broad enough to scale beyond hospitality.

It must have global appeal and transcend cultures, steering clear of regional or linguistic bias. And yes, ideally, the .com domain should be available.

Ritesh Agarwal announces a contest for naming #OYO's new premium hotels app, with a prize of ₹3 lakh. The name should be one-word, global, and suitable for expansion beyond hospitality.
(@GarvitBhirani reports)https://t.co/kYT6scyNuC

— Mint (@livemint) June 9, 2025

Agarwal’s call is clear: the name should feel like the future. “We believe it’s time the world had a new kind of global brand,” he added, inviting “brand thinkers, creatives, entrepreneurs, and curious minds” to join the challenge.

Premium hotels app may carry the winning name

Insiders suggest that this initiative could serve a purpose beyond symbolism.

According to a PTI report, OYO is actively developing a new app dedicated to premium and mid-market company-serviced hotels—a segment seeing exponential growth across India and beyond.

“The name chosen through the exercise may end up being the name of the premium hotels app that OYO has been working to launch shortly,” PTI quoted people familiar with the matter as saying.

This aligns with the firm’s strategy to distinguish premium offerings from the broader OYO portfolio, appealing to a new wave of digitally savvy travelers.

IPO buzz grows louder as SoftBank review looms

This crowdsourced branding initiative comes at a critical juncture for OYO. The company has reportedly organized presentations by five central investment banks to SoftBank, its key shareholder, in London this June.

The presentations—held at SoftBank’s Grosvenor Street office—aim to evaluate OYO’s readiness for a public listing, which is expected in the last quarter of the current fiscal year.

As the IPO clock ticks, this bold branding contest isn’t just about creativity—it’s strategic. It’s about aligning perception, product, and purpose.

This isn’t your average naming contest. It’s a rare opportunity to shape the future of one of India’s most iconic startups, just with a single word.

If you’ve got the brand brain to match the brief, this is your ₹3 lakh shot.

Got a name in mind?

The clock’s ticking. Entries close soon. Submit your bold, one-word vision—and maybe, just maybe, the world’s next big tech brand could be your brainchild.