Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is to expand the European reach of its Super 8 brand, building out its footprint across Iberia.
A new agreement signed with partner Soliteight Hotel Projects will see the economy brand roll out across Spain and Portugal. Under the development agreement, the partners have set out a vision of building a network of up to 40 hotels under the Super 8 brand, over the next decade.
Launching in Portugal
A first site has already been earmarked to launch the initiative, opening in late 2027 in Leiria, Portugal. Further opportunities will be sought in tier one and tier two cities across the two countries, as well as airport hubs, and popular transit routes in smaller cities and towns. The expectation is that many of the Super 8 hotels will be new builds, utilising a smart modular design that has been devised to maximise efficiency and sustainability.
Soliteight will take the lead in finding and developing sites. The company was formed in Portugal in 2019, and is already a Wyndham franchisee.
Wyndham says that the two country markets, which have been enjoying strong tourism demand, are in need of more affordable hotel rooms, to suit budget-conscious travellers. Spain, for example, saw a record 94 million visitors to the country in 2024, while its economy grew by 3.2% – both key drivers of hotel demand across a broad range of destinations. Officials are keen to grow the tourism offer in secondary locations, easing pressures on heavily visited cities such as Barcelona.
“Bringing Super 8 to Spain and Portugal is a strategic move to make quality, affordable travel more accessible,” said Dimitris Manikis, Wyndham’s president in EMEA. “Southern Europe has a growing demand for reliable, budget-friendly accommodations and our collaboration with Soliteight allows us to meet that need. By introducing a trusted brand in key destinations, we ensure travellers can enjoy great value without sacrificing quality.”
A brand with 50 years of history
Globally, Super 8 is a major economy hotel brand with over 2,600 hotels, and a 50 year story of growth and of serving travellers. But it is still growing from a small base in some regions, notably in Europe. In 2023, it launched the brand in the UK, opening a property in Chester following the refurbishment of a 41 room roadside hotel. Roadchef, a major motorway services operator in the country, has subsequently added a Super 8 in Durham, and plans to convert and add further roadside properties soon.
Elsewhere in Europe, the brand is also growing in Germany. There, eight Super 8 hotels are already operating in cities including Augsburg, Chemnitz, Freiburg, Hamburg, Koblenz, Mainz, Munich and Oberhausen. Growth in Germany is being led by local partner Gorgeous Smiling Hotels, which launched the first Super 8 in Munich in 2016. Its pipeline includes new projects in Berlin and at Frankfurt airport.
