Hotel Giant Wyndham continues growth in Turkey

Dimitris Manikis, the Chairperson for the hotel giant Wyndham has confirmed that the company remains focused on increasing their international presence in Turkey. During an interview, Manikis said: “After introducing our La Quinta brand in Turkey at the end of 2019, we opened two new La Quinta properties in Bodrum and Giresun during the summer.”

New hotels in Turkey

In the next three years, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts are looking to open 12 more hotels in Turkey. Speaking about this, Manikis explained: “We remain committed to adding new properties to our current portfolio of over 80 hotels in Turkey. We are continuously working with new and existing partners to further expand our presence across the regions of the country.”

Coronavirus and tourism in Turkey

There is no doubt that one of the hardest hit industries by the coronavirus is tourism, as the pandemic brought worldwide travel to a standstill. Turkey relies heavily on tourism and as such, the pandemic has hit the country hard. Fortunately, tourism has picked up again over the past few months as lockdown measures have been lifted and flights resumed once more.

The government introduced various ways to support the travel industry. Manikis said that any support is welcomed, particularly as the challenges COVID-19 has brought are immense. He went on to say: “The recovery is going to be a journey, a real marathon. For some it will be quicker, for others it will take longer. As we build our way back our focus is on safety and our important relationships with our guests, our team members, and our hotel owners. It is about rebuilding confidence in travel and letting guests know that we will be here to welcome them when they are ready to travel again.”

Occupancy rates in Turkey

June saw visitors returning from Turkey from various European countries including Russia, Ukraine, and the UK. According to STR data, from June to August this year hotel occupancy ranged from 21% to 42%. Manikis said: “Despite some hotel closures still in place during some of this period, on average our hotel occupancy slightly outperformed the trend.”

2020 and beyond

There are plenty of reasons for the travel industry to be optimistic, however there is still a certain amount of uncertainty about how long it will be before the industry sees significant changes to the current travel trends. Manikis explained: “Tourism is a highly interconnected industry with many factors and developments in some countries affecting other regions as well.”

Best practices at the Wyndham

The aim of the Wyndham is to make travel available and possible for everyone. Due to this, the hotel chain is working tirelessly to ensure best practices and continue to build confidence with the guests and provide support to their partners.

Manikis explained that, “We introduced our Count on Us initiative to EMEA earlier this year. This long-term and multi-faceted initiative includes the consistent use of top-of-the-range disinfectants at all hotels, the introduction of robust new training and guidelines, ongoing access to critical health essentials through trusted suppliers, as well as supporting out hotel partners to comply with natural regulations around COVID-19, among others.”