MakeMyTrip’s and Oyo Rooms’ new strategy to enter into food delivery services comes at a time when the whole travel and tourism industry is hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has led to lockdowns and other many restrictions to travel across and within India, which has indeed taken a toll on the major online hotel and travel booking companies like MakeMyTrip.
MakeMyTrip’s surprising move
MakeMyTrip(MMT) who is one of the leading travel aggregators in India will now start delivering from 5-star hotels. MakeMyTrip has partnered with the premium 5-star hotels, Roseate and JW Mariott. The important thing to note here is that MMT will only be delivering food from 5-star hotels to its consumers.
It is one of the many surprising moves from companies trying to adapt to the current environment amidst the pandemic. Deepak Tuli, Chief Business Officer, Emerging Businesses at MakeMyTrip said, “As the world adopts life-altering measures to adjust to the new order, customers are seeking options that can help them with familiar experiences in a safe and hygienic environment. Our new online gourmet delivery initiative is a step towards ensuring that food-lovers continue to enjoy their in-city fine-dining experiences by bringing their eating-out adventures to their homes.”
Oyo Rooms to deliver food as well
Oyo Rooms will also be delivering food but their services will be slightly different, as they are set to deliver only ready-to-serve foods or frozen foods. Last year, Oyo had launched their Cloud Kitchen services for delivering cooked food to Oyo guests, under several brands such as Adraq, O’Biryani, Parantha Pundit and Master of Momos. Since the pandemic outbreak had occurred, they had to shut down their cloud kitchen services.
Struggle for the newcomers
MakeMyTrip and Oyo Rooms might have to face a tough fight from the already established food delivery giants Zomato and Swiggy. But, their new move to enter into food delivery services exclusively from 5-star hotels and Oyo Rooms’ delivery of ready-to-serve foods may help them to find their niche market amidst tight competition.
