Located in close proximity to Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ global headquarters, the Days Inn by Wyndham Parsippany, N.J. allows visiting franchisees and executives to experience the brand’s new Dawn design concept—launched just in time for the brand’s 50th anniversary. The Parsippany property is one of the first Days Inns to receive the full Dawn package, and Annabelle Petriella, senior design manager at Wyndham, says that the Dawn concept is the first time Wyndham has really taken the opportunity to drive consistency and create a visual thread across the Days Inn brand.
“We want to elevate economy, but at an achievable price point for our hotels. Having that visual thread is going to elevate the quality and consistency across the brand, and that achievable price point is going to give value to our properties,” she notes.
The Dawn design will roll out across the brand’s more than 1,400 U.S. hotels in three phases. Phase one—which will be complete by the end of this year—includes new bed covers and artwork, providing a fresh aesthetic for the guestrooms. Phases two and three will be rolled out over the next six years. The Dawn concept has a blue and yellow color story, as well as a sun motif, giving the brand’s spaces a bright, light, and airy feel.
LOCAL IMAGERY
“All of the imagery that we have is sun-inspired,” Petriella says. “We curated a collection of hundreds of regional images that properties are able to choose from. They’re able to select imagery that feels local to their region, but still incorporates that common motif.”
CRISP COVERS
The crisp, white bedding is appealing to guests and sensible for owners. Petriella says, “Operationally, hotels love it because of the ease of maintenance and use. From a guest experience perspective, it makes the room feel clean and bright. It’s a welcome change from coverlet-style bedding.”
ALL ABOUT AFFORDABILITY
Many of Dawn’s design elements, like the hardwood floors, were developed to give the rooms a more upscale feel. Petriella notes, “This is our idea of elevating economy. It might not be what guests expect when they walk into a Days Inn, and we hope that they will be pleasantly surprised.”
FUNCTIONALITY FACELIFT
“We wanted to declutter the space and not have extraneous pieces that weren’t needed,” Petriella says. “So we tried to pare down the furniture to meet the needs of a typical Days Inn guest.” When designing Dawn, Wyndham was conscious of the many hotels it has in its system, and the concept can meet the needs of every property.
