Till Wyndham Come

Post its spin-off from Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, Ignace Bauwens, regional VP, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts explains how the company will build upon its asset-light and fee-based business model

- Vinita Bhatia

The recent introduction of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. as an independent, pure-play hotel company reaffirms the company’s underlying mission – to make hotel travel possible for people all over the world. With its portfolio of nearly 9,000 hotels globally across 20 brands, which range from upper-upscale to economy, no matter where people go, there will be a Wyndham brand there to welcome them.

To be able to do this, Ignace Bauwens, who was recently promoted as regional VP, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, tells Vinita Bhatia how the company will provide its franchised hotels with virtual and hands-on support including hotel management tools, revenue management, service culture training, access to global sales offices and accounts, strategic sourcing opportunities, on-going operational support and marketing services.

How will Wyndham Hotels and Resorts balance scale and quality this year, post the acquisition of two new brands?

To further unify our family of brands under our new company name, we have decided to endorse our signature economy and midscale brands with the ‘by Wyndham’ hallmark. 12 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts brands – including iconic names such as Super 8, Days Inn and Ramada – are adding the powerful ‘by Wyndham’ endorsement to their names. Very importantly, this also strengthens each brand’s connection to our award winning loyalty programme, Wyndham Rewards, and ultimately gives all of our brands greater recognition worldwide.