Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the success of OYO, a budget hotel chain, highlighting its upcoming IPO and the potential for significant market valuation despite its low-cost business model [5][6][10]. Group 1: OYO's Business Model and Market Position - OYO operates over 22,700 hotels with approximately 119,000 rooms, maintaining an average price of around 50 yuan per night, which has led to high occupancy rates [8]. - The company has faced criticism from competitors for its aggressive pricing strategies, which some describe as "predatory pricing" [8]. - OYO achieved its first full-year net profit in 2023, with a net profit of 6.23 billion rupees (approximately 500 million yuan) for the fiscal year 2024, largely driven by markets outside India [8]. Group 2: IPO Plans and Financial Health - OYO is preparing for an IPO with a target valuation of $8 billion (approximately 57.2 billion yuan), with positive feedback from investment banks [6][9]. - The company has been actively reducing its debt, having repaid over 130 billion yuan in debt in 2024, which has helped improve its financial standing [12]. - OYO's strategy includes rebranding to shed its "budget hotel" image and expand its high-end hotel brand, SUNDAY, into 30 countries by 2026 [10][13]. Group 3: Historical Context and Growth Trajectory - OYO was founded by Ritesh Agarwal, who dropped out of college to pursue entrepreneurship, initially starting with a service model before pivoting to hotel ownership [18][19]. - The company quickly gained traction, becoming a unicorn by 2018 with a valuation of $5 billion, and raised significant funding from major investors like SoftBank [20]. - Despite facing substantial losses during the pandemic, OYO has managed to stabilize and is now positioned for growth and a successful IPO [21].