US Wyndham hotel group reaches 1,000 hotel milestone in China, plans more premium brands

The Wyndham hotel group in China marked a new milestone by becoming the first global hospitality company to reach the 1,000 hotel mark in Greater China.

The group had a highly accelerated growth since 1998 and rolled-out six of the company’s 15 brands in 260 cities and 30 provinces. The U.S-based hotelier’s six brands in China include Wyndham, Ramada and Super 8.

“As the largest hotel company in the world and the leading international player in Greater China, today serves as an incredible testament to the strength of the Wyndham Hotel Group portfolio and highlights the increasing significance that China continues to play, not just for our organisation but the industry as a whole,” said Geoff Ballotti, president, Wyndham Hotel Group.

According to him, China continues to be on the rise with its booming middle class traveling more and more. “We believe there’s no better company as uniquely positioned as we are today to meet their evolving needs,” Ballotti said.

Wyndham entered the Greater China region in 1998 with Howard Johnson hotel brand, and enlarged its focus in 2004 with the introduction of Days Inn and Super 8. In a span of 10 years and plus, the company has gone from a handful of properties to 1,000 hotels and is counting. In the coming months, it is planning to introduce premium brands such as TRYP, Wyndham Garden and Microtel Inn & Suites to the region.

Expansion

Impressed by the growth in China, Wyndham Hotel Group is keen to drive the upper end of its portfolio and has announced opening of two new hotels under its Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand flag. They include the 227-room Wyndham Urumqi North, situated along China’s strategic Belt and Road. It will be the first internationally branded hotel in Wujiaqu City. The 389-room Wyndham Qingdao, located in Qingdao’s Chengyang economiczone will be the second one.

The joy of hitting the 1,000-hotel milestone was celebrated by the hotel group with a big event at Mount Tai in Shandong province. Wyndham brought more than 1,500 partners, guests and associates to the peak for a run and climb to the top of Tai.

Sector Outlook

The outlook on China’s hotel sector is quite impressive. A recent market research report "Hotel Market 2012 in China: Industry Analysis, Trends, Size, Demand, Growth, and Forecast 2016" paints a positive outlook.

The China Hotel Industry Report, 2012-2015 released by Sino Market Insight also says the sales of Chinese hotel industry will reach RMB 308.6 billion (AU$68.3 billion) in 2015. In 2012, there were 12,280 star-rated hotels in China including 658 five-star hotels, reported digital journal.

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