14 Oct 2014
Words Catie Langdon

Service You Can Count On To Drive Growth

The opening of Australia’s first TRYP by Wyndham hotel in Brisbane this month marks another milestone for a company with a remarkable growth record. From running a single timeshare resort on the Gold Coast, to becoming a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts, Wyndham has risen to be a major player in the Asia-Pacific accommodation sector.

Not so long ago, the Wyndham name was relatively unfamiliar in the Australian holiday landscape. Yet, elsewhere around the globe, it was an industry giant.

Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN) is one of the world’s most diverse hospitality enterprises. Its Wyndham Hotel Group claims the title as the world’s largest hotel company, with 7,540 hotels and 650,200 rooms in 71 countries, under 15 hotel brands.

Wyndham made its first foray into Australia as recently as 2000 with a timeshare business called Trendwest, opening a timeshare resort at Kirra Beach on the Gold Coast. Then, in what has proved to be a pivotal move for the company, it appointed a new CEO in 2003.

New Zealand-born Barry Robinson has spent most of his life in the hospitality industry. He rose to the position of hotel general manager at an early age, and went on to hold senior executive roles in Asia and Australia with Swissötel Worldwide Partner Hotels and Choice Hotels International.

Robinson set about restructuring and refocusing Trendwest. As CEO and managing director, he rebranded it to Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific in 2007. The business has achieved steady growth ever since – double digit growth year on year, in fact – even through the global financial crisis.

Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific now has 26 vacation ownership resorts in its vacation club collection in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, with more than 49,000 vacation owners in its WorldMark South Pacific Club by Wyndham.

In 2009, Wyndham Hotel Group began to look to the South Pacific for expansion opportunities. And, who better to steer that growth than Barry Robinson, the man who was already kicking goals for their regional sister company?

For the last five years, as managing director of Wyndham Hotel Group in the South Pacific, Robinson has also been the driving force behind many enhanced resort developments and new acquisitions. The company has developed close to $900 million worth of assets, which are now managed by Wyndham.

Wyndham’s South Pacific portfolio now includes some 40 managed or franchised hotels and resorts under the Wyndham, Ramada and TRYP by Wyndham hotel brands. Some are fully managed, others are franchised properties, and some are mixed-used, providing accommodation to timeshare owners, resort guests and strata title apartment owners.

In Australia, Wyndham’s hotels so far number 28, spread across the nation from Tasmania, to Western Australia to tropical north Queensland. About 1000 apartments / hotel rooms are owned by the company and close to 2000 are managed.

Alongside the successful business restructure he’s overseen, Robinson counts the shift in company culture to a greater service focus as one of his most satisfying achievements. At the heart of his approach has always been a core belief that exceptional service and successful business go hand-in-hand.

That emphasis is reflected in Wyndham’s proudly declared ‘Count on me!’ service promise, and its stated mission to “make holiday dreams come true”.

“Wyndham’s growing footprint in Australia is well aligned with the increased global demand we are seeing for quality accommodation to be coupled with exceptional service,” Robinson said.

Brands targeted for growth across the South Pacific include Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Ramada, TRYP by Wyndham, Planet Hollywood, and Days Inn. Two new hotel openings before the end of 2014 headline another year of record-breaking growth for the company. The first, this month in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, will debut the TRYP brand in Australia.

“TRYP is a very different kind of development to what we have done before,” Robinson says of the hip new hotel concept. “The new generation of travellers is looking for uniquely different and memorable hotel experiences and we have certainly delivered that with Australia’s first TRYP hotel.”

TRYP Fortitude Valley Hotel is a boutique, experiential, urban-styled product featuring striking art and murals by world famous street artists Rone, Breastman, Numskull and Fintan Magee. It boasts a ground floor restaurant, Chur, and Brisbane’s newest rooftop bar, UP, both run by acclaimed chef Warren Turnbull.

In November, Wyndham on William, a 531 apartment high-rise property, is set to open its doors in the Melbourne CBD.
Expansion of the company’s growing portfolio is being driven from Wyndham’s Gold Coast headquarters where around 700 of its 2,000 staff are based. Robinson sees his dual role at the helm of both the vacation ownership and hotel businesses as a distinct advantage in the marketplace.

”Not many competitors on a global brand basis run a mixed-use product the way we do,” he says. “We are getting real synergies and alignment between service philosophies. There is very much one voice and one vision, which is focused around service and hospitality, both internally and externally.

“With our globally-recognised brands, service promise, strong sales platform, and leading loyalty program, we are well positioned to help our partners grow and meet the needs of every kind of traveller.”
Partnership opportunities with Wyndham span the full range of operational models. Their hotel development team provides development support services and access to local market knowledge, operational support, proven marketing methods, and powerful revenue management tools.

Wyndham franchise opportunities focus on strategic growth, powered by strong marketing programs, brand awareness, technical services, a global reservations system, and comprehensive training initiatives.
The company’s loyalty program, Wyndham Rewards, is the largest in the world based on number of participating hotels. The only hotel loyalty program to offer members guaranteed rewards after one qualified stay, it currently has over 9.7 million members.

Since 2000, Wyndham has shaped and dominated Australia’s timeshare industry. Now its hotel business is making major inroads. In just 14 years, the Wyndham name has earned its place as a respected accommodation sector leader in Australia and the wider region.

Still their sights are firmly set on expansion, with plans to further grow the Wyndham Hotel Group in the South Pacific, and expand the vacation ownership business model into Asia.

In coming months, expect to see another major acquisition announcement from Wyndham. And it won’t be the last. You can count on that.