PGO
PGO (Paying Guest Online), operated by Thinkwide Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., is an Indian online marketplace that helps students, working professionals, and corporate clients discover and book PG hostels, service apartments, hotels, and rentals across 352 cities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersHyderabad, India
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What PGO does
PGO (Paying Guest Online), operated by Thinkwide Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. and founded in 2018 in Hyderabad, runs an online marketplace for discovering and booking PG (paying guest) hostels, service apartments, hotels/lodges, co-living spaces, and rental accommodations across 352 Indian cities. The platform targets students, interns, and working professionals relocating to metros such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, and Vijayawada, alongside a corporate accommodation channel for employers managing employee relocations, and a supply-side base of PG/hostel owners listing inventory via the Host zone and Partner With PGO program.
The technology stack is a cloud-hosted web platform (gopgo.in) with native iOS and Android apps, a centralized property catalog of 23,191+ listings searchable by city, locality, stay type, gender, price range, and amenity, end-to-end online booking, online rent payment, and a non-cash Guest Wallet for refunds, bonuses, and transactions. The platform layers trust features (Verified Properties, Hygiene and Safe badges, COVID-safe tagging) and contextual campaigns on top of the core search/booking flow, and extends into adjacent sub-products: Stazy (co-living), PGO Pride (premium stays), Classifieds, a Corporate Login module, and the Bijlee Buddy smart-electricity-meter initiative with Radius Synergies and Itcha for Hyderabad hostels.
Revenue is generated through a combination of a Rs.500 non-refundable per-bed processing fee on bookings, a Rs.599 PGO Prime membership subscription offering 10% savings on app bookings, host-side listing/partner fees under the Partner With PGO and Corporate Accommodation Partners programs, and ancillary classifieds listings. The platform also pursues a hybrid go-to-market mixing direct-to-consumer SEO-optimised city/locality landing pages, earned media (Inc42, Times of India, YourStory, The Hindu, Business Standard), organic social, a Refer & Earn program, and inside-sales conversion via the PGO Care contact center.
PGO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PGO
- Legal name
- Thinkwide Hospitality Pvt. Ltd
- Website
- https://gopgo.in
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- PGO (Paying Guest Online), operated by Thinkwide Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., is an Indian online marketplace that helps students, working professionals, and corporate clients discover and book PG hostels, service apartments, hotels, and rentals across 352 cities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PGO industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Accommodation Marketplace
- NAICS
- Traveler Accommodation (7211), Other Traveler Accommodation (72119), Accommodation (721)
- SIC
- Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)
- akta.pro industry
- Hostel & Shared Accommodation Booking Platforms (Short-Stay Shared Inventory)Travel & Hospitality/Vacation Rentals & Short-Term Stays/Vacation Rental Platforms & Marketplaces (P2P, Aggregators)Hosted Private Rooms (On-Site Host)Hotel & Accommodation Booking PlatformsTravel & Hospitality/Travel Technology & Distribution Services/Online Booking Platforms & Marketplaces (B2C/B2B)B2B Agent/Partner Booking Portals (Extranet)Travel & Hospitality/Travel Technology & Distribution Services/Central Reservation Systems (CRS) & Booking Engines
Keywords
Where PGO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hyderabad
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
PGO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Booking transaction fees from tenants: One-time processing fee of Rs. 500 charged per bed blocking (non-refundable); GST extra as applicable. Revenue is generated on each booking transaction facilitated via the platform.
- Prime Membership subscription: PGO Prime Membership priced at Rs.599 including GST, non-refundable, granting tenants benefits such as 10% savings on each booking through PGO app.
- Host subscription / partner listing fees: Hosts/owners onboard properties via the Host zone and 'Partner With PGO' program; revenue model likely includes listing/partnership fees from property owners (B2B side of the marketplace).
- Corporate accommodation partnerships: PGO runs a Corporate Accommodation Partners program (corporate login, corporate registration) to provide bulk/managed accommodation services to companies, generating B2B revenue.
