Because the demand for branded resort rooms holds agency throughout markets, American resort chain Wyndham Motels & Resorts, which runs manufacturers resembling Ramada, Planet Hollywood, is getting ready for its subsequent leg of India progress with 55 inns within the pipeline.
The corporate that primarily manages and franchises inns within the nation, now has a portfolio of 95 operational properties right here and it seems to scale the quantity to 150 over the subsequent few years, Dimitris Manikis, president, Europe, Center East, Eurasia and Africa (EMEA), informed Mint.
The corporate is shifting gears to handle a lot bigger inns than it did just a few years in the past. It has now locked in a number of new tasks with 100-plus rooms and is widening its play throughout tier-II and -III cities in addition to non secular locations, stated Manikis, who’s in India for the HVS Anarock HOPE 2026 convention in Goa.
With its 55 upcoming properties within the pipeline, the chain will double its resort rooms by including about 7,000 rooms to its portfolio of seven,110 operational rooms.
What has modified for Wyndham is the scale and blend.
“We’re steadily shifting away from 35-40 room inns. The common room rely in our pipeline is now about 107 rooms,” stated Manikis, and the approaching years may even have inns positioned in mixed-use complexes, the place there may be workplace, retail and different actual property.
The shift, he stated, will assist transfer in the direction of larger-format property which have institutional possession within the mid-market house. Wyndhamlike different resort administration corporations, doesn’t spend money on constructing property, however works with native house owners to handle their properties.
India amongst prime markets
India is now among the many prime three progress markets for Wyndham within the EMEA area. Income per obtainable room or RevPAR, a metric hoteliers use to calculate how a lot income an occupied room fetched them, rose 7% year-on-year for the corporate to about $55 or about ₹5,000 an evening, whereas occupancies hovered at 67-68% in 2025, punching above the countrywide common of 60-65%, as per trade information.
The corporate expects its occupancies to the touch 70% this yr, as newer, higher-yielding inns come into the combination.
Whereas the core stays midscale and higher midscale with manufacturers resembling Ramada and Wyndham Backyard, the group is stepping up its presence within the upper-upscale bracket as properly. It has launched a Wyndham Grand in Udaipur and signed up for 2 extra beneath the model because it assessments what Manikis describes as “premium experiences, however not at premium costs”.
Geographically, whereas the highest metros are nonetheless necessary, progress just isn’t restricted to them. The pipeline is constructing throughout Rajasthan, spiritual markets within the north India and different high-traffic leisure and non secular locations, alongside tier-II and -III cities.
“What’s tier-II at this time turns into tier-I tomorrow. It simply takes an airport and a freeway, and with the best way your infrastructure is growing, it may very well be very quickly,” he stated, underlining the corporate’s willingness to plant resort flags early in these rising cities.
Wyndham can be seeing rising curiosity in branded residences and condo-hotel codecs, he stated. This mannequin blends actual property with hospitality and permits builders to diversify danger whereas retaining model backing. “Hospitality is changing into an increasing number of connected to actual property. That’s a giant a part of the longer term,” Manikis stated.
Globally, the corporate stays bullish on journey demand regardless of geopolitical volatility. About 1.6 billion individuals are travelling yearly, in keeping with UN Tourism, and youthful customers are prioritizing experiences over purchases.
For Wyndham, India sits on the centre of that story, not simply as a home progress market, however as a future outbound engine, additionally as a result of an increasing number of Indians are travelling overseas and can proceed to take action over the subsequent 5 years.
The corporate hopes model familiarity at residence will translate into stays throughout its international community.
Tapping progress
“Don’t examine India with every other nation,” Manikis stated. “India has its personal story.”
In accordance with HVS Anarock-Gleeds 2025 Lodge Growth Value Report, India’s branded resort market is poised for important progress.
As of mid-2025, India had about 209,200 branded resort rooms throughout almost 2,300 properties, with a powerful pipeline of tasks anticipated to raise the overall branded stock to round 350,400 rooms by 2030, it stated.
Regardless of this enlargement, India’s branded resort penetration stays low in contrast with extra mature markets such because the US and China, with important untapped demand on the again of a rising middleclass inhabitants, the report stated.