Oyo Hotels Reveals Tactics for Bad Reviews and ‘Negative Press’ in IPO Filing

Oyo plans to combat bad reviews with a tactic that won't likely improve its reputation as a toxic place to do business. The India-based budget hospitality brand officially moved ahead with plans to go public late last week. The $1.2 billion move, seen as a way to provide a financial lift to a company drastically impacted by the pandemic, aims to capitalize on India’s surging stock market. But not even a soaring stock price can overcome the company’s extraordinary fear of bad press — and company leaders signaled in Oyo’s prospectus of an aggressive strategy to fight back against bad reviews and publicity through lawsuits. The filing notes Oyo initiated legal proceedings against a customer who posted “unsubstantiated negative statements about us” on social media platforms. “Many social media platforms immediately publish the content that their subscribers and participants post, often without filters or checks on accuracy of the content posted,” the prospectus reads. �