India plays central role in our international strategy: Wyndham Hotels

India remains a priority market and central to the long-term international strategy of New Jersey-headquartered Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the franchise chain's top leadership said on Wednesday.

 

“It consistently ranks among our top markets for new hotel signings and contributes meaningfully to the overall performance of the Eurasia region. The fundamentals here are compelling,” Rahool Macarius, market managing director — Eurasia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said, referring to the sustained demand-supply gap in the market.

 

This under-penetration, combined with a “young, mobile population and improving connectivity, gives us a long runway for sustainable growth. From a global perspective, India is also becoming increasingly important as an outbound travel market,” he added.

 

The chain is progressing towards the 100-hotel milestone in the country, with over 50 hotels in the pipeline across various stages of development.

 

“Brand expansion is a key pillar of our India strategy, but it is being approached in a calibrated manner. While the midscale segment continues to be our backbone and growth engine, we are now accelerating our presence in the upscale and premium segments to meet evolving traveller expectations,” Macarius added.

 

This expansion is being led by emerging cities and regional hubs that are benefiting from new airports, highways, and rail connectivity, as well as spiritual destinations that offer year-round demand.

 

“This diversified presence allows us to balance demand across segments and geographies while maintaining resilience,” he added.

 

“It is encouraging that this growth has been steady and resilient, driven largely by domestic travel demand and our deep penetration into tier-two and tier-three markets,” he further said, adding that occupancies have remained healthy and room rates have continued to firm up.

 

Speaking about the inbound tourism market, he said that while domestic travellers currently account for over 75 per cent of their demand, the return of international travellers adds depth and diversity to the market.

 

“To further strengthen inbound tourism, continued focus is needed on improving air connectivity to secondary cities, simplifying visa processes, and promoting India more cohesively across global markets beyond traditional circuits,” he said.