- Classifieds property listings: PGO also operates a Classifieds section for property listings, generating additional listing/monetization revenue streams.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | One-time bed blocking processing fee |
| Subscription | Annual | PGO Prime Membership (annual-style fee) |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Marketplace monthly rent (set by host) |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
PGO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PGO (Paying Guest Online) operates a two-sided online marketplace that connects PG/hostel property owners with tenants seeking shared and short-term accommodation across 352 Indian cities. The platform enables tenants to discover, compare and book 23,191+ PG hostels, service apartments, hotels/lodges, co-living spaces, home stays and rentals via web and mobile apps, while hosts onboard and manage their inventory through a dedicated host zone. It monetizes via per-booking processing fees, a Prime membership subscription, host/partner listing fees, corporate accommodation contracts, and classifieds.
Product overview
PGO (Paying Guest Online) is operated by Thinkwide Hospitality Pvt. Ltd as a unified online marketplace platform for booking PG hostels, service apartments, hotels/lodges, and rental accommodations across 352 Indian cities. Built around a core tenant-facing booking platform (web and mobile apps for iOS and Android), PGO is structured as a platform with several integrated sub-products and modules: a Host/Owner app for property listing and management, a Classifieds module for property listings, a Partner With PGO onboarding portal, a Corporates module with dedicated B2B login, the PGO Pride sub-brand for premium/luxury accommodations, the Stazy sub-brand accessible from the main navigation, and the Bijlee Buddy initiative for smart electricity metering in hostels. Together these offerings allow tenants to search, book, and pay rent online, hosts to manage properties, partners to onboard listings, and corporates to arrange employee accommodation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Stazy: Co-living accommodation platform operated under the Thinkwide corporate umbrella.
- Bijlee Buddy
- PGO Pride
- PGO Classifieds
Products and services
- PGO Online Marketplace (Paying Guest Online) Core two-sided online marketplace that lets tenants search 23,191+ PG/hostel properties across 352 Indian cities and book beds online with no brokerage; hosts list inventory and manage bookings.
- PGO Prime Membership Subscription product priced at Rs.599 (incl. GST, non-refundable) that gives tenants a 10% discount on each booking made via the PGO mobile app.
- PGO Host/Owner Platform Supply-side interface that allows PG and hostel owners to register as hosts, list their properties, manage room inventory, and accept bookings and rent payments on the PGO marketplace.
- PGO Corporate Accommodation Partners B2B offering with a dedicated corporate login and registration flow that lets companies arrange and manage bulk PG/hostel accommodation for employees relocating or traveling across cities.
- PGO Classifieds Classifieds section of the PGO platform where users can post and browse property listings beyond standard PG bookings, generating additional listing/monetization revenue.
- PGO Pride (Premium Accommodation Partners) Curated sub-brand within PGO featuring premium and upscale PG and accommodation partner properties for tenants seeking higher-end stays.
- Stazy Co-living and short-term stay sub-brand operated under the Thinkwide corporate umbrella, accessible from the main PGO navigation, focused on managed short-term accommodation.
- Bijlee Buddy (Smart Electricity Monitoring) Smart electricity meter monitoring service for hostels/PGs, developed in partnership with Radius Synergies and Itcha, aimed at reducing monthly electricity consumption in Hyderabad hostels.
Quantifiable outcome
- 23,191+ properties and 7,79,790 beds across 352 cities
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use PGO
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PGO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
PGO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Radius SynergiesflagshipMoU signed between PGO, Itcha and Radius Synergies for the Bijlee Buddy initiative, an electricity-monitoring partnership targeting a 7 million unit monthly reduction in Hyderabad hostels. Radius appears to provide smart electric meter / energy management technology that PGO integrates into its hostel ecosystem.
- ItchaflagshipCo-signatory (alongside PGO and Radius) of the Bijlee Buddy MoU covering electricity reduction in Hyderabad hostels.
- ZOLO STAYScoreZOLO STAYS-branded properties are surfaced as a dedicated associate-company collection on PGO city pages (e.g., 12 properties in Kundalahalli Gate, 15 in Kundalahalli), suggesting a distribution/inventory partnership.
- LOCAL COLIVINGcoreLocal Coliving properties are featured as an associate-company collection on PGO hostel listings, integrating co-living inventory into the PGO marketplace.
