Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is the world’s largest hotel franchising company by number of properties, with approximately 9,000 hotels across approximately 90 countries on six continents. Through its network of 804,000 rooms for the everyday traveller, Wyndham commands a presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry.
The company operates a portfolio of 20 hotel brands and is also a provider of hotel management services. The award-winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty programme offers 85 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally.
Regional Openings in 2020
Ramada by Wyndham Erbil Gulan Street, Iraq: Conveniently located on Erbil’s main commercial street, only minutes from the awe-inspiring Sami Abdulrahman Park and the historic Erbil Citadel, this hotel opened in December 2020 and features 136 contemporary rooms and two venues that accommodate up to 300 conference or banquet guests. It also includes a fitness centre, indoor and outdoor pools, a Turkish bath, spa and salon. The new hotel is just 14 kilometres from Erbil International Airport (EBL).
Ramada Encore by Wyndham Muscat Al-Ghubra, Oman: Opened in August 2020, this hotel is located in the heart of Muscat, next to the Al Ghubra roundabout on Sultan Qaboos Street, just minutes away from three of the city’s major shopping malls. The hotel boasts 163 rooms, a rooftop pool with sundeck and a fully equipped fitness centre and spa.
La Quinta by Wyndham Bodrum, Turkey: With stunning views on the Bodrum Peninsula, the 175-room La Quinta by Wyndham Bodrum is a seaside hotel featuring guest rooms, two on-site restaurants and a rooftop bar. Opened in July 2020, the hotel features an outdoor pool, sauna and a fitness centre to help guests stay active while travelling.
La Quinta by Wyndham Giresun, Turkey: The 86-room La Quinta by Wyndham Giresun is a waterfront hotel with views of the Black Sea and a wide range of amenities making it an ideal destination for business and leisure trips. The hotel boasts an outdoor pool, a fitness centre with Turkish bath and sauna, four on-site restaurants and even a library. The hotel, which opened in June 2020, is located only 3km from the city centre, with convenient access to the Ordu-Giresun Airport.
Super 8 by Wyndham Dubai Deira
Designed for budget-conscious travellers, the Super 8 by Wyndham Dubai Deira features guestrooms with contemporary interior design elements complemented by traditional Arabian touches. During their stay, guests can enjoy international cuisine at Qahua, a restaurant where modern décor meets the famed Old Arabia. The hotel is located opposite Dubai Gold Souk and is close to the city’s popular landmarks.
Super 8 by Wyndham is one of the world’s largest economy hotel brands with more than 2,900 hotels around the world. The brand elevates the economy hotel experience for a new generation of travellers with a design that seamlessly blends in with its local surroundings while offering modern facilities, friendly service, and convenient locations.
Wyndham Dubai Deira
Appealing to upscale guests looking for tailored services, the 14-floor Wyndham Dubai Deira boasts 290 rooms and suites, all designed with an eye for detail. Amenities include a spa with two treatment rooms, a sauna and steam room, a fitness centre and a pool deck.
The hotel also offers six food and beverage outlets including The Spicery, an all-day restaurant with 200 seats, a lounge bar, lobby lounge, pool bar and executive lounge. An additional restaurant is expected to open in 2022, serving Latin American cuisine on the hotel’s all fresco terrace. Wyndham Deira Waterfront also features eight day-lit meeting rooms that can cater for up to 300 guests.
Situated in the heart of Dubai’s trading legacy, and in close proximity to the Gold Souk Extension both properties are located only a 20-minute drive away from Dubai International Airport and The Dubai Mall, within easy reach of Deira’s metro stations, various bus routes and the Old Souk Water taxi station.
More on the Dubai Openings
Located in the historic area of Deira, the newly opened hotels are the first in the highly anticipated Deira Enrichment Project and part of a strategic effort by Wyndham to meet travellers’ growing demand for accommodations at varying price points across the region.
The Deira Enrichment Project, a development by Ithra Dubai, fully owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai, is a mixed-use development situated along the Dubai creek in the southern part of Deira. With the goal of expanding the urban fabric of the existing Deira community towards the waterfront, the project is expected to become one of the largest waterfronts and man-made developments in the world.
Interview:
Panos Loupasis
Vice President Development, Middle East, Eurasia & Africa, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
What’s the latest in the Wyndham portfolio?
We currently have 56 hotels across the region with further growth plans coming down the pipeline.
The UAE is a key market for us – where we have reached 18 operational hotels with the latest two additions in Dubai this month – and expect to grow this market further with six more hotels in our development plan in the next two years. As part of this, we’re looking forward to opening the Days Hotel by Wyndham Dubai Deira in the first half of 2021. The hotel is slated to be the first to open under the Days Inn® by Wyndham brand in the UAE.
Do you think that hospitality has reached a better standing now?
The coronavirus outbreak continues to create unprecedented circumstances for many industries all over the world, and especially for the hospitality sector. It’s difficult to say when we will see a recovery as each country has been on a different trajectory since the beginning of the pandemic.
Whilst there is still a lot of uncertainty around the world, we’re confident that when travel resumes, the region will again be one of the most desired travel hotspots and will pick up from 2019 levels.
Having said that, as we enter a new era of travel, the key priority now is to ensure that we play our part at restoring guests’ confidence in travel and do everything we can to make them feel safe and welcome. Our belief at Wyndham is that guests, team members and our hotel partners need to know they can count on us to always put their health and safety first. We need to build guest confidence while showing unwavering support for hotels and their owners. This is at the heart of everything we do and will continue to do.
What’s coming up for the chain?
Despite a rapidly changing landscape for hotel developers around the world, we’re pressing forward with new projects, particularly in the economy and midscale segments, reinforcing our overall confidence in the long-term viability of our industry.
Our development pipeline for the wider region includes 21 properties and almost 4,000 additional rooms. Our development plans represent our confidence in the resilience of the travel sector in the region as well as our commitment to delivering the consistent, trusted and affordable experience travellers will be seeking now more than ever before.
