Wyndham completes 50 conversions in first quarter

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, which has a portfolio of 8,900 hotels across nearly 95 countries, is continuing to debut new properties and enter new destinations. In the first quarter of 2021, Wyndham converted 52 independent and branded hotels to one of its 20 brands, accounting for over 70 percent of its global room additions. The brand’s overall development pipeline has continued to expand both domestically and internationally with new conversion opportunities. The company awarded 112 new franchise contracts in the first quarter of 2021, and by March 31 the development pipeline had grown sequentially from Q4 to approximately 1,400 hotels and approximately 187,000 rooms.

“Our portfolio of iconic hotel brands offers a wide range of experiences and price points for guests as well as strong opportunities for franchisees and developers,” said Geoffrey A. Ballotti, Wyndham’s president and CEO. “Our global sales, marketing and loyalty teams are looking forward to helping more travelers discover all these new hotels.”

A selection of the company’s recent hotel conversions to date are noted below by region.

Americas

Wyndham signed a nine-hotel franchise agreement in Q1 with The Thrash Group for its upscale Wyndham brand in the U.S. The nine hotels, all managed by Charlestowne Hotels, span across the U.S. and include a mix of lifestyle-focused boutique hotels, historic hotels and new construction hotels scheduled to open later this year and next. “Converting our hotels to Wyndham has allowed us access to new resources and further opportunities, which supports us in running our business proficiently,” said Ike Thrash, founding partner, The Thrash Group. “That paired with the award-winning brand’s recognition will help contribute to my Thrash’s overall success and hopefully further development of additional Wyndham properties.”

In downtown San Francisco, The BEI Hotel in San Francisco is another recent conversion for the Trademark Collection that is scheduled to open in May. Located by the Financial District and Union Square, the hotel is 14 miles from San Francisco International Airport and 20 miles from Oakland International Airport and near Civic Center Plaza, Moscone Center, and Union Square.  And on Long Island, N.Y., the award-winning and LEED-certified Viana Hotel & Spa converted to a Trademark by Wyndham.

New conversion hotels in the Caribbean include the Kunuku Resort All Inclusive in Curacao along with the Turtle Island Beach Resort, in Belize, both of which are converting to Trademark Collection by Wyndham. The most recently awarded Caribbean franchise contract is to The Buccaneer Beach & Golf Resort in St. Croix, an upscale property that will be converting to Wyndham’s Trademark Collection and mark the first Wyndham Hotels & Resorts property in St. Croix. The family owned and operated 340-acre resort offers 130 guestrooms and suites.

In Latin America, TRYP by Wyndham Guayaquil, Ecuador was recently converted to a Wyndham as part of the company’s urban lifestyle brand. The centrally located hotel is near the Mall del Sol and the Guayaquil Convention Center.

Asia Pacific

In Asia Pacific, the company’s expansion continues where the number of its executed deals in the pipeline are nearly 50 percent larger than it was a year ago. Conversion activity was strong, with a hotel in Xin Yang Henan Province, China converting to the Wyndham Xin Yang. The company also recently welcomed the Ramada Encore by Wyndham Shanghai Pudong Airport. With more than 1,500 hotels in 20 regional markets and territories, the company is on track to reach 2,000 hotels in Asia Pacific within the next three years.

Europe

In Europe, the recent March opening of Hotel Avenue Louise Brussels, Trademark Collection by Wyndham marked Wyndham’s first Trademark Collection hotel in Belgium. The 78-room hotel underwent a $3.1 million refurbishment.

Middle East

The debut of the first La Quinta by Wyndham brand in the Middle East will be made with the 100-room La Quinta by Wyndham Dubai Bur Dubai. The newly refurbished hotel will open in May.