As one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, we offer individual consumers and business customers a broad suite of hospitality products and services across various accommodation alternatives and price ranges through our portfolio of world-renowned brands. With more than 20 brands, which include Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Wyndham Rewards, Wingate by Wyndham, Microtel, RCI, The Registry Collection, Endless Vacation Rentals, Landal GreenParks, Cottages4You, Novasol, Wyndham Vacation Resorts and WorldMark by Wyndham, we have built a significant presence in most major hospitality markets in the United States and throughout the rest of the world.
The hospitality industry is a major component of the travel industry, which is one of the largest retail industry segments of the global economy. We operate primarily in the lodging, vacation exchange and rentals, and vacation ownership segments of the hospitality industry. Nearly 60% of our revenues come from fees we receive in exchange for providing services and products. We refer to these as our “fee-for-service” businesses. For example, we receive fees in the form of royalties for our customers’ utilization of our brand names and for our provision of hotel and resort management and vacation exchange and rentals services. The remainder of our revenues comes from the proceeds received from sales of vacation ownership interests.
•Our lodging business is the world’s largest hotel company (based on number of properties), franchising in the upscale, midscale, economy and extended stay segments of the lodging industry and providing hotel management services for full-service hotels globally. This is predominately a fee-for-service business that provides recurring revenue streams, requires low capital investment and produces strong cash flow;
•Our vacation exchange and rentals business is the world’s largest vacation exchange network based on the number of vacation exchange members and among the world’s largest global marketers of vacation rental properties based on the number of vacation rental properties marketed. Through this business, we provide vacation exchange products and services and access to distribution systems and networks to resort developers and owners of intervals of vacation ownership interests, and we market vacation rental properties primarily on behalf of independent owners, vacation ownership developers and other hospitality providers. This is primarily a fee-for-service business that provides stable revenue streams, requires low capital investment and produces strong cash flow; and
•We have the largest vacation ownership business in the world when measured by the number of resorts, units, or owners. Through our vacation ownership business, we develop, market and sell vacation ownership interests to individual consumers, provide consumer financing in connection with the sale of vacation ownership interests and provide property management services at resorts. While the vacation ownership business has historically been capital intensive, a central strategy for Wyndham Worldwide is to leverage our scale and marketing expertise to pursue low-capital requirement, fee-for-service business relationships that produce strong cash flow.
Our mission is to be the leader in travel accommodations, welcoming our guests to iconic brands and vacation destinations through our signature “Count On Me!” service. We also have a strong commitment to increasing shareholder value. Our strategies to achieve these objectives are to:
•Increase market share by delivering excellent service to drive customer, consumer and associate satisfaction
•Grow cash flow and operating margins through superior execution in all of our businesses
•Rebalance the Wyndham Worldwide portfolio to emphasize our fee-for-service business models
•Attract, retain and develop human capital across our organization
•Support and promote Wyndham Green and Wyndham Diversity initiatives
We strive to provide value-added products and services that are intended to both enhance the travel experience of the individual consumer and drive revenues to our business customers. The depth and breadth of our businesses across different segments of the hospitality industry provide us with the opportunity to expand our relationships with our existing individual consumers and business customers in one or more segments of our business by offering them additional or alternative products and services from our other segments. Historically, we have pursued what we believe to be financially-attractive entry points in the major global hospitality markets to strengthen our portfolio of products and services.
History and Development
Wyndham Worldwide’s corporate history can be traced back to the 1990 formation of Hospitality Franchise Systems (which changed its name to HFS Incorporated, or HFS). The company initially began as a hotel franchisor that later expanded its hospitality business and became a major real estate and car rental franchisor. In December 1997, HFS merged with CUC International, Inc., or CUC, to form Cendant Corporation (which changed its name to Avis Budget Group, Inc. in September 2006).
During July 2006, Cendant transferred to Wyndham Worldwide all of the assets and liabilities of Cendant’s Hospitality Services (including Timeshare Resorts) businesses and, on July 31, 2006, Cendant distributed all of the shares of Wyndham Worldwide common stock to the holders of Cendant common stock issued and outstanding on July 21, 2006, the record date for the distribution. The separation was effective on July 31, 2006. On August 1, 2006, we commenced “regular way” trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “WYN.”
Each of our lodging, vacation exchange and rentals and vacation ownership businesses has a long operating history. Our lodging business began with the Howard Johnson and Ramada brands which opened their first hotels in 1954. RCI, the best known brand in our vacation exchange and rentals business, was established 36 years ago, and our vacation ownership brands, Wyndham Vacation Resorts and Wyndham Resort Development Corporation, which operates as WorldMark by Wyndham, began vacation ownership operations in 1980 and 1989, respectively.
Wyndham Hotel Group Overview
Our lodging business, Wyndham Hotel Group, is the world’s largest hotel company (based on number of properties) with the industry’s largest loyalty program, Wyndham Rewards (based on number of participating hotels). Over 86% of its revenues are derived from franchising activities. Wyndham Hotel Group does not own any hotels. Therefore, the business model is easily adaptable to changing economic environments due to low operating cost structures, which in combination with recurring fee streams yield high margins and predictable cash flows. Capital requirements are relatively low and mostly limited to technology expenditures to support core capabilities and any incentives we may employ to generate new business, such as key money and development advance notes to assist franchisees and hotel owners in converting to one of our brands or building a new hotel branded under a Wyndham Hotel Group brand.
