Wyndham Finally Launches a Luxury Hotel Brand After Years of Thinking About It


Skift Take

Wyndham's arrival to the luxury sector adds a missing piece to its brand portfolio, but don't expect a high-end glut of new hotels anytime soon. This is a very competitive hotel sector, and Wyndham plans to stick to the standard luxury playbook of exclusivity. Less is more when it comes to finer hotels.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is the latest hotel company to show it sees a growth opportunity in the luxury sector moving forward in the pandemic recovery. The hotel company Wednesday launched Registry Collection Hotels, Wyndham’s 21st brand and one that will focus on luxury hotel owners seeking more of an independent feel. The soft brand’s — that is, one without a singular name or brand standards around design or amenities — first hotel is the Grand Residences Riviera Cancun in Mexico. Several additional properties are in various stages of development, and company leaders expect initial growth will focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. However, Wyndham leaders eventually expect to add to its new luxury sector with properties in markets around the world and not necessarily just in resort settings. “This is us planting our flag in the luxury space,” Leo Danese, a brand leader and vice president of operations at Registry Collection Hotels, told Skift in an interv