Some 18 months into the pandemic and one major restructuring exercise redefining the Asia Pacific division later, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' regional leader Joon Aun Ooi remains "fully confident" in the long-term prospects for the region.
The key? People matter, and playing the long game.
"Hotels are a long-term investment, so while the pandemic has impacted the industry...there is plenty of optimism that markets will recover quickly when travel resumes," says Ooi, pointing to 2020's opening of more than 125 new hotels in APAC and another 180 (40%) earmarked for this year.
By 2025, Wyndham will reach 2,000 hotels across Asia Pacific's 20 markets — a combination of Greater China, South East Asia and the Pacific Rim sub-regions.
Of these, more than 20 are in the pipeline for Thailand, and Vietnam will triple its portfolio from eight to more than 20 by 2024.
As the fastest recovering market from the pandemic, Greater China is high on Wyndham's radar, with some 100 hotels slated for 2021.
"While international travel is still restricted, the vast domestic tourism sector has boosted China’s hotels and allowed performance to return to pre-pandemic levels. Our hotels and resorts located in Sanya, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Xian are performing particularly well."
As well, having introduced five new brands to six new markets during his role as president and managing director for the Southeast Asia and Pacific Rim in 2018 prepared Joon Aun to launch Microtel by Wyndham in Tianjin, China — the first of six more to come in 2021, as well as New Zealand’s first La Quinta by Wyndham last year, and TRYP by Wyndham coming soon.
Stepping up in the middle of the pandemic last June (adding Greater China into his portfolio) had its challenges, including refreshing Wyndham's mobile app, and enhancing digital capabilities such as contactless payments and check-in solutions.
But it's the people who drove the change.
"Our team members have continued their optimism and dedication to the business", says Joon Aun, who also points out the "strong opportunity in loyalty," where Wyndham Rewards has been a significant driver for repeat bookings at the hotels.
"The biggest takeaway from the last 18 months is the need to be agile and adaptable in an unpredictable world. We must listen and understand what’s happening on the ground, tailor our strategies and make sound decisions that will ultimately benefit our owners and partners.
"As soon as restrictions are eased, I am sure that we will experience a strong rebound in all sectors of the market. Hotels will need to continue being innovative and creating new packages and services to cater to their guests in an ever-changing world."