Welcoming Guest Worldwide
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts was formed in the US in 2018 as a spin off from Wyndham Worldwide. Today, they are the world’s largest hotel franchising company by number of properties. Here, RLI converses with Dimitris Manikis, President of EMEA about how the business continues to grow its numbers and what its future looks like in a new age of travel.
President of EMEA
Making travel possible, the 25 brands of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts are situated in big cities, small towns, beachfront resorts and highway hotels, bringing a diverse perspective to the travel experience with more than 9,200 hotels across almost 100 countries on six continents.
This year has already been an exciting one for the EMEA region as back in January they passed the 600-property milestone for Wyndham in the region.
One of their most recent openings in EMEA was the flagship Ramada Encore by Wyndham hotel in Munich, Germany, which is the brand’s largest hotel in the EMEA region. With 366 rooms, its design blends modern comfort with contemporary elegance – perfect for business and leisure travellers alike.
Meanwhile in December they opened the first Vienna House Easy by Wyndham property since they acquired them at the end of 2022. Situated in Prenzlauer Berg, near the trendy districts of Friedrichshain and Lichtenberg, it is a vibrant hotel right in the heart of Berlin’s cultural tapestry.
“As we look to the future, we have a strong development pipeline across Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa and look forward to adding destinations, strengthening our strategic partnerships and broadening the reach of our brands in 2024 and beyond,” highlights Dimitris Manikis, President of EMEA at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
In Europe, they have several exciting openings slated for the next two years across the UK, France, Spain, Portugal and Germany to name a few, including the upcoming Dolce by Wyndham Versailles, Domaine du Montcel and H4 Hotel Wyndham Paris. Türkiye remains a key growth market for the company and in September last year they proudly passed the 100 operational hotels mark, cementing Wyndham’s position as the largest international hotel company in the country. It is also a similar story in the CIS market (excluding Russia) with numerous openings in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Georgia.
Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, they have reintroduced their direct franchising and management rights for the Ramada by Wyndham brand, an important step to fulfilling a significant demand for high-quality, midscale hotels. Saudi Arabia continues to position itself as a leading tourism destination with ambitious plans to welcome 100 million visitors by 2030 and they are on a mission to bring inclusivity into what is a hugely exciting destination.
“We are always seeking new markets for our portfolio, ensuring that they are the right fit and will serve the appropriate type of traveller, whether it is for business, leisure or both.”
In Eurasia, Wyndham has surpassed 60 hotels in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka with plans to expand into neighbouring destinations and grow new brands such as Trademark Collection by Wyndham which debuted in India earlier this year.
“We are always seeking new markets for our portfolio, ensuring that they are the right fit and will serve the appropriate type of traveller, whether it is for business, leisure or both. Mid-scale hotels are the future in key growth markets – such as Saudi Arabia, the wider Middle East and across Europe – as it is these hotels that help make travel inclusive, as opposed to exclusive, opening up brand-new destinations and experiences for travellers,” explains Manikis.
With the ever-evolving needs of consumers and changing hospitality landscape, it is the market potential and long-term vision of a site that attracts Wyndham to additional properties. Manikis tells us that demand for lesser-known destinations continues to grow and there is immense potential for tier two and three cities which are often unserved markets. In alignment with their mission to make hotel travel possible for all, they will continue to enter new markets and provide unique experiences for their guests.
Speaking about today’s digitally driven world, the President of EMEA comments that e-commerce and social media play a key role in the digital guest journey and are valuable tools for hotels to understand consumer behaviours and market trends. With both their guests and hotel partners in mind, Wyndham are continually looking at ways to improve their e-commerce and social media channels to streamline operations, improve revenue management and enhance the digital journey.
Discussing the topic of sustainability, Manikis says the business prides itself on leading the way when it comes to protecting the environment and ensuring that their core values are in alignment with those of their guests.
“Wyndham Green is our global sustainability programme, with five certification levels to help hotels improve their energy efficiency, reduce emissions, conserve water, save on waste and protect the biodiversity of their surroundings. In 2023, we made it a global brand standard that all operating properties (both managed and franchised) meet the Wyndham Green Level One certification. The Wyndham Green Level One brand standard requires hotels to focus on towel and linen reuse, energy efficient lighting, recycling, guest communication, team member education and utility tracking.”
As the interview moves onto the topic of what differentiates them from their peers in the industry, Dimitris says that they appeal to a vast majority of global travellers through their mantra of ‘making travel possible for all’ and that they are confident in their model that thousands of owners, operators and business partners across the world trust, believe in and have confidence in its delivery.
“The industry continues to face myriad challenges – whether that is economic and geopolitical headwinds, or climate and uncertain weather patterns; however, demand for travel is exceptionally high and we are looking forward to welcoming guests to our EMEA properties from all over the world.”
“Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is incredibly proud to be a part of this industry and we will continue our duty of care to serve our industry and our guests across the globe,” says Manikis to finish the interview.
