NEW DELHI: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchisor, expects India to become one of its top growth markets, with over 50 new properties in the pipeline and plans to launch more of its global brands in the country, company officials said.During a PTI interview, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts’ top executives, President for EMEA Dimitris Manikis and Managing Director for Eurasia Rahool Macarius — outlined the company’s plans to expand its presence in India.“We have more than 70 hotels and very soon we are going to be more than 100. … Talking about the pipeline, as we speak, we have more than 50 hotels in the pipeline and growing. So today, I might say 50 and tomorrow the number would change. So it’s a moving goal post for us but it’s a very fast and sprinting goal post for us,” Rahool said.Although Ramada remains their most recognised brand in India, the organisation intends to expand its current portfolio with additional brands.Dimitris explained, “We’ve got such a great portfolio of brands that they fit with certain markets at a certain time. So yes, the answer is yes, we’re going to bring more brands. But equally, we want to make sure that we grow the brands that we currently have in India.”He highlighted India’s strong potential to become a leading global tourism destination and stressed the need for better marketing, more direct international flights, and easier visa procedures for foreign visitors.“Direct flights, absolutely critical, opening up those flights, absolutely critical, make entry into the country as easy as possible. People today what they need is, when they travel, they don’t want to be burdened by long processes and difficult to get to, processes, including visas,” said the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts’ EMEA President.Operating over 9,300 hotels across approximately 95 countries, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced a partnership with Cygnett Hotels & Resorts to launch La Quinta by Wyndham and Registry Collection Hotels in India.Wyndham Hotels and Resorts operates 25 hotel brands, including Super 8, Days Inn, Microtel, Baymont, Wingate, Trademark Collection, and Wyndham.
