Simplifying airport experience with Hoi
With technology evolving rapidly, almost every aspect of our lives has become easier and travel is no exception. From traditional methods to tech-driven innovations, the way we move has transformed drastically. Among the brands redefining this space is Hoi, a platform designed to make airport experiences smoother and more efficient for frequent travellers. Dhruv Godara, CEO of Hoi, speaks to CE about the idea behind Hoi, its features, and how it aims to become every traveller’s go-to app.
Excerpts
Tell us about Hoi and the idea behind creating it.
The idea was to build a travel super platform — one that supports a traveller through every stage of their journey. From planning and booking to reaching the airport and beyond, Hoi aims to cover it all. When we started, our focus was primarily on enhancing airport experiences. Soon, we realised that to truly help travellers, we needed to serve the entire value chain. Today, through our app and airport integrations, we power digital screens that provide travellers with interactive information and a range of digital services — with our flagship product being the Hoi app itself.
Tell us about the app and how it can help travellers.
Air travel can often be stressful, with multiple variables like flight timings, traffic, and check-in queues causing anxiety. The Hoi app is designed to ease that. Once you book a flight, you can track its real-time status — whether it’s delayed or on time. The app also provides information about the time needed to reach the airport, check-in counters, and other relevant updates. At the airport, users can digitally access services such as pre-ordering food, locating specific counters or stores, and finding lounges or gates. Essentially, Hoi digitalises the airport experience, putting everything a traveller needs right at their fingertips. Users can download the Hoi app from the App Store or Google Play Store. Alternatively, they can visit Hoi.in. Once they grant location access, the app automatically detects the nearest airport and displays all available services at that location. We are currently active at major airports in Hyderabad, Delhi and Goa, with plans to expand to other airports soon.
How did you come up with the name ‘Hoi’?
We wanted something short, catchy, and easy to remember — a name that could even be used as a verb. Interestingly, Hoi means Hi in Dutch. But more than that, we envision creating a behaviour shift in the way people talk about air travel — just like people say, ‘Let’s Uber there’, we want travellers to say, ‘Let’s Hoi at the airport’.
Does the app currently allow lounge bookings?
Not yet, but it’s definitely part of our roadmap. We plan to introduce that feature in the near future.
Can you share your expansion plans?
At present, our primary focus is on strengthening our presence across India. Once we perfect the product and user experience here, we plan to expand internationally, acquiring and partnering with airports outside India in the coming year.