‘Wyndham showcased it could deliver results in any environment’

The year 2021 brought many challenges and obstacles for all of us. However, our constant fight with the pandemic has made us resilient and increased our capacity to endure. After wading through the deadly second wave, the world opened its arms to a better phase of opportunities. People started travelling and everything started falling into place. The hospitality sector too sustained many setbacks but keeping all that behind, it’s time to step into the New Year with sheer optimism and exhilaration. Resonating similar feelings is Nikhil Sharma, Regional Director Eurasia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, who asserts that the brand has been able to remain steadfast during troubling times and has committed to the brand goal with a focus on customer safety and health.   

Keeping abreast of the brand goals  

Presenting insights on the brand operations and goals, Sharma shares that Wyndham has been resilient in terms of performance and has been devoted to global growth and expansion. “The year 2021 has been a progressive one for the industry revival where vaccination was significant in boosting travel sentiment. Despite the challenges brought on by Covid19, Wyndham’s strong, stable, asset-light business model showcased that it could deliver results in any environment. Throughout these challenging times, our focus has been on the health, safety and well-being of our guests, team members and partners. We remain committed to this as we continue to navigate the new normal. We also remain steadfast in our commitment to continued global growth and expanding Wyndham across Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa,” he shares.  

Creating a safe experience for every customer   

With well-informed customers creating a demand for superior services along with a promise of health safety, it has become imperative to offer the customers a one-of-its-kind experience with all the safety measures taken care of. Speaking on similar lines, Sharma adds, “Consumer mind-set has shifted over the last couple of years and all types of travellers are looking for a variety of experiences that give them the opportunity to explore both domestically and internationally. At Wyndham, we continue to monitor and adapt our offerings to provide all travellers with welcoming, safe, and memorable experiences.”   

Strengthening occupancy, RevPAR and expansion  

Commenting on the brand’s efforts to increase occupancy and RevPAR, he says, “Our hotels have followed the market trend of improving month-on-month RevPAR performance for business and leisure properties. From May 2020 to December 2020, mixed demand hotels and business hotels achieved similar occupancies ahead of our leisure properties. From January 2021 to March 2021, our leisure properties achieved the highest occupancies, continuing from June to August the same year0.”   

Highlighting the key new openings for the brand in 2021, he shares, “We have had several successful openings this year including Ramada Encore by Wyndham Kathmandu Thamel; Wyndham Ahmedabad Shela; Ramada by Wyndham Varanasi, Katesar; Wyndham Chandigarh Mohali; Howard Johnson by Wyndham Udaipur Roop Nagar and Ramada by Wyndham, Jaipur. Additionally, we announced the signing of Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Navi Mumbai.”  

Faring scopes for domestic/ intra-regional travel  

Sharma believes the future will be all about domestic travel and thus it is important to make it a focus area. “We have seen that travellers are keen to return to exploring all corners of the world and at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts we are focussed on supporting our partners as they prepare to welcome guests back to their hotels. We believe that heading into the New Year there will continue to draw strong demand for domestic and intra-regional travel, with long haul trips expected to come back more gradually. The hospitality industry is notoriously resilient and we have seen this first hand over the course of the pandemic and throughout history,” he concludes.