Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

India’s OYO adds Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel to its UK portfolio  

INDIA-based booming hospitality business group OYO Homes & Hotels has added Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel to its UK portfolio.

The 112-guest room Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel is the largest addition to date to the portfolio of OYO.


Located on the bank of River Don in Sheffield, the hotel will be operated by OYO under a lease agreement with London Town Group.

British Indian Koolesh Shah is the founder of London Town Group, which owns and operates some of the UK’s leading hotels.

Oyo has inked deals with 100 hotels in 25 British towns and cities since its launch in the UK last year.

Commenting on the latest deal, Koolesh Shah, founder and managing director of London Town Group, said: “We are delighted to work with OYO as an early adopter of the brand in the UK.

“The company's growth is fueled by its success in China, with presence in 337 cities and having over 500,000 rooms, and we are pleased to offer OYO this opportunity in the UK. We feel our Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel is a perfect fit for the brand.”

Created in 1998, the London Town Group has widened its focus away from its traditional London base to explore opportunities in the East Midlands.

In addition to its four London hotels, there are four in the north — Travelodge Derby Cricket Ground Hotel, Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel, Mercure Nottingham City Centre and Ramada Leicester Stage Hotel, which was acquired in 2017.

Meanwhile, the Ritesh Agarwal-founded business, OYO, has an international presence with its hotels and homes business spread across the Indian subcontinent, China, South-East Asia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Europe, and the US, among others.

Founded in 2013, OYO’s portfolio comprises more than 23,000 hotels and over 125,000 vacation homes in 800 cities across 80 countries.

OYO does not build or own hotels. It approaches independent hotel owners and offers to invest in their properties to improve their business. Thus, the hotels are re-branded as OYO Rooms.

The Indian business is responsible for upgrading, reshaping, and altering the hotel rooms to improve facilities in a bid to attract more customers and ultimately, improve the hotel business significantly.

It also invests with owners to transform the property itself, improving the infrastructure and the look and feel of the hotel.

More For You

Satya Nadella backs £30bn Microsoft push in UK
Satya Nadella
Satya Nadella

Satya Nadella backs £30bn Microsoft push in UK

MICROSOFT CEO Satya Nadella on Wednesday (17) said the American tech giant is “doubling down” on its investments in Britain as US president Donald Trump began his state visit with the launch of a US-UK Tech Prosperity Deal.

The agreement focuses on advancing fast-growing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and nuclear innovation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jaguar Land Rover’s factory in Solihull, Britain

FILE PHOTO: A member of staff works on the production line at Jaguar Land Rover’s factory in Solihull, Britain. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Government steps in as JLR cyber attack stalls output

BRITAIN's largest carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover, said a pause in production due to a cyber attack would now stretch to September 24, extending the stoppage at its plants to more than three weeks.

The luxury carmaker, owned by India's Tata Motors, said it shut down its systems in early September to contain the hack that has severely disrupted its retail and manufacturing operations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi & Trump

Donald Trump and Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House on February 13, 2025.

Reuters

India, US to discuss trade issues after tariff hike

INDIA and the United States will hold trade discussions in New Delhi on Tuesday, officials and Indian media reports said, as the two countries look to resolve a tariff dispute.

India currently faces high US tariffs on most of its exports and has not yet been able to reach a trade deal that would ease the pressure.

Keep ReadingShow less
Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal recalled that in February, Narendra Modi and Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Trade talks with US moving forward positively, says Indian minister Goyal

INDIA’s commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that negotiations on the proposed trade agreement between India and the United States, which began in March, are progressing in a positive atmosphere and both sides are satisfied with the discussions.

He recalled that in February, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
Baiju Bhatt

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. (Photo: Getty Images)

Baiju Bhatt named among youngest billionaires in US by Forbes

INDIAN-AMERICAN entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of the commission-free trading platform Robinhood, has been named among the 10 youngest billionaires in the United States in the 2025 Forbes 400 list.

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Forbes estimates his net worth at around USD 6–7 billion (£4.4–5.1 billion), primarily from his roughly 6 per cent ownership in Robinhood.

Keep ReadingShow less