Brands
OYO survey reveals ‘safety’ as determining factor for women travellers
New Delhi: OYO, India’s largest hotel network, recently conducted a survey among its women customers to unearth trends on how Indian women like to travel. The data is based on research conducted among 400 women in the age group 18-60+ across different locations in India, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Odisha, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.
The survey threw up some interesting findings:
● 37% respondents reported travelling only for leisure, while 53% travelled for both work and leisure.
● Women appear to be more conscientious workers, or at least those with less disposable time on their hands as only 51% reported clubbing a work trip with personal break, while 23% claimed they had never considered it
● 27% respondents said they preferred travelling solo – of this, 36% said they enjoyed it but 33% said they had to opt for it because it was “difficult matching schedules with friends or companions”
● Friends (57%) rank higher than Family (51%) as “preferred travel companions” for women, but partners reign supreme at 62%
● Personal research via internet and magazines ranks higher (78%) than recommendations from friends & family (51%) while choosing a travel destination. Social media came third (32%) and movies trailed the last (12%) when it came to sparking travel inspiration. Kuch Kuch Nahee Hota?
● “Safety” ranked as the #1 factor followed by “cost of trip” when it came to selecting a travel destination
● Contrary to expectations, 69% women opted for budget hotels over five-star hotels (18%) while 6% preferred to stay in a hostel while travelling
● 10% respondents had never stayed with friends or family while travelling, but all had “often” or “sometimes” stayed at a budget hotel!
● While 10% women totally shot down the idea of impulsive trips, accommodation (52%) was the biggest concern followed by expense (29%) due to booking at short-notice
● Budget hotels (35%) topped the choice of accommodation for women travelling solo, followed by staying with friends or family (25%)
Commenting on the findings, Abhinav Sinha, COO – OYO said, “Technology has brought about paradigm shifts in the way we live and work. Nowhere is this more evident than travel. From buying tickets to booking hotels and renting home-stays – the balance of power and choice has shifted to the customer. Businesses that keep a pulse on their customers to identify their expressed and evolving needs are able serve them better. Women are a significant set of travellers – undertaking travel for both personal and business reasons. Not surprisingly, 80% women reported that they take charge of their travel plans, often in consultation with friends or family. 52% reported that they liked taking impulsive trips – but interestingly more than half listed accommodation as their biggest concern. As service-providers it is important that we equip ourselves to serve the needs and expectations of this growing cohort.”
OYO is the pioneer of affordable, predictable accommodation in the Indian hospitality sector. It offers several consumer friendly touch-points such as the OYO App which enables guests to control every aspect of their experience – from booking hotel and cabs, to ordering food – all from their smartphone. Recently, the company introduced OYO Captains, a unique concierge service to ensure smooth travelling and on-stay experience. OYO currently operates over 70,000 rooms in 200 cities in India and Malaysia.
Brands
Dunkin’ Donuts to exit India as Jubilant FoodWorks ends 15-year franchise deal
The quick service restaurant giant is ending a 15-year franchise partnership with the American doughnut chain, even as it renews its Domino’s agreement for another 15 years
NOIDA: Dunkin’ is done in India. Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd, the country’s leading quick service restaurant operator, has decided not to renew its franchise agreement with the American coffee and doughnut chain, and will wind down its Indian stores in a phased manner before December 31, 2026, bringing a 15-year partnership to a quiet, loss-laden close.
The decision, approved by JFL’s board on March 30, 2026, ends a relationship that began with a Multiple Unit Development Franchise Agreement signed on February 24, 2011. JFL will now evaluate and undertake what it described in a regulatory filing as the “rationalisation and/or cessation of certain operations and/or sale, transfer or disposal of assets and/or assignment or transfer of franchise rights,” all in consultation with Dunkin’s brand owners and strictly within the terms of the original agreement.
The numbers tell the story bluntly. In the financial year 2024-25, Dunkin’ India posted a revenue of Rs 37 crore against a loss of Rs 19 crore — a haemorrhage that was always going to test the patience of a parent company recording revenues of Rs 6,104 crore and a profit of Rs 194 crore in the same period. Doughnuts, it turns out, were never going to move the needle.
The contrast with JFL’s handling of its other marquee franchise could hardly be sharper. Even as it walks away from Dunkin’, the company has just doubled down on Domino’s, signing a fresh Master Franchise Agreement on March 31, 2026, granting it exclusive rights to develop and operate Domino’s Pizza stores in India for 15 years, with an option to renew for a further 10.
JFL, incorporated in 1995 and promoted by the Bharatia family, operates a network of more than 3,500 stores across six markets — India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Its portfolio includes Domino’s and Popeyes on the global side, and two home-grown brands: Hong’s Kitchen and COFFY, a café brand in Turkey.
For Dunkin’, India was always a stretch. The brand never quite cracked the cultural code in a market where filter coffee and chai command fierce loyalty and where the doughnut remains, at best, an occasional indulgence rather than a daily habit. Fifteen years, mounting losses and a parent with better things to spend its capital on was always going to be a difficult equation to solve.
The doughnut has had its last day. The pizza, however, is staying.
