Wyndham’s women’s ownership program hits milestones

PARSIPPANY, New Jersey – Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ Women Own the Room initiative has surpassed 16 hotel openings and more than 50 signings in just over 24 months, the global giant reported on Tuesday.

The first-of-its-kind offering – which has seen its network of current and prospective women hotel owners climb to more than 550 – leverages Wyndham’s scale and influence to break down the barriers women face on the path to hotel ownership. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Castell Project, while women make up nearly 60% of the work force in hospitality, they hold only one leadership spot for every 10 men.

Galen Barrett, vice president, Strategic Franchise Initiatives, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, told Hotel Investment Today that the 50-plus deals to-date are all in various stages when it comes to financing. “The beauty of Women Own the Room is that, no matter where you are on that path, Wyndham works 1:1 with each owner to help tackle whatever that next barrier may be in getting hotels opened,” he said. “As the world’s largest hotel franchisor, we have the ability to get creative throughout the whole process and leverage our scale and size. That can come to life by introducing owners who don’t have banking relationships to financing partners, or it could be leaning on our Design & Construction team to break down a project for lenders to help support getting projects off the ground.”

As an example, Barrett said Wyndham leveraged its network – including reaching out directly to Women Own the Room community members – to help member Purvi Patel secure lending for her first AmericInn by Wyndham. “After experiencing continued non-responsiveness when going out on her own, the simple introduction led to finalizing the transaction on her loan,” he said. “This example reinforces the value of the Women Own the Room network, and highlights Wyndham’s commitment to its owner-first philosophy, ensuring owners are supported from the time they sign a deal to the time the open their doors. (NOTE: Patel recently sold her AmericInn for a profit and is managing her family’s Days Inn as she looks for her next ownership opportunity with Wyndham).

As the world’s largest hotel franchisor, we have the ability to get creative throughout the whole process and leverage our scale and size. That can come to life by introducing owners who don’t have banking relationships to financing partners, or it could be leaning on our Design & Construction team to break down a project for lenders to help support getting projects off the ground.

Galen Barrett

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As another example, and inspired by her mother, who grew her own business of owning rental properties, film and television producer Christina Lambert (one of the program’s founding members), joined the hotel industry in 2020 after a successful career in the arts. Lambert, along with her mother, decided to purchase two hotels in Loveland, Colorado, one of which required a sizeable loan to complete the transaction. After being rejected by multiple lenders, one finally said yes.

Shortly thereafter, Lambert joined forces with Wyndham – a decision driven by Wyndham’s ability to offer one-on-one renovation support (including key money), combined with its commitment to championing diverse ownership through Women Own the Room. Today, Wyndham said her hotels – a 50-room Travelodge by Wyndham and 49-room Baymont by Wyndham – are outperforming their competitive sets.  Revenues for the Travelodge are up more than 29% over the last two years, while the Baymont, which she converted from a competitor brand in 2021, is up more than 26% year-over-year.

When asked how the initiative has grown to more than 550 members, Barrett said Wyndham is marketing its efforts around the program on LinkedIn, hosting seminars around the country (and virtually) for existing and prospective owners to learn about the industry and showing up at major hotel conferences to ensure they have a presence. “By engaging with Wyndham, members unlock access to tools, resources and educational materials that can help their dream of opening a hotel come true, and we want to continue advocating for this program because it can truly make a difference in this industry,” he said.

Since first launching in early 2022, Women Own the Room has led to the signing of more than 50 hotels, representing over 4,000 rooms, across the U.S. and Canada. Today, 16 hotels are open spanning brands like Days Inn, Baymont, Wyndham and Trademark across Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Georgia, Virginia and more. Approximately five to 10 additional hotels are anticipated to open over the next 12 months.

“Despite the recent distractions, our team has had an unwavering focus on delivering the best value and support to our franchisees,” said Wyndham President and CEO Geoff Ballotti. “Women Own the Room’s growth and influence on the industry is a testament to the dedication we show small-business owners like Christina Lambert – and how we help them achieve success.”