Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has achieved a milestone of 50 hotels signed under its Women Own the Room initiative.
Launched in early 2022, the initiative aims to address the imbalance in hotel ownership, breaking down the barriers women face in the sector. Analysis of the hospitality workforce suggests that, while women make up close to 60% of those working in the sector, they occupy just 10% of leadership positions.
Addressing the imbalance
Tools from Women Own the Room help to address that imbalance, offering financial solutions, personalised support for hotel operations, with a support community offering networking and education. Women are also encouraged to make the most of the existing franchisee support package, named Wyndham Advantage, which has seen more than USD275m of investment in innovative technology over the last five years. Advantage lets franchisees have all the benefits of access to leading edge property and revenue management systems, as well as tapping into the 106 million members of Wyndham’s Rewards loyalty programme.
Success to date for the campaign has meant more than 50 hotels signed across the US and Canada, representing more than 4,000 rooms added to the pipeline. Already 16 hotels are open, under Wyndham’s Days Inn, Baymont, Wyndham and Trademark brands. A further 10 hotels are planned to open in the next year.
One trailblazer who was behind the launch of Women Own the Room is franchisee Christina Lambert, who gravitated to the hotel sector after a successful career as a film and television producer. Lambert was inspired by her mother, who built a rental property business, and the pair purchase two hotels in Loveland, Connecticut. They struggled finding the loan they needed to acquire the properties, suffering many rejections from lenders before finding one that would say yes.
Delivering better performance
Lambert linked up with Wyndham, convinced in part by the company’s willingness to offer renovation support, alongside the launch of Women Own the Room. Today, her Travelodge and Baymont branded hotels are outperforming their competitive sets, with revenues up 29% in two years at the Travelodge. The Baymont, converted from another brand in 2021, has seen revenues up more than 26% in a year.
She commented: “Wyndham has played a pivotal role in my success as a first-time hotelier, which I credit not just to the accessibility and responsiveness of leadership, but their willingness to work with me on an individual basis to help my hotels thrive. Through Women Own the Room, Wyndham is actively investing in women and in doing so, they’re changing the face of the hotel industry.”