- Apple App Store / Google PlaycorePGO distributes its iOS and Android apps via Apple's App Store and Google Play, the primary download channels referenced on the homepage (bit.ly/pgoios, bit.ly/pgoandroid).
- Hyderabad Hostels AssociationminorPGO references collaboration with Hyderabad Hostels Association (e.g., notice cautioning of LPG shortage) indicating an association-level relationship.
- Times of India (Leaders of Change)minorTimes of India featured PGO CEO Harry in its 'Leaders of Change' series, providing PR/earned-media partnership.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PGO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NoBroker: Broker-free rental and PG marketplace with significant Indian metro reach. Shares PGO's broker-free, direct-tenant value proposition and competes for both PGs and long-term rental listings.
- MakeMyTrip / Yatra (accommodation vertical): Large online travel agencies with hotel and short-stay booking platforms across India. Overlap with PGO's Hotels/Lodges and Service Apartments categories, though they do not focus on long-stay PGs.
Direct peers
- Your-space: PG and shared accommodation marketplace targeting students and young professionals. Closest direct aggregator competitor to PGO in India with overlapping tenant segments and city coverage.
- Stanza Living: Managed student housing operator with owned/leased inventory across major Indian cities. Targets the same student and working-professional tenant segment as PGO with a more standardised, brand-led proposition.
- OYO Life / OYO Rooms: OYO's long-stay and short-stay brands overlap with PGO across hotels, service apartments and longer-duration rentals. Competes for the same budget-conscious tenants seeking verified, broker-free accommodation in Indian metros.
- Nestaway (Aurum PropTech): Managed rental and PG aggregator acquired by Aurum PropTech. Operates a similar marketplace model for shared housing and competes with PGO for tenants and host supply across Indian metros.
- Zolo Stays: India's largest managed co-living and PG operator. Zolo competes directly with PGO for student/young-professional tenants in metro cities and is already a distribution partner on PGO, but offers owned/managed inventory versus PGO's marketplace model.
- EasyPG / Plot No. 17: PG discovery and booking platforms in India serving the same tenant base as PGO. Smaller scale but overlapping aggregator model and Indian metro coverage.
Emerging players
- Housr: Managed co-living operator (formerly The House of Hiranandani's brand). Targets young professionals relocating for work, partially overlapping with PGO's working-professional segment in select metros.
- CoHo (StayAbode): Curated co-living platform for young professionals, originally CoHo and now part of StayAbode. Competes with PGO's Stazy and PG supply in metros with managed, design-led inventory.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PGO social profiles
Digital presencePGO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PGO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
PGO subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
PGO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PGO M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PGO
What does PGO do?
PGO (Paying Guest Online) operates a two-sided online marketplace that connects PG/hostel property owners with tenants seeking shared and short-term accommodation across 352 Indian cities. The platform enables tenants to discover, compare and book 23,191+ PG hostels, service apartments, hotels/lodges, co-living spaces, home stays and rentals via web and mobile apps, while hosts onboard and manage their inventory through a dedicated host zone. It monetizes via per-booking processing fees, a Prime membership subscription, host/partner listing fees, corporate accommodation contracts, and classifieds.
Is PGO a public or private company?
PGO is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was PGO founded?
PGO was founded in 2018. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is PGO based?
PGO is headquartered in Hyderabad, India, in the Asia region.
How does PGO make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Booking transaction fees from tenants are the primary driver. The others are prime Membership subscription, host subscription / partner listing fees, corporate accommodation partnerships and classifieds property listings.
Who are PGO's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NoBroker and MakeMyTrip / Yatra (accommodation vertical). Direct peers are Your-space, Stanza Living, OYO Life / OYO Rooms, Nestaway (Aurum PropTech), Zolo Stays and EasyPG / Plot No. 17. Emerging players are Housr and CoHo (StayAbode).
Does PGO have an API?
No public API is recorded for PGO.
What industry is PGO in?
PGO's product category is Online Accommodation Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAMALAK, Hostel & Shared Accommodation Booking Platforms (Short-Stay Shared Inventory), with a secondary code of THAMABAB, Hosted Private Rooms (On-Site Host). Its NAICS code is 7211 and its SIC code is 7000.