As economies gear up towards recovery in a post-Covid-19 landscape, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ is signalling long-term confidence in Asia Pacific (APAC) following a host of successes in the first half of 2020.
A testament to the region’s growth and potential, the world’s largest hotel franchisor merged two of its fastest-growing regions and directly signed 59 new properties across the region between January and June of this year. The Company has also been supporting its existing portfolio of hotels with new initiatives and measures against Covid-19 while laying out a framework to guide its hotels and team members in navigating these challenging times.
“This year has presented itself as one of the most challenging in the history of our industry. Despite this, Wyndham has directly signed more hotels in APAC within the first half of 2020 than we did in the same period in 2019 – a strong show of confidence from owners and developers in our business and our family of brands,” said Joon Aun OOI, President, Asia Pacific, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.
“While we remain cautiously optimistic on the recovery process, these signings reflect Wyndham’s focus on the long-term horizon and in the APAC hospitality industry’s ability to recover and bounce back from the pandemic,” he added.
59 New Hotel Signings in APAC
Within South East Asia and Pacific Rim (SEAPR), the Company signed 21 new hotels in the first half of 2020, which is more than 30% year-on-year growth compared to the same period in 2019. Highlights include an expansion of Wyndham’s presence in Japan with the debut of the Wyndham Grand and Wyndham Garden brands in the country, signing four new hotels in Bangkok, and the launch of La Quinta by Wyndham in New Zealand with two new-construction hotels in Queenstown and Auckland.
In Greater China, 38 deals were directly signed in the first half of 2020, which is also more than 30% year-on-year growth, compared to similar signings in 2019. Key signings in the country include Wyndham Grand Lishui, Wingate by Wyndham Weihai and Wyndham Garden Wuhan Jianghan, among others.
Restructured and Streamlined
In early June, Wyndham merged its SEAPR and Greater China business units to form a new operating region, collectively known as Asia Pacific. Joon Aun OOI was appointed president and will continue to chart the growth of the Company’s portfolio of brands across the region and drive its strategic objectives.
The restructuring is part of a larger, company-wide initiative designed to realign Wyndham’s global business operations and maximise competitive advantage. This will allow Wyndham to strengthen its strategic positioning further to support existing operations, drive further expansion and create additional opportunities for cross-regional collaborations.
For a Safe Stay, ‘Count on Us‘
Earlier this year, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts launched its ‘Count on Us‘ global safety initiative in Asia Pacific. As hotels continue welcoming back travelers, the health and safety of hotel partners, team members and guests remain the Company’s number one priority. Key components of the new multi-faceted initiative include:
- Use of hospital grade disinfectants in all guestrooms and public spaces.
- New operational standards and guidelines promoting social distancing, and use of personal protective equipment as needed.
- Enhanced training and resources for hotel team members and operators.
The Road towards Recovery
Across APAC, Wyndham is closely monitoring regulations and guidance from relevant local authorities for restarting the industry. Even as international travel remains limited, there are opportunities for domestic travel in the region in countries like China, Thailand and Vietnam.
To help hotels capitalise on these opportunities, Wyndham has developed recovery playbooks and frameworks for its properties. The Company has also taken the opportunity to improve training schemes for team members and continue forging key partnerships in the region to elevate the guest experience. A significant number of Wyndham hotels have already started opening their doors within the region to welcome back domestic guests.
As part of Wyndham’s long-term recovery strategy, properties have started to pilot programmes like 温礼 (Wen Li) to prepare its hotels as they begin to welcome back Chinese travelers, as well as tactical promotions including “Stay Two Nights, Earn a Free Night” – offering flexibility to guests’ bookings for when they are ready to travel again.
When international travel resumes, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will be prepared to welcome guests back with the best experience possible and continues to stand firm on its mission to make hotel travel possible for all.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts currently operates a portfolio of more than 1,500 properties across 18 countries and territories in APAC. All growth figures above exclude the Days Inn by Wyndham brand in China, which Wyndham Hotels & Resorts reacquired the direct franchising rights to at the end of 2019.
