Ritesh Agarwal’s IPO Setup and the Budget Hotel Comeback

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OYO is now Prism, and the strategy is bigger than a name change.

In this Skift Take Sessions episode, Wil Slickers sits down with Skift hospitality reporter Sean O’Neill to break down what Prism CEO Ritesh Agarwal is really building after years of pivots: a business that is now essentially split between India and the U.S., anchored by the Motel 6 acquisition and a push to modernize the budget experience with a tech rebuild. 

Wil and Sean unpack why “iconic” matters for Motel 6 despite its baggage, what a real turnaround would require (digital, standards, and property churn), and why Prism is doubling down on economy and extended stay through Studio 6 while much of the industry chases upscale. They also dig into the IPO signal, with Ritesh framing the board’s active evaluation of an India listing and why India’s travel market momentum is part of the timing.

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