Wyndham Hotels & Resorts on Wednesday announced a new brand, Registry Collection Hotels. The company's 21st brand will be a collection of independent luxury hotels, with the first member the all-suite Grand Residences Riviera Cancun. The new brand comes at a time when "a growing number of independent luxury hotels owners are seeking out proven and established partners to help them recover from the challenges of the global pandemic," according to the company.
Registry Collection Hotels is the product of an affiliation with The Registry Collection, a luxury exchange program owned by Travel + Leisure Co., formerly known as Wyndham Destinations. The Registry Collection includes about 200 properties. The Grand Residences Riviera Cancun also is part of Travel + Leisure Co.'s program.
The fact that the property is in both programs is coincidental, Wyndham brand leader and VP of operations for Registry Collection Hotels Leo Danese told BTN. "There are a handful of opportunities, new construction and conversions that happen to not be affiliated with Travel + Leisure Co." he said. "It just so happened the first one is connected. There are opportunities for all independent owners in that luxury space."
Wyndham is in talks with a handful of properties in Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, and the Europe, Middle East and Africa region to join the brand, Danese said. The current pipeline potential is about 20 properties in five years, he said.
"We will pursue some pure-play hotels, but there's also opportunity with mixed-use properties," Danese added. "Say some occupancy comes from timeshare, some from hotel, some from exchange. But Registry Collection Hotels will operate separately from [T+L's The Registry Collection]. The partnership is more on the development side than anything. It also allows when guests come and stay as a hotel guest, T+L has the opportunity to approach them potentially as customers from the exchange side and vice versa. There are synergies between the companies as far as marketing to our guests as their stay."
Plans for the new brand began about two years ago, but picked up speed six months ago when an opportunity to work with the Cancun property arose and the company had more conversations with luxury owners, Danese said. "Luxury was the hardest segment hit in the pandemic," he said. "They're looking for a trusted partner."
Though Danese noted the industry-wide trend of leisure demand leading the recovery, he added, "I don't think business is too far behind. I've been on the road … and have seen people in suits and logoed polo shirts in the airport more and more. Our opportunity for the business space is the stayover. Come for a business meeting or incentive trip, then bring the family. There is going to be a nice mix between leisure and business travel with the stayover opportunities."