The past few weeks have been tough across industries, especially the hospitality industry- where despite difficult times, people have been constantly showing compassion and sensitivity as they engage with different individuals. In this process, we have come across many stories that are a true reflection of how humanity triumphs against all odds. Pankaj Mehta and Ram Gopal Agarwal from Jaipur are examples of many such hotel owners who have converted this pandemic into an opportunity by helping stranded guests and the less fortunate.

When the mandatory lockdown was announced by the Government of India due to the Novel Coronavirus, Pankaj saw that there were a lot of workers who were unfortunately stranded and had no place to go. While this was a necessary measure to help flatten the curve, there were plenty of workers who had no idea if they could afford two meals a day considering they all were dependent on daily wages. Pankaj took it upon himself to start his initiative wherein he started distributing ration to over 150-200 people outside his hotel premises. He began doing this under the guidance of OYO Hotels & Homes where the team and himself advocated social distancing while contributing to this noble cause.

Pankaj Mehta, owner of “OYO 18433 Urban Ville Jaipur”, says, “My journey into the big world of hospitality began as soon as I finished my hotel management. When I started this hotel with OYO I never really thought that I could get an opportunity to do more than just hosting guests. Over the last few months, I have seen how COVID-19 has affected us all especially those who are at the frontline as well as our labourers have been caught in the wrath of this pandemic. 

He further adds,  “I got in touch with my support team in Jaipur who have been hand-holding in these times of crisis. As a hotel owner, my first responsibility was to ensure the proper disinfection of the hotel, which also included keeping a stock of masks, gloves and sanitizers for future use. The OYO team has played an instrumental role in keeping me informed with all the latest health advisories as issued by the WHO and training my staff to be ready in all respect to host any guests that may stay at our hotel. I also put forth the idea of distributing ration to the ones in need. The team readily agreed to this initiative, and after working through the logistics, we are now collectively providing ration to over 150-200 people every day while strictly adhering to social distancing. I am thankful to the ground team for helping me on a day to day basis. The situation at hand demands us to stand together in solidarity of  our front line warriors, and I am blessed to have had the opportunity of helping out by hosting stranded guests and providing ration to the ones in need.”

Another such hospitality enthusiast Ram Gopal Agarwal and the owner of “OYO 37287 Hotel Ajanta”, says, “Having a hotel meant that I could host the frontline heroes as well as distribute ration to the people who need it the most. As the pandemic hit us all, I saw that there were a lot of people who were struggling to manage their daily meals. Seeing the unfortunate situation they were in, I decided to provide ration to as many people as I could possibly manage. The OYO Team was quite forthcoming to this idea and helped with this cause while strictly adhering to social distancing. Such has been the success that I have been distributing meals to roughly 500 people on a daily basis now. I am thankful to the on ground team who made this humble initiative reach it’s true potential.”espite the negativity that this pandemic has brought upon us all, there are such stories which win hearts and earn the goodwill of those who aren’t fortunate enough to stay indoors thus spreading positivity all the way. Pankaj and Ram’s initiative to bring about a change by helping those who are in need is a great example of how light conquers darkness. It is such tales of human compassion that give us the determination to acknowledge and appreciate how people are going above and beyond their comfort zones to come together to fight the battle against COVID-19.