#BoycottOYO started trending after an ad with the line, “Bhagwan har jagah hai aur OYO bhi (God is everywhere, and so is OYO),” was released. The ad was accused of offending religious sentiments, and OYO later issued a clarification.
OYO Rooms upset many people online after publishing an ad in a Hindi newspaper that angered several groups. After the controversy, OYO clarified by saying that their intention was to promote religious tourism.
#BoycottOYO started trending after the ad, which included the line “Bhagwan har jagah hai aur OYO bhi (God is everywhere, and so is OYO),” was accused of offending religious feelings.
The OYO ad caused controversy because it compared God’s presence everywhere to OYO being everywhere. Many people found this comparison disrespectful and insensitive. Angry users shared pictures of the ad, saying it was wrong to compare a hotel service to something sacred, and that it made fun of religious beliefs.
Many users tagged OYO Rooms CEO Ritesh Agarwal in their posts, demanding for apology from the company.
One of the users slammed Ritesh Agarwal by writing, “Hello Ritesh Agarwal, what do you want to say? Aren’t you ashamed of comparing OYO Rooms with God?”
Another user tweeted, “OYO, stop playing with our religious sentiments! Otherwise, you will be boycotted!”
and one user also said that,”How dare you compare God with OYO Rooms”
OYO Gives Clarification:
This controversy is creating a lot of buzz and OYO has finally given a clarification by saying that,”Our intention behind the recent advertisement was to promote religious tourism in India, and not hurt any religious sentiments,” OYO stated.
“We have immense respect for the diverse faiths and beliefs of our country and celebrate India’s rich spiritual traditions,” it added.
The company further explained that as more Indians embrace spiritual tourism, it is dedicated to enhancing this sacred experience – “and that is what we wanted to highlight through the advertisement”.
OYO plans to add 500 hotels in 12 major religious destinations by the end of this year.
Have a look at the post by OYO:
— OYO (@oyorooms) February 21, 2025
