American hospitality giant Wyndham sees big opportunity in India’s new hoteliers
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. American hospitality chain Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is betting on India’s next generation of hotel developers to drive its future growth. As younger, first-time owners enter the industry with a preference for greater control, the world’s largest hotel franchisor sees a chance to expand without the traditional costs of managing or owning properties.
Wyndham Hotels' chief executive Geoffrey A. Ballotti, who is in India for a hospitality summit by HVS Anarock HOPE 2025 in Goa, told Mint that the desire among the new crop of local hotel owners to have greater control over their business is transforming the company’s India strategy. "These new hotel owners want more control of their hotels, unlike those that have worked with traditional management contracts.
They don't need a big, expensive third-party management company to run their hotels now, they want to run their own businesses," he said. This approach has already helped Wyndham nearly double its footprint in India—from 35 in seven years to almost 70 operational hotels—and expand its development pipeline from a dozen to over 50 in the coming years, with most new properties in the midscale and above categories. In a hotel franchise business, owners pay to use a brand’s name, while a management contract involves hiring a company to oversee hotel operations for a share of the revenue.
At the heart of its India push, he said, is the belief that the country’s infrastructure boom will unlock massive demand for quality, affordable hotels. "Think about driving down the highways and byways of India and compare the availability of quality, affordable, clean, new hotels with other countries like China, Thailand, or the US," Ballotti said. With
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