FX Excursions

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Hotel Update: Wyndham Hotel Group

by Mark Chesnut

Oct 1, 2017
Features

WITH AN EXPANDING ROSTER of brands, an array of new properties and a revamped rewards program, you could easily say Wyndham Worldwide is in growth mode.

Wyndham Hotel Group’s multipronged strategy strives to give travelers more choices. In June the company launched its 19th brand, aimed at upper midscale and upscale travelers: The Trademark Hotel Collection.

Designed to appeal to independent hotel owners looking to maintain their own style, Trademark has more than 50 hotels in its pipeline, including existing and new-build properties in urban destinations. “Trademark isn’t just another brand; it’s a rally cry for independent entrepreneurs who aren’t afraid to make their own mark,” said Lisa Checchio, vice president of brand marketing and insights, Wyndham Hotel Group.

Dazzler Colonia

Dazzler Colonia © WYNDHAM WORLDWIDE

Trademark isn’t the only new name to enter the Wyndham portfolio. In late 2016 the company acquired Buenos Aires-based Fen Hotels, adding two brands — Esplendor Boutique Hotels and Dazzler Hotels — in addition to 26 management contracts in Latin America and the United States.

Among its newest partnerships, Wyndham inked a deal this year with Zeus International, a Greek hotel management and consulting company. The agreement calls for the development of 20 hotels over the next 10 years in four European nations. The two companies already partnered to open Wyndham Grand Athens in December 2016.

“Our new development partnership with Zeus International builds on the success we’ve had with the introduction of Wyndham Grand Athens, ensuring more of our brands become ubiquitous across Greece,” said Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO, Wyndham Hotel Group. “In addition, the hotel management expertise Zeus has in key markets across Eastern Europe will help us grow the presence of our brands in Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus.”

Wyndham Rewards, the company’s loyalty program, continues to evolve. Recently, more than 17,000 condominiums and homes joined the Wyndham Rewards portfolio, allowing loyalty program members to choose from more than 25,000 hotels, condos and homes around the planet. The ability to earn points on stays started in summer 2017, and new options are added as new properties come online.

To further expand the program’s appeal, Wyndham unveiled a new loyalty partnership with Caesars Entertainment in June.

“For the last two years, we’ve been unrelenting in our efforts to build the world’s best rewards program, applying a laser-like focus to help our members experience travel where and how they want,” said Noah Brodsky, senior vice president of loyalty and engagement, Wyndham Hotel Group. “Whether it’s a hotel, a condo, a vacation home or now, a world-class resort like Caesars Palace, no other program offers their members the breadth, the simplicity or the generosity of Wyndham Rewards.”

BAYMONT INN & SUITES
Demographic: Midscale business and leisure travelers
Offerings: With more than 400 properties in the United States, Canada and Mexico, this limited-service brand offers free breakfast and free WiFi. Some locations have fitness rooms and pools.
Highlight: The Baymont Inn & Suites Atlantic City Madison, near the Atlantic City Convention Center and the boardwalk, has a 100-person meeting and event room.

DAYS INN
Demographic: Economy to upper midscale business and leisure travelers
Offerings: Nearly 1,800 properties in North America, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Properties include free breakfast and free WiFi plus a fitness center or access to beaches or pools. Some have restaurants, bars and meeting space.
Highlight: The Days Hotel & Suites Jakarta Airport, the brand’s first property in Indonesia, opened in 2016 with an all-day restaurant, a lobby lounge and bar, eight meeting rooms, a rooftop pool and spa, and free airport shuttle service.

DAZZLER HOTELS AND ESPLENDOR BOUTIQUE HOTELS
Demographic: Upper midscale and lower upscale business and leisure travelers
Offerings: Dazzler features 15 hotels in 11 cities with a style that blends function and comfort. The 2018 opening of the Esplendor Fangio Balcarce in Argentina will mark the 15th Esplendor hotel in Latin America and the United States.
Highlight: The Esplendor Buenos Aires has free WiFi, an art gallery, business center, meeting rooms and a recreation room with pool table.

DOLCE HOTELS AND RESORTS
Demographic: Upper upscale business and leisure travelers
Offerings: More than a dozen properties in urban and resort locations in North America and Europe offer extensive meeting and conference facilities.
Highlight: Silverado Resort and Spa, Napa offers golf, tennis, spa services and extensive meeting and event space including Mansion Gardens, an 18,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor venue with a small vineyard.

