Wyndham Hotel Group adds 200,000 square feet of meeting space to its nearly 8,000-hotel portfolio in 2016

News Hour:

Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with nearly 8,000 hotels under 16 iconic brands, today announced the signing of the Dolce Washington Dulles, part of trailblazing meetings brand Dolce Hotels and Resorts® and the latest in a series of new hotels with significant meeting and event space joining the company’s leading portfolio.

The new-construction Dolce Washington Dulles, scheduled to open in late 2018, will offer 243 guest rooms and more than 13,000 square feet (1,208 square meters) of meeting space. It follows the signing of The Summit, A Dolce Hotel, in Cincinnati earlier this year and is the second new hotel slated to join the brand since it was acquired by Wyndham Hotel Group in 2015.

In 2016, Wyndham’s new openings added more than 200 new meeting and event spaces to the company’s portfolio, a response to the needs of a growing industry: in the next ten years, according to GBTA, meeting group sizes are expected to rise by 3-6% in North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, and MPI reports that 42% of planners expect meetings budgets to increase between one and five percent in the near future.

“With steady, growing demand for group and meetings travel, Wyndham is as committed as ever to serving this segment and creating new ways to enhance the meeting planner experience,” said Eliot Hamlisch, vice president, global sales for Wyndham Hotel Group. “Our hotels offer more than 10 million square feet of meeting and event space – and growing – covering the needs of every type of planner whether they’re organizing a large conference, looking for a unique teambuilding meeting or opting for personalized service for a special event.”

Growth with Meetings in Mind
With existing expertise in small and mid-size meetings providing planners dedicated focus and attention, Wyndham Hotel Group is rapidly expanding its large meeting and conference space offerings. Meeting planners can expect more from Wyndham Hotel Group in the next two years thanks to a development pipeline that is bursting with new-construction in the upper-midscale through upper-upscale segments featuring notable meeting and event space:

• The Summit, A Dolce Hotel, in the U.S.: This new-construction hotel and conference center is located less than 10 miles from downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Scheduled to open in 2017, the hotel will have an eight-story atrium; a rooftop garden; a health club; a restaurant, bar and lounge; and 22,000 square feet (2,044 square meters) of function space, including 16 individual meeting rooms.

• Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach in the U.S.: This new-construction, 450-room resort is located in Clearwater, Fla., and is slated to become one of the largest resorts in the area upon opening in early 2017. With approximately 24,000 square feet (2,223 square meters) of event space, it will also house one of the largest banquet and meeting facilities in Florida’s Pinellas County.

• TRYP by Wyndham Maritime in the U.S.: The 150-room, new-construction lifestyle hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will feature a projected 2,500 square feet (232 square meters) of multi-function meeting space. The hotel will also be home to a pool and outdoor deck, a rooftop lounge, a gym and basketball court, and a European-style tapas bar, a trademark of the TRYP brand.

• Wyndham Grand Athens in Greece: This is the first Wyndham Hotel Group hotel in Greece. Situated on Karaiskaki Place, when renovations are complete the Wyndham Grand Athens will boast 276 rooms, 26,910 square feet (2,500 square meters) of conference and event space, a restaurant, a bar, a spa and rooftop garden with a pool and a 360° view of the city skyline.

• Wyndham Grand Phuket Kalim Bay in Thailand: Wyndham Grand Phuket Kalim Bay, scheduled to open later this year, offers a ballroom with high ceilings and expansive glass panels providing a versatile backdrop suited for both extravagant gala dinners and casual business meetings.

• Ramada Foshan Shunde in China: Opening in 2016, this 196-room hotel in Guangdong, China, is equipped with three meeting rooms encompassing 14,639 square feet (1,360 square meters) of function space, including a 12,916-square-foot (1,200-square-meter) ballroom.

• Ramada Plaza Hotel and Convention Center and Ramada Encore Lucknow in India: Both new construction hotels, the 210-room Ramada Plaza hotel and 100-room Ramada Encore share convention center space in Lucknow, the first major conference space for Wyndham Hotel Group in Northern India. Convention facilities include 14,000 square feet (1,300 square meters) of banquet space, two multi-function spaces, offering 1,800 square feet (167 square meters) and 2,500 square feet (232 square meters) of space, and 12,000 square feet (1,115 square meters) of outdoor lawn space for events and exhibitions. The hotels will also offer lavish rooms and suites, multiple restaurants, and a spa, health club and pool.