The pandemic is far behind us now if travel numbers are any sign. Global leisure travel grew 31 percent in March 2023 compared to the same period in 2019, according to the Mastercard Economics Institute. Mainland Chinese, one of the world’s biggest spenders, are also clamouring for novelty. Their appetite for experiences has neared pre-pandemic levels with luxury and other retail sectors slowly catching up.
With this backdrop, it’s no surprise that Wyndham Hotel & Resorts Asia Pacific has grown in the first half of 2023. Already the world’s largest hotel franchising company with 9,100 hotels in 95 countries, revenue increased 31 percent per available room in Asia-Pacific. The Greater China region saw the biggest growth, with a 45 percent increase year on year compared to the first half of 2022.
Beyond visitor growth, Wyndham also increased its franchising footprint with several new openings that led to an overall 6 percent increase in its room size across the region.
This includes:
- Peninsula Excelsior Singapore, a Wyndham Hotel: the signing of the first Wyndham hotel in the country with 591 rooms. The hotel debuted as Peninsula Excelsior Singapore, a Wyndham Hotel during its soft opening on 6 July. Following its multi-million-dollar renovation, the property will be officially launched as the Wyndham Singapore at its grand opening in 2024.
- Wyndham Alltra, Cat Ba: the signing of the first all-inclusive resort in Asia Pacific with 300 rooms.
- Wyndham Grand Phu Quoc: largest Wyndham Grand globally with 1,399 rooms. It’s the first Wyndham in Phu Quoc and the 15th in Vietnam.
- Wyndham Garden Phu Quoc: largest Wyndham Garden globally with 921 rooms. It’s the first Wyndham Garden in Phu Quoc and 16th hotel in Vietnam.
- TRYP by Wyndham Tory Street Wellington: the first TRYP by Wyndham in New Zealand with 77 rooms.
Joon Aun Ooi, the Asia-Pacific president for Wyndham, attributes these phenomenal results to three factors: the strong recovery of business and leisure travel across Asia-Pacific, a rebound in demand for Greater China’s domestic and international travel, and the introduction of new and exciting brands and hotels in strategic markets across Asia-Pacific.
“For our guests, the strong appeal of our brands coupled with the high usability of Wyndham Rewards kept them in the Wyndham ecosystem whilst our owners witnessed how we could leverage the strength of our commercial and operational support to attract demand and drive growth. These factors combined to deliver strong guest and owner loyalties. That further highlights the trust they have in our portfolio of brands and industry-leading franchising experience,” says Joon.
Currently, Wyndham’s Asia-Pacific brand portfolio now stands at 14, totalling 197,000 rooms. It’s a hefty size, but the company isn’t resting on its laurels, as it continues its mission to make hotel travel possible for all.