HAWTHORN SUITES BY WYNDHAM
Demographic: Business and leisure travelers in need of extended-stay accommodations
Offerings: Located in the United States, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Nigeria, each property offers suites with kitchens, free WiFi, guest laundry, business services, free hot breakfast buffet and evening social hours. Some hotels allow pets and have meeting and fitness facilities and swimming pools.
Highlight: In Kentucky, the Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Louisville North features barbecue grills, family and oversized rooms and an outdoor swimming pool and is close to corporate offices including Humana, Amazon and UPS.

HOWARD JOHNSON
Demographic: Value-conscious families
Offerings: A guestroom redesign brings midcentury style back to the brand, with nearly 400 hotels in 13 countries.
Highlight: The Howard Johnson Inn Mystic is close to Connecticut’s Mystic Aquarium and features a fitness center, free WiFi, bicycle rental, business center, restaurant and indoor pool.

KNIGHTS INN
Demographic: Budget road travelers
Offerings: Nearly 400 properties in North America, most near major highways. Some offer free continental breakfast.
Highlight: The Knights Inn Los Angeles Central/Convention Center Area, two miles from the convention center, offers free breakfast.

MICROTEL INN & SUITES BY WYNDHAM
Demographic: Budget-minded travelers
Offerings: With more than 300 properties in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines, each offers free breakfast, free WiFi and (in the United States) free local and long-distance calls.
Highlight: Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Toluca, in Mexico, has 288 square feet of meeting space and is half a mile from the Toluca airport.

RAMADA
Demographic: Midscale and upper midscale business and leisure travelers
Offerings: Ramada operates more than 850 hotels; most feature on-site restaurant, lounge or free continental breakfast plus meeting rooms, business services, fitness facilities and WiFi. Brands include Ramada Plaza, near city centers and major airports; Ramada, the core offering; Ramada Hotel & Suites in North America and Europe; Ramada Resort, catering to leisure travelers; and Ramada Encore, midscale hotels in Latin America, Europe and Asia.
Highlight: The Ramada Iskenderun, near the beach in the Turkish city of İskenderun, has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, four restaurants, a fitness center and spa and a business center with meeting space for 1,000.

SUPER 8
Demographic: Budget-minded travelers
Offerings: Free breakfast and free WiFi are hallmarks in the 2,700-plus locations in North America and 900 in China.
Highlight: The Super 8 Shanghai Xu Jia Hui, in a business district about 45 minutes from the airport, has two meeting rooms for up to 100 people.

TRAVELODGE
Demographic: Families on a budget
Offerings: With more than 430 locations in the United States and Canada, Travelodge provides free breakfast and free WiFi. Some offer fitness centers and pools.
Highlight: The Travelodge New Orleans West Harvey has an outdoor pool, a restaurant, business center and free parking.

TRYP BY WYNDHAM
Demographic: Midscale business and leisure travelers
Offerings: The urban lifestyle brand has more than 110 hotels in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East and offers a fitness center and on-site dining.
Highlight: Florida welcomed its first TRYP property this year, the TRYP by Wyndham Sebastian St. Augustine, featuring an outdoor pool, lobby bar, fitness center and business center.

WINGATE BY WYNDHAM
Demographic: Value-driven business and leisure travelers
Offerings: Located in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Wingate offers WiFi, hot buffet breakfast and access to a fitness center and business center with printing, copying and faxing.
Highlight: The Wingate by Wyndham Los Angeles International Airport LAX offers a free airport shuttle and 975 square feet of meeting and event space.

WYNDHAM GARDEN HOTELS
Demographic: Upper midscale business and leisure travelers
Offerings: Free WiFi and flexible meeting space are hallmarks. A prototype introduced last year incorporates modern architecture, functional design and an open lobby concept.
Highlight: The Wyndham Garden Cross Lanes Charleston, near downtown Charleston, W.Va., includes an indoor/ outdoor pool, a restaurant and free breakfast buffet.

WYNDHAM GRAND
Demographic: Upper upscale business and leisure travelers
Offerings: This luxury brand offers extensive amenities like spas, unique dining venues and meeting space.
Highlight: Scheduled to open in Belize next year, the Wyndham Grand Ambergris Caye will have a spa, fitness center, multiple restaurants and 7,000 square feet of meeting space.

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS
Demographic: Corporate and leisure clients seeking fullservice accommodations
Offerings: The 102 upscale hotels in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa feature free WiFi and on-site dining; business locations feature meeting space and business and fitness centers; resort locations often include pools.
Highlight: The Wyndham Hotel Melbourne, in a popular business district, offers studio rooms as well as one-, twoand three-bedroom apartments. Hotel features include a rooftop pool, fitness center, a business center and meeting rooms.

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