Industry NewsBrandsWyndham Enters Luxury Space With New Brand: Registry Collection Hotels

Wyndham Enters Luxury Space With New Brand: Registry Collection Hotels

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts today announced its 21st brand and first in the luxury space: Registry Collection Hotels. As part of its launch, the brand is debuting its flagship resort: the 144-room, all-suite Grand Residences Riviera Cancun. Owned and managed by affiliates of the Royal Resorts group of companies, the property includes Hacienda-style accommodations, BVLGARI bath products, an oceanfront infinity pool, full-service spa, gym, kids club, and three gourmet restaurants.

“The creation of Registry Collection Hotels was a natural fit, given Registry’s growing global recognition as the world’s largest luxury exchange program with over 200 high-end luxury fractional resorts and the continued successful management of that program by our partner Travel + Leisure Co. (formerly Wyndham Destinations),” said Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “Registry Collection Hotels now fill an important space at the upper end of the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts portfolio, allowing us to very selectively provide support to independent hoteliers around the globe who meet the highest standards of luxury service and accommodations.”

Leo Danese, brand leader and vice president of operations, told LODGING that the brand has been years in the making, but when owners approached wanting to work with Wyndham in the luxury space, the company ramped up its plans over the last six months. Danese said the brand will give independent luxury owners an established partner to work with as they recover from the challenges they faced over the past year while also providing loyal Wyndham Rewards members with what he calls an “aspirational offering,” e.g., somewhere loyalty members would travel for a honeymoon or once-in-a-blue-moon vacation. He added, “It furthers that mission of making hotel travel possible for all.”

The luxury segment took a hard hit during the pandemic versus economy and midscale segments—Wyndham’s core portfolio—that were able to maintain business from essential workers over the past year. Danese said Wyndham recognized this and accelerated its plans for the brand launch so it could quickly onboard independent luxury owners to its distribution platforms so that owners could benefit from the company’s sales, marketing, and reservations support and make the most of demand recovery. Today, his outlook on the future of luxury is positive. “Leisure travel is surging as people get vaccinated; I’m very bullish on the outlook in the luxury segments because there’s so much pent-up demand,” Danese said. “I’m looking forward to working with luxury owners in this space. We’re going to be able to drive that immediate and meaningful value through our unmatched scale and distribution platform.”

Registry Collection Hotels will allow independent hoteliers to maintain flexibility and individuality so that each property will be unique. Danese said Wyndham will be selective of the properties and partners that join the brand and will consider all markets globally. “We want them to be in the top echelon of their market,” he added. “Case in point: Grand Residences Riviera Cancun has a top-notch team. They’ve been awesome to work with, very attentive to details, and that translates to their guest experience as well. More than anything, it’s about making sure the hotel and the operational team are both excellent and kind of pair well with Wyndham.”

This isn’t the first time Wyndham has launched a brand designed with independent hoteliers in mind—in 2017, the company announced its Trademark Collection by Wyndham, which has since grown its footprint of independent upper-midscale and upscale hotels by nearly 75 percent to more than 110 properties across North America, Europe, Australia, and the Caribbean.

 


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