Wyndham Hotels and Resorts is the largest hotel franchising company in the world by number of properties, with over 8,900 hotels across over 95 countries on six continents. Through its network of over 813,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveller, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry.
The global hospitality brand has witnessed remarkable growth in India, currently operating over 50 hotels and more than 4,700 rooms in the region. Wyndham’s portfolio of 6 brands in India include Ramada by Wyndham, Ramada Encore by Wyndham, Wyndham, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, Days Inn by Wyndham, and Howard Johnson by Wyndham. Despite the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the company has continued to grow its footprint and currently has a development pipeline of over 30 hotels across Eurasia, expected to open by 2025.
Q1- Your Journey at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts so far?
The Indian sub-continent is among the most popular tourist destinations in the world and offers immense potential for the hospitality and tourism industries. Aligning with Wyndham’s vision to make hotel travel possible for all, India has a rich heritage and a variety of remarkable destinations offering unique experiences for all travellers. I’m delighted to be a part of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and look forward to driving the company’s growth in the region.
Q2- Is Wyndham Hotel commitment to sustainability?
It’s our moral responsibility to be socially, ethically, and environmentally aware of encouraging sustainable practices across all key business areas of the hospitality industry. In line with this, Wyndham’s global sustainability programme, Wyndham Green, is a five-level certification programme that enables hotels to track data and help them improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, conserve water, and reduce waste. As part of this commitment to operate sustainably, Wyndham recently announced a new brand standard which requires all Franchised and Managed Wyndham Hotels & Resorts properties to complete Level 1 and Level 2 of the Wyndham Green Programme over the next year. Wyndham is also an active member of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and is proud to be one of the 17 leading global hotel companies committed to building a more sustainable and inclusive future for our planet and its people.
Q3- Potential of foraying other brands in India from the global portfolio.
As the world’s largest hotel franchising company with 22 brands, we are always looking for new opportunities to grow our global portfolio in new markets where people love to travel. In India, we recently reached the 50-hotel milestone with a strong presence across popular destinations including Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, Jaipur, Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata. India offers immense potential for hotel developers and we look forward to continuing to grow in such a multicultural and diverse country.
Q4- How hotel franchise models are growing in India?
Creating and running a business can be incredibly gratifying, but it can also be challenging, especially in the hospitality and hotel industry. Hotels must adapt to be competitive in the market as internet ratings, website presence, and positive social media interactions have become the metrics for physical structure quality. This can prove difficult for some small business owners. Therefore, the hotel franchise model is an excellent option for business owners who want to increase their visibility and competitiveness, one of the primary reasons behind its growing popularity in India.
The franchise model fills the gap between the hotel brands expansion plans and the owner’s cost concerns. The model allows the independent owners to join with brands and become significant players in the market by leveraging their innovative technology, scale and distribution, booking platforms, training, sales, marketing, and quality audits. It gives the hotel owners more control over the hotel’s operational costs and profits. Moreover, owners are at ease knowing that their asset’s day-to-day operations and maintenance are still in their hands rather than having their asset’s condition and viability in the hands of an operator.
Q5- Deepening footprint in the economy and midscale segment.
We have witnessed great success in the economy and midscale market segment because of the budget conscious travellers who wish to explore the area and spend on experiences. The segment has been very fruitful for us, and we are consistently looking for new opportunities to grow our economy and midscale product offering, aligning well with our mission to make hotel travel possible for all. In India we have a strong presence of midscale and value accommodation under our Ramada by Wyndham, Ramada Encore by Wyndham, Howard Johnson by Wyndham, and Days Inn by Wyndham brands.
Q6- Has there been a strong focus on technology integration for enhanced customer experience?
Modern technology has always been an integral part of our industry, and it has assisted us in progressing at a much faster pace. But following the arrival of Covid-19, the rate of digital transformation in our industry has further sped up. Due to this, digital adoption has become the centre of our growth strategy and operating model.
