Wyndham expands in South Asia

Nikhil Sharma, Area Director – Eurasia for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts EMEA, shares that the brand is ready to open new properties across India that cater to different segments of travellers, while also expanding their portfolio in  neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Nepal. Safety of guests and staff remain their priority.

Nisha Verma

Q What is Wyndham’s expansion plan in the Indian subcontinent?

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has a strong growth trajectory in the region with the opening of our first hotels in Nepal and Bhutan. Our economy brands such as Days Hotel and Hawthorn Suites continue to show momentum, together with our most dominant midscale brand in the region – Ramada by Wyndham. We expect to open our 50th Wyndham-branded hotel in the Indian subcontinent next month, highlighting our commitment to continuous growth across the region.

Q What kind of business are you expecting from Hawthorn Suites in Dwarka, Gujarat?

We see tremendous potential in religious holiday destinations across India. Dwarka is one of the four main pilgrim destinations for Hindus, which makes it the perfect location for a Wyndham-branded property. We currently have various hotels in religious destinations such as Varanasi, Amritsar and Ajmer, and are exploring opportunities in Tirupati, Vrindavan, Shirdi and Kathmandu among others. Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham in Dwarka is a villa development, which makes it an ideal property for families looking for a hotel that can accommodate them for an extended stay.

Q Aligarh, too, is a different choice as a destination. What kind of business are you expecting?

Over the last few years, we are seeing a significant uptick in interest for internationally branded hotels that offer large meetings and events space. Aligarh is a Tier-III city as well as an industrial city located in western Uttar Pradesh, famous for its brass and meat processing industry. It is also home to public sector undertakings such as Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, making our Ramada by Wyndham Aligarh GT Road a convenient, amenity-rich location for meeting, event and industry-specific business travel.

Q What about your Pune property? How different will it be from other properties in the region?

Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Pune Hinjewadi is strategically located in Hinjawadi – India’s largest IT Park – and home to the Balewadi Stadium. This prime location not only garners significant business from international and domestic IT and automobile companies, but also offers sports fans a great home base when travelling for sporting events taking place at the nearby stadium.

Q How do you ensure adherence to the new SOPs the government has put in place?

We recently launched ‘Count on Us’ across Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa. It is our new hygiene initiative that puts the safety of our guests and team members first. Its immediate focus is to further enhance a broad range of health and safety protocols across our properties, including the consistent use of top-of-the-range disinfectants through a partnership with hygiene expert Ecolab, the introduction of robust new training, and ongoing access to critical health essentials through trusted suppliers. In addition, every Wyndham hotel in Europe, the Middle East, Eurasia and Africa is also encouraged to appoint a ‘Hygiene Hero’ on hand to address any concerns guests may have and to champion the new protocols in place.

Q How are you engaging with the travel industry to boost sales?

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ newest promotional offerings such as ‘Welcome Back’, ‘Travel Again’ and ‘Stay for Two Nights’ help us engage with our guests and in turn boost sales. Our regional sales team is also working on deploying a variety of sales initiatives, including Wyndham Easy Book that offers discounted rates for small to medium-sized businesses. This new initiative was designed to build on Wyndham’s already-strong presence in the corporate travel space. These small to mid-sized businesses are a critical business segment to attract domestic travel which, as we’ve seen, is dominant in today’s market.