Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to Open Office in Greece

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company with approximately 9,100 hotels spanning more than 95 countries, recently announced the opening of an office in Athens, Greece.

Named Wyndham Hellas, the new office will open in July and oversee all aspects of the company’s hotels in Greece, Cyprus, the Balkans, Italy and CIS countries (except Russia).

According to Wyndham Hotels & Resorts President EMEA Dimitris Manikis, the Athens-based Wyndham Hellas will manage more than 120 hotels in the wider region.

“This development will mark the expansion of the company’s brands in Greece,” Manikis said while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a presentation of the five-star Ajul Luxury Hotel & Spa Resort in Halkidiki that recently opened its doors.

The first Wyndham Registry Collection hotel in Europe, the 171-room Ajul is owned and operated by Zeus International Hotels & Resorts, Wyndham’s partner in Greece.

Dimitris Manikis, President EMEA, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

A leading hospitality player, Zeus International is a specialized hotel management company with a portfolio that includes 12 Wyndham-branded hotels in Greece. Wyndham also has a cooperation with another six hotels in Greek destinations, bringing the total number of hotels in its Greece portfolio to 18.

According to Manikis, Wyndham’s goal is to have a presence in Greece with 25 hotels by 2025.

“Greece is a strategically important market for Wyndham,” he said, adding that with the establishment of a corporate office in the country, “the time is right” for Wyndham to shift from opening city hotels in Greece to investing in resorts in Greek mountain areas.

Wyndham’s portfolio in Greece includes the Ramada and Dolce on the Attiki Riviera, the TRYP on Corfu, the Wyndham Grand Crete Mirabello Bay in Lasithi, the Lazart in Thessaloniki, the Ramada in Alexandroupolis, three hotels in Loutraki and the Wyndham Grand Athens, Wyndham Athens Residence and Athens Key Hotel in the capital.

Moreover, Manikis said Wyndham intends to extend its partnership with Zeus International to other countries as well.

Wyndham and Zeus International continue strategic collaboration

Haris Siganos, President and CEO of Zeus International Hotels & Resorts. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

This was echoed by Zeus International CEO Haris Siganos who added that the two companies were exploring the possibilities of acquiring entire portfolios in Europe.

It is reminded that Wyndham and Zeus International recently announced the expansion of their strategic collaboration with a focus on various destinations in Southeast Europe such as Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia.

Referring to the opening of the five-star Ajul in Halkