Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the hospitality powerhouse with a global presence of nearly 9,000 hotels across more than 80 countries, has continued to grow rapidly in the Mediterranean region, opening 11 new hotels to date this year. This strong momentum will continue in 2019, with anticipated openings in Cyprus and Crete – marking the company’s first hotels in each of these destinations.
Key destinations for growth across the Mediterranean include:
Greece
In less than two years, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio has expanded to include seven hotels and over 1,300 rooms in the country. In 2018, the company brought two firsts to this market, opening Dolce Attica Riviera, the first Dolce Hotels and Resorts by Wyndham hotel in Greece, and Wyndham Athens Residence, a first mixed-use hospitality development for the Greek market. An additional hotel in Crete, Wyndham’s first on a Greek island, is expected by 2019.
Turkey
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is the largest hotel company in Turkey, with 69 hotels across the country. This year new hotels have opened in Rize, Izmir, Hendek and Isparta, with plans to open six more hotels in Turkey before the end of 2018. By 2020 Wyndham plans to have 100 operational hotels in Turkey.
Israel
Like Greece, Israel is a fast-growing market for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. The Company’s current presence is made up of five hotels, including two beach resorts in Hadera and Netanya with stunning sea views, two hotels in Jerusalem and one in Nazareth.
Cyprus
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will enter the market in 2019, with an exciting opening in a central location in Nicosia, the largest city on the island.
Portugal
In addition, this year Wyndham Hotels & Resorts introduced the first Ramada by Wyndham in Portugal with Ramada by Wyndham Lisbon, which opened in September 2018.
La Quinta
Addressing the Mediterranean Resort & Hotel Real Estate Forum in Athens, Greece, Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts said, “Cities across the Mediterranean are growing rapidly, not only as destinations for leisure travellers but also as new business centres and as locations for corporate meetings and events. Last year we introduced nine brands to 21 new markets around the world, including bringing our best-known midscale brand, Ramada, to Portugal and introducing our signature meetings and events brand, Dolce, in Greece. We will continue to seek out opportunities to introduce more of our brand portfolio to the region, and it is our aspiration to bring our first La Quinta hotel to Europe by the end of this year.”
In June 2018, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts acquired La Quinta, one of the largest midscale hotel brands in North America, with 900 hotels in the US, Canada, Mexico, Honduras and Colombia – which has significantly bolstered the company’s leading position in the midscale hotel segment.
The acquisition of La Quinta – a renowned brand for providing a bright spot in every traveller’s journey, with a refreshing hotel experience – included La Quinta Returns’ 13 million loyalty programme members, which will be integrated into Wyndham Rewards’ 58 million membership base in 2019, carrying tremendous benefit for members of both programmes around the world.
