Review: OYO Rooms Sher-e-Punjab, Mumbai

As I sit and write a review for OYO Sher-e-Punjab, Mumbai, my thoughts keep going back to my own experiences with budget hotels as I travelled across not just India, but across the a few other countries as well. However, most of my memorable stories come from places like Tawang, Pahadganj in Delhi, Jammu and so on from the when I was really short on money and still wanted to travel everywhere!

So recently when Oyo Rooms invited me to stay at their Sher-e-Punjab property in Mumbai, I agreed enthusiastically simply because I was really curious about them. I love budget travel and wanted to see if it's a brand that I could recommend to my readers.

OYO Rooms Mumbai

Before we proceed further let's quickly look at what would do we mean by a Budget Hotel. Personally to me its a lot about how much would a one night's stay cost, with my minimal set of requirements. I have two requirements - clean bathrooms (shared are alright as long as they are clean), and clean beds (shared not ok, unless traveling with a friend). A sub Rs 1000 price tag to me would qualify for a budget hotel in most Indian cities. I know for many of us even that's high, but I guess the term itself is very relative.

My experience at OYO Sher-e-Punjab

Strangely when I planned a stay there I was extremely busy and didn't even read much about the chain or the specific hotel. I was in Chembur when it was time to retire for the day and I directly mapped it on google maps and chose the option of public transportation. Surprisingly it gave me directions and suggestions which made sure in about 45 minutes I was at the door-step of the hotel. So far so good :)

When I walked in I was expecting little, and so was completely floored by the neatly organized room on the seventh floor with a wide view of the city. Falling into the soft bed, I took a short power nap to rejuvenate after a long and tiring day.

The inviting bed...

A small pantry area which I didn't really use much

The view from seventh floor was good - the urban demise of Mumbai

But wait! I was actually not expecting this from a budget hotel! Not only was everything absolutely clean, the room was actually pretty spacious and internet worked pretty well too. I was rather impressed and live tweeted using the free WiFi service there. If one word could express my sentiment, it would be - Impressive!

But this is not it. I was told by the staff that all OYO properties across all cities have a few standardised elements which are never compromised upon.

1. AC Rooms with TV
2. Spotless linen
3. Complimentary Breakfast
4. Free WiFi
5. Hygienic Washrooms

I skipped the breakfast so can't comment on that, but I can absolutely vouch for the other four.

Now coming to the more important element - COST. How does OYO Rooms fare on this? While I was at the hotel, I did a quick check for their pricing and was quite impressed with the fact that they live up to their promise of real budget options. Across the country you can stay at an OYO property with all the above facilities for as low as Rs 999!

No my room was a little more expensive, but the pricing depends on both the location as well as the type of room. This really tempts me to try them out in other cities also.

Lobby at OYO Rooms

Address and directions to OYO Sher-e-Punjab

Plot no 301, CTS 368/ 20
Sher-e-Punjab CHS Limited
Moira Village, Paradise Lane
Andheri East
Mumbai - 400 093

What more can OYO Rooms do?

So what is it that doesn't work? Well I do not know that for sure right now as most things worked flawlessly for me. However, I do think there are two areas where OYO can do with some more work:

Representation of local culture - this is more relevant for travel destinations. For example, if I were to visit Mathura, it would feel odd to stay in a place like Mumbai OYO.

Location - I didn't mind the location, but I wonder if a solo female travel would also be as comfortable. On this note, OYO has opened one women's only property in Delhi and plan to expand the idea more. I think they will be meet with great success with this initiative.

OYO Rooms - the story so far...

So what exactly does OYO Rooms mean? I asked this and pat came the reply - On Your Own Rooms! Being an independent traveler I actually quite like the inherent philosophy behind this, I like doing things by myself and a hotel which actually actively promotes this sounded really good as well.

Let me briefly take you through the OYO story. OYO Rooms is a brainchild of Ritesh Agarwal, the twenty something CEO of the company. In fact, you must read more about the people at OYO to understand the young vibe felt even at their properties (the average employee age there is just 25!!!). Launched with just one property in Gurgaon, OYO now exists with 200+ properties in thirteen major Indian business and travel destinations.