LODGING Staff

🏨 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, under CEO Geoff Ballotti, marked 2024 with significant milestones, including the introduction of the 25th brand, ECHO Suites Extended Stay, which achieved up to 80% occupancy shortly after opening and now accounts for 14% of development pipeline. The company also launched WaterWalk Extended Stay and Wyndham Residences in the U.S., and expanded Microtel in India, targeting 40 hotels by 2031. Globally, 12 brands entered 22 new markets. Wyndham Connect, an AI tool, is in use at 2,000 North American hotels, increasing revenue and enhancing guest experience. Additionally, the refreshed Wyndham Business platform and Wyndham Rewards program expansion offer new benefits. BOLD and Women Own the Room programs facilitated over 100 deals with nearly 40 hotels now open. The 50th anniversary of Super 8 was celebrated with Innov8te 2.0 room design and a sweepstakes.

📈 Marriott International in 2024 achieved record global growth with 123,000 gross room openings and a 6.8% net rooms growth. The development pipeline ended with over 577,000 rooms. The luxury portfolio reached 658 properties across 74 countries, with 61 new luxury deals and 266 upcoming openings. Deal signings with owners and developers surpassed 1,200, an average of over three deals per day, totaling nearly 162,000 rooms. 34% of 2024 room signings came from conversions. Marriott's affordable midscale segment plans expansion in the Americas and internationally with 153 open properties and 53 in the pipeline. The branded residential segment marked its 25th year with 142 open locations, 138 in development, and $2.1 billion in 2024 residential sales revenue. Outdoor lodging and apartment-style accommodations expanded, including the acquisition of Postcard Cabins brand and a licensing agreement with Sonder Holdings. Marriott closed 2024 with over 9,300 properties in 144 countries, breaking records in signings and pipeline growth across regions including the United States, Canada, Asia Pacific, Greater China, Caribbean, Latin America, and the EMEA region.

🏨 Hyatt Hotels Corporation announces a record pipeline of 138,000 rooms by the end of 2024, with a restructured brand architecture into Luxury, Lifestyle, Inclusive, Classics, and Essentials. The Lifestyle Group, led by Amar Lalvani, increased its pipeline properties by nearly 50% and open hotels by over 20% year-over-year, with notable acquisitions like The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotels. New deals include TOOR Hotel (Q1 2025), Andaz Miami Beach (Q1 2025), and The Standard, Brussels (Q2 2025). Hyatt Studios, a new upper-midscale extended-stay brand, has over 50 executed deals, entering 22 new markets with its first location opening in Q1 2025. Growth continues across all portfolios with numerous expected openings through 2027, including the Luxury, Inclusive, and Classics Portfolios, with the Fairmount Hotel already opened on January 16, 2025.

🏗️ Choice Hotels International announced a strong year of development in 2024 across various segments. In the extended-stay segment, they opened 61 hotels, including their 500th property in October. The upscale segment saw 27 new hotels, with an 80% year-over-year increase for the Ascend Hotel Collection and a 7.5% RevPAR increase for Radisson brands. The midscale segment included 41 Quality Inn openings during its 85th anniversary, and a 19-point RevPAR Index increase for Country Inn & Suites. Additionally, 20 properties opened under the SOAR program, which supports underrepresented entrepreneurs in hotel ownership.