The Bhubaneswar founder behind BookingJini is helping thousands of hotels keep more of what they earn.
THE GRIEVANCE THAT BECAME A MISSION
In 2014, during a trip to the United States, Bhubaneswar resident Sibasish Mishra noticed how booking agencies were taking heavy commissions from hotels. The experience made him question why hotels had to give away such a large portion of their revenue for online bookings.
In India, online travel agencies typically charge hotels roughly 20–35% per booking. This high commission structure became the trigger for Mishra’s larger mission — to build a fairer, more direct and technology-driven solution for hotels.
A PILOT IN PURI
After years in the corporate world, Mishra decided to test his idea in home ground. BookingJini piloted its platform in January 2017 with the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) at its Bhubaneswar and Puri properties.
The model was simple yet powerful — hotels would be charged only when bookings came in. The initial team started with five employees and worked with around 20 hotels from Puri and Bhubaneswar, helping them take direct bookings and reduce their dependence on high-commission intermediaries.
Mishra earlier had a career in banking and founded 5 Elements, which started as a BPO and later expanded into e-governance work. His experience in building and scaling businesses helped him understand the power of technology in solving real-world operational challenges.
Under his leadership, BookingJini has evolved from a direct booking engine into a full-suite hotel operating system, offering tools for distribution, marketing, guest experience and analytics. The platform includes a channel manager that connects properties with over 3,000 online travel agencies (OTAs), a property management system, a central reservation system and a customer relationship management (CRM) solution.
Today, BookingJini is used by over 3,000 hotels, including properties run by several state tourism authorities, and has a presence in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the UK. Mishra also serves as the joint secretary of TIE and is a TEDx speaker. His profile lists Aura AI, an artificial intelligence venture, as his next chapter.
Our focus has always been to give hotels the power to own their bookings and to grow on their own terms.
BUILDING THE HOTEL OPERATING SYSTEM
BookingJini has since expanded into a comprehensive suite for the hospitality industry. Its platform offers a channel manager that connects properties with over 3,000 online travel agencies (OTAs), a property management system, a central reservation system and a customer relationship management (CRM) solution.
These tools help hotels streamline operations, improve guest experience, manage distribution and use data-driven insights to grow their business.
BACKED BY BELIEVERS
BookingJini’s early traction attracted strong support from investors. The company received $100,000 in pre-seed funding from Neotec Hub and a group of angel investors, including Kapil Chopra, former president of Oberoi Hotels.
In 2021, Mumbai Angels Network invested $1.2 million as part of a $3.3 million pre-Series A round. A further pre-Series A round from IP Ventures followed in January 2024, strengthening the company’s growth plans and market expansion.
THE ROAD AHEAD
From a small pilot in Odisha to a platform used by over 3,000 hotels across India and select international markets, BookingJini has emerged as a key player in the hospitality tech space.
With a growing client base, continued product innovation and new ventures like Aura AI on the horizon, Sibasish Mishra is focused on building technology that gives more control, better revenue and a stronger future to hotels.