Hotel Brands
Wyndham Hotel Group comprises 11 widely-known brands, over 7,100 hotels representing almost 597,700 rooms on six continents and another 950 hotels representing 108,100 rooms in the development pipeline as of December 31, 2009. Wyndham Hotel Group franchises in all segments of the industry and provides management services for full-service hotels globally. The following describes our widely-known lodging brands:
•Days Inn® is a leading global brand in the economy segment with more guest rooms than any other economy brand in the world and over 1,850 properties worldwide. Under its ‘Best Value under the Sun’ marketing foundation, Days Inn hotels® offer value-conscious consumers free high speed internet as well as the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program. Most hotels also offer free Daybreak® breakfast, pools, restaurants and meeting rooms.
•Super 8 Worldwide® is a leading global brand in the economy segment with almost 2,140 properties in the U.S., Canada and China. Super 8 has recently launched a brand refresh with a new logo and a fresh, new interior and exterior design program. Guests can depend on every Super 8 to deliver on the brand’s “8 point promise,” which includes complimentary SuperStart® breakfast, free high speed internet access, upgraded bath amenities, free in-room coffee, kids under 17 stay free and free premium cable or satellite TV as well as the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program.
•Microtel Inns & Suites® is an award winning economy chain of more than 310 properties predominately throughout North America. For an unprecedented eight years in a row, the brand has been ranked highest in Overall Guest Satisfaction in the Economy/Budget Segment by J.D. Power and Associates, a distinction that no other company in any industry has achieved. Microtel is also the only prototypical, all new-construction brand in the economy segment. For the guest, this means a consistent experience featuring award-winning contemporary guest room and public area designs. For developers, Microtel provides hotel operators low cost of construction combined with support and guidance from ground break to grand opening as well as low cost of ongoing operations. Positioned in the upper-end of the economy segment, all properties offer complimentary continental breakfast, free wired and wireless internet access, free local and long distance calls and the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program.
•Howard Johnson® is an iconic American hotel brand having pioneered hotel franchising in 1954. Today Howard Johnson has over 490 hotels in North America, Latin America, Asia and other international markets. In North America, the brand operates in the midscale and economy segments while internationally the brand includes mid-scale and upscale hotels. The Howard Johnson brand targets families and leisure travelers, providing complimentary continental “Rise and Dine®” breakfast and high speed internet access as well as the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program.
•Travelodge® is hotel chain with 460 properties across North America. The brand operates primarily in the economy segment in the U.S. and in the midscale with food and beverage segment in Canada. Using its “Sleepy Bear” brand ambassador, Travelodge targets leisure travelers with a focus on those who prefer an active lifestyle of outdoor activity and offers guests complimentary Bear Bites® continental breakfast and free high speed internet access as well as the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program.
•Knights Inn® is a budget economy hotel chain with over 340 locations across North America. Knights Inn hotels provide basic overnight accommodations and complimentary breakfast for an affordable price as well as the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program. For operators, from first time owners to experienced hoteliers, the brand provides a lower cost of entry and competitive terms while still providing the extensive tools, systems and resources of the Wyndham Hotel Group.
•Ramada Worldwide® is a global midscale with food and beverage hotel chain with 910 properties in 49 countries worldwide. Under its “Do Your Thing, Leave the Rest to Us,” marketing foundation and supported by the “I AM” service culture, all Ramada hotels feature free wireless high-speed internet access, meeting rooms, business services, fitness facilities, upgraded bath amenities and the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program. Most properties have an on-site restaurant/lounge, while other sites offer a complimentary continental breakfast with food available in the Ramada Mart.
•Baymont Inn & Suites® is a midscale without food and beverage hotel chain with 240 properties across North America. The brand’s commitment to providing ‘hometown hospitality’ means guests are offered fresh baked cookies, complimentary breakfast and high-speed internet access as well as the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program. Most hotels also offer swimming pools and fitness centers.
•Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® and affiliated brands. The Wyndham Hotels and Resorts family of brands is a collection of brands, including our flagship Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® brand, spanning across the upscale and midscale segments with an aggregate of nearly 350 properties and featuring complementary distribution and product offerings to provide business and leisure travelers with more options.
•Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®—an upscale, full service brand of over 90 properties located in key business and vacation destinations around the world. Business locations feature meeting space flexible for large and small meetings, as well as business centers and fitness centers. The brand is tiered as follows: Wyndham Grand Collection, comprised of 4+Diamond hotels in spectacular resort or urban destinations, offer a unique guest experience, sophisticated design and distinct dining options; Wyndham Hotels and Resorts offers customers amenities such as golf, tennis, beautiful beaches and spas; and Wyndham Garden Hotels, generally located in corporate or suburban areas, provide flexible space for small to midsize meetings and relaxed dining options. Each tier offers our signature Wyndham By Request® guest recognition loyalty program, which provides members personalized benefits at every stay in addition to those offered by the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program.
•Wingate by Wyndham® — a prototypical design hotel chain in the upper end of the midscale without food and beverage segment with almost 170 properties in North America. Each hotel offers amenities and services that make life on the road more productive, all at a single rate. Guests enjoy oversized rooms appointed with all the comforts and conveniences of home and office. Each room is equipped with a flat screen TV, high-speed internet access, in-room microwave and refrigerator. The brand also offers complimentary hot breakfast, a 24-hour business center with free printing, copying and faxing and free access to a gym facility and the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program, including Wyndham By Request®.
•Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham® — an extended stay brand that provides an ideal atmosphere for multi-night visits at nearly 90 properties predominately in the U.S. We believe this brand provides a solution for longer-term travelers that typically seek accommodations at our Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® or Wingate by Wyndham® properties. Each hotel offers an inviting and practical environment for travelers with well appointed, spacious one and two-bedroom suites and fully-equipped kitchens. Guests enjoy free Internet in all rooms and common areas as well as complimentary hot breakfast buffets and evening social hours as well as the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program, including Wyndham By Request®.