Oyo buys Las Vegas Hooters Hotel in its first US purchase

In what is its first property purchase in U.S., Soft Bank-backed Oyo Hotels and Homes, has bought the Hooters Casino Hotel Las Vegas.

While, Oyo did not divulge the financial terms of the transaction, a person close to the development said Oyo and Highgate, an American real estate investment and hospitality management company, are together putting in $135 million for the asset.

Hooters Casino Hotel will now be rebranded and designed as Oyo Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, the company said in a statement. It provides 657 rooms across 19 floors and a 35,000 square-foot casino.

Highgate will assume management of the hotel, and Paragon Gaming will continue to operate the casino, Oyo said.

“We believe Las Vegas is an exciting city in which to invest as the market continues to evolve with projects such as the new Las Vegas Raiders NFL stadium and the $1 billion expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center. As we continue to focus on bringing to life our popular concept of ‘comfort design’ and delivering chic hospitality experiences, we are increasingly exploring new ways to connect with our customers, from millennials, to young executives and families, in every city we enter,” said Abhinav Sinha, chief operating officer and OYO Hotels and Homes USA.

Earlier in June, Oyo had announced its plan to invest $300 million in the U.S. Currently, there it has over 112 Oyo Hotels in more than 60 cities and 21 states in the U.S.

“With our newest hotel in Las Vegas, we are excited to cater to a completely different audience segment,” said Ritesh Agarwal, founder and chief executive, OYO Hotels and Homes.

Founded in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes is the world’s third-largest chain of hotels, homes, managed living and workspaces. The portfolio combines fully operated real estate comprising of more than 23,000 hotels and 125,000 vacation homes. Over the years, it has attracted an array of investors including the likes of Airbnb, SoftBank Vision Fund, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Greenoaks Capital, Sequoia Capital India, and Hero Enterprise.

Oyo has been on an acquisition spree. In July, it confirmed its acquisition of Innov8, a co-working spaces provider, highlighting the company’s increasing focus on the fast-growing segment. While Oyo did not disclose financial details of the Innov8 acquisition, it is pegged to be around $30 million, according to a TechCrunch report.

In May, Oyo said it has agreed to acquire Amsterdam-based @Leisure Group, from Axel Springer, a media and technology company, for an undisclosed amount. @Leisure is a vacation rental company in Europe, which manages holiday homes, holiday parks, and holiday apartments. The transaction was pegged around $416 million, according to several media reports.

Last year, it acquired Mumbai-based Weddingz.in, an online marketplace for wedding venues, and AblePlus Solutions Pvt. Ltd, an Internet of Things (IoT) technology company.

It claims to have a balance sheet of about $1.5 billion. OYO has raised nearly $1.7 billion in funding over 12 rounds.