Wyndham Hotel Group has introduced three more of its 11 brands and multiple sub brands to the region as it commits to an “aggressive, bullish” Middle East expansion plan.
“I have made the number one strategic initiative of the Wyndham Hotel Group international growth and within that, a specific focus on the Middle East and Asia as the principal growth markets,” said Wyndham Hotel Group president and chief executive officer Eric Danziger in an exclusive interview with Hotelier Middle East during a visit to Dubai at the end of last year.
As part of this strategy, the company has secured its first Wyndham-branded hotel in the region, in the King Abdullah financial district in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It has also announced plans to bring two Ramada sub brands to the Middle East; Ramada Plaza in Kuwait and Ramada Encore in Doha, Qatar.
“All of these countries and more have opportunities,” said Danziger. “There are needs; the question is; which brand addresses that need.”
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The Super 8 roadside hotel brand would be a logical introduction to Saudi Arabia, for example, said Danziger.
“We certainly believe and are in discussions with people who believe it more than we do about the need for a Super 8 type product on the roadways in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Danziger also plans to increase the volume of Ramada in the Middle East, following the opening of the new Ramada Downtown Burj Dubai in November 2009.
“I’d hate to say these are the only brands we are introducing, but the Ramada is already well introduced to the area and therefore has a great platform to be able to grow in all the places that we aren’t,” said Danziger.
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