Wyndham Hotels & Resorts celebrated a milestone for its Women Own the Room initiative, surpassing 15 hotel openings and more than 50 signings in just over 24 months.
Women Own the Room has seen its network of current and prospective women hotel owners grow to more than 550, and the program leverages Wyndham’s scale to break down the barriers women face on the path to hotel ownership. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Castell Project, while women make up nearly 60 percent of the workforce in hospitality, they hold only one leadership spot for every 10 men.
“For decades, the hotel industry has been complacent in allowing women to remain on the sidelines of hotel ownership and in turn, has missed out on the opportunity to strengthen itself through greater diversity. Women Own The Room and the subsequent programs it has inspired throughout the industry are finally changing the narrative and Wyndham is proud to lead the way,” according to Galen Barrett, vice president, strategic franchise initiatives, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
From offering financial solutions, operational support, and a community that promotes networking and education, Women Own the Room was curated and continues to evolve to meet the needs of women in the industry.
Inspired by her mother, who grew her own business of owning rental properties, film and television producer Christina Lambert (one of the program’s founding members) joined the hotel industry in 2020 after a career in the arts. Lambert, along with her mother, decided to purchase two hotels in Loveland, Colorado, one of which required a loan to complete the transaction. After being rejected by multiple lenders, one said yes.
Shortly thereafter, Lambert joined forces with Wyndham. Today, her hotels—a 50-room Travelodge by Wyndham and 49-room Baymont by Wyndham—are flourishing. Revenues for the Travelodge are up more than 29 percent over the last two years, while the Baymont, which she converted from a competitor brand in 2021, is up more than 26 percent year-over-year.
