How Wyndham Hotels Grew in India During 2024?
WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS saw its highest growth in India for new hotel signings and contract executions in 2024 compared to any other market globally. The company’s portfolio doubled since 2018 to 70 hotels, with RevPAR up 10.5 percent last year.
Furthermore, it plans to add 50 hotels in India, highlighting strong growth, Economic Times reported.
“India saw the highest growth rates for Wyndham in 2024 in terms of new hotel signings and contract executions compared to any other market worldwide,” Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO, was quoted as saying in the report. “And I see how big an opportunity India is when your prime minister mentions tourism as one of the top drivers of growth.”
Wyndham, which claims to be the world's largest hotel franchisor by property count, has 9,267 franchised hotels across 95 countries, including nearly 70 hotels with more than 5,500 rooms in India and 50 more in development.
“What Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing here is similar to what’s happening in the U.S.," Ballotti said. "Infrastructure spending is fueling our growth in the U.S. Our nation’s roads have not kept up, our bridges are crumbling, and our airports need more investment. Your prime minister sees the same thing here."
Ballotti said Wyndham’s global owner retention hit a record 95.7 percent last year, with India exceeding 97 percent.
“The chain is seeing a ‘real renaissance’ of demand for its brands in the country,” he said.
“We have doubled our India portfolio since 2018 and have about 70 hotels today,” he said. “In terms of signings and contract executions, we saw record growth rates in India last year, with hotel openings up 22 percent year-over-year and hotel signings growing by around 25 percent. Countries like the U.S. and China have a larger hotel base, but India saw the highest percentage growth.”
He said India’s double-digit RevPAR growth last year was most encouraging.
“The 10.5 percent RevPAR growth was remarkable—you don’t always see this globally,” Ballotti told ET. “RevPAR growth here is driven by demand, occupancy, and pricing power or ADR. In some countries, it grows only through pricing power. A key indicator of tourism health is occupancy, which rose from about 66 percent nationwide to 70 percent last year and is projected by HTL to reach 72 percent this year and 74 percent in 2026. So, optimism abounds.”
Wyndham opened a record 68,700 rooms globally last year, up 4 percent year-over-year, including nearly 28,000 in the U.S., also up 4 percent. Its pipeline hit a record 252,000 rooms, growing 2 percent sequentially and 5 percent year-over-year.
In January, Wyndham announced plans to expand its economy and midscale brands, add upscale offerings in 2025, and enhance tech for owners and guests.
