WYNDHAM Hotel Group expects to maintain its number of new openings in China for next year despite the country’s economic slowdown.
Wyndham Hotel Group president and CEO, Geoff Ballotti, said: “We currently have five brands in China but will introduce Planet Hollywood and TRYP by Wyndham. We are also considering bringing a few other upscale and midscale brands to China in the future due to the real demand.”
Shanghai-based vice president of development, Brian Liu, revealed: “Business was not good this year due to the downturn of the real estate market. However, we are alright due to our full spectrum on offer, from budget to upscale brands.”
“In China, both Ramada and Wyndham (brands) currently share a 50:50 ratio in terms of development, but we are opting for more Wyndham Hotels in key cities in the coming years.”
The recent openings of Wyndham Grand Xi’an South and Wyndham Kunming Resort, plus the expected year-end launch of Wyndham Xuzhou East, will add to the group’s 760 hotels and over 86,200 rooms in China.
“I am still looking for new locations, mostly second and tertiary cities in China. In 2014, we opened 250 hotels, mostly Super 8 due to demand, but also added one Wyndham and one Wyndham Grand,” he said adding that the group will continue to follow a franchise and management contract business model.
Asked about new destinations in Asia, Ballotti noted a greater presence is needed for Taiwan and Japan. In 2014, Wyndham Hotel Group had 154 new signings in Asia-Pacific (excluding India), with the lion’s share in China, and the rest covering Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, New Zealand, Thailand and Vanuatu.
