Wyndham Hotels
& Resorts has opened the first property under its new Echo extended-stay
brand in Spartanburg, S.C., the company announced Thursday. Additionally,
Wyndham has hired a head of extended-stay operations.
Mandeep Singh has
joined Wyndham as vice president of extended stay operations, a new position
for the company, and will oversee Echo as well as Waterwalk Extended Stay, a
brand that joined Wyndham's portfolio earlier this year. Singh has "over
20 years of global experience in extended-stay hotels, corporate housing,
serviced apartments and multi-family properties," according to Wyndham,
including stints as COO of apartment-style extended-stay lodging provider
StayAPT Suites and senior vice president of operations for WoodSpring Suites.
Wyndham announced
the development of economy-tier Echo, its first extended-stay brand, in 2022.
The new-build Echo Suites Spartanburg follows the brand's prototype of 124
rooms with "single- and two-queen studio suites with kitchens" with
public spaces including a fitness center and guest laundry.
Wyndham anticipates
additional Echo openings this year in Texas and Virginia and plans for 75
properties open or under construction by 2026. Its current development pipeline
includes "nearly 270 hotels and over 33,000 rooms across the U.S. and
Canada," according to Wyndham. The company pointed to blue-collar business
travel as a key market for the brand, noting the increase in U.S.
infrastructure projects authorized
by the 2021
infrastructure bill and 2022 CHIPS and Science Act.
"Together, these projects are creating a tailwind for Wyndham
and the everyday business traveler, particularly construction and other trade
workers, many of whom are in need of long-term accommodations as they travel to
job sites across the country," Wyndham said in a statement. "The work
is expected to bring a $3.3 billion opportunity in additional room revenue to
Wyndham franchisees over the multi-year period of spend."
Infrastructure-related
travel bookings made up 22 percent of Wyndham's 2023 gross room revenues,
according to a first-quarter presentation for investors, with "logistics and other"
adding another 5 percent and corporate transient accounting for 2 percent.