In the past, we launched our award-winning Wyndham mobile app to successfully augment the consumer experiences with the help of its in-stay functionality and touchless features, which has proved to be a game-changer for daily travellers (especially those travelling during the pandemic). We also introduced Oracle Hospitality OPERA Cloud Property Management (PMS), a new mobile-enabled application to empower hotels to mitigate costs, enhance guest personalisation, and reform operational efficiencies. When it comes to fostering robust and enhanced visualisation of revenue performance metrics for hotels in EMEA, we have successfully developed a comprehensive suite of revenue management tools. This has even resulted in an eternal partnership between Wyndham and a leading cloud-based data intelligence platform, i.e., OTA Insight.
Q7- What are the Trends and insights driving the hospitality sector post-COVID outbreak?
There’s no denying that the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed the hospitality sector to discover new ways to adapt and survive. Here are some of the common trends and insights that emerged in the hospitality sector after the Covid-19 outbreak:
● Extended-Stay & Workcations: The trend of extended-stay and workcations is in high demand from visitors and developers. Rather than hotels, more work-friendly lodging options (such as homes and apartments) are creating a buzz amongst business and leisure tourists wishing to work remotely. Employees and managers have also recognised the benefits of more flexibility, autonomy, and work-life balance as many firms worldwide have switched to working remotely.
● Focus on Innovation & Sustainability: While prioritising sustainability may have been temporarily put on hold during the Covid-19 pandemic, the hospitality industry has started to emphasise innovation from wellness to sustainability while keeping in mind the interest of consumers and the future of our environment. The hoteliers now possess a larger responsibility to be aware of the social, ethical, and environmental issues. They also hold accountability for promoting sustainability across all the areas of industry.
● Enhancing Talent: Various human resources and their capacities were downsized after the pause in global travel. But as the hospitality industry gradually regains momentum, talent enhancement and development will be critical to meet the industry’s needs.
● Health & Wellness: After the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, people are now more centred on their health and wellness than ever before. This has placed a special emphasis on holistic wellness for the mind, body, and soul. In addition, travellers worldwide are now choosing hotels following necessary safety protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.
● Increased Integration of Technology: In the post-pandemic hospitality arena, smart capacities and services that were previously regarded as add-ons to the guest experience are quickly becoming the first line of the service. In many other areas of operations, technology will continue to play a larger role in enabling contactless services, analysing guest experiences, and personalising them according to individual needs to bolster the customer experience.
Q9- What are the Wedding season offers and discounts proposed by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts ?
To celebrate the upcoming wedding season in India beginning in late October, we are launching ‘A Moment to Remember’ which will be promoted on a dedicated website landing page. With over 50 hotels to choose from, our wedding specialists are on hand to plan every last detail from small and intimate to large week-long celebrations. Wyndham Rewards members who decide to celebrate their special day with us can earn one point for every $1 dollar spent to redeem on future stays (terms and conditions apply). This showcase of our beautiful wedding destinations across Eurasia also supports our hotel partners to increase brand awareness and drive event bookings this year.
Q10- For customers looking for their destination wedding location, what makes them choose Wyndham Hotels and Resorts?
With over 8,900 hotels around the world and over 50 hotels in India to choose from, there are endless possibilities for the perfect destination wedding. We pride ourselves on providing unparalleled guest experiences and extraordinary destination weddings which are low on stress and high on enjoyment so the special couple and their guests can enjoy their celebrations. Guests can also feel safe and reassured by our Count on Me programme which features a broad range of health and safety protocols and top-of-the-range disinfectants used at all Wyndham hotels. All that is left for you is to arrive and enjoy your special day.
Q11- What are the future expansion plans of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts?
At Wyndham, we remain steadfast in our commitment to make hotel travel possible for all. As part of this commitment, we have a strong development pipeline of approximately 30 hotels expected to open across Eurasia by 2025. We recently opened the Ramada by Wyndham Gangtok Deorali Hotel and Casino which boasts stunning views of the Himalayan mountains as well as a plethora of amenities. We are looking forward welcoming many more hotels to our Wyndham Hotels & Resorts family and growing our hotel portfolio in the culturally rich and beautiful country that incredible India is.
Q12- A special note to Hospitality Readers.
With the gradual fall in Covid-19 cases around the country, the hospitality industry is undergoing significant transformations that hope to propel growth and innovation in the future. Wyndham is actively monitoring such changes and is committed to improving the experiences of all of its consumers, including guests, franchisees, and internal team members, through its safe and renowned services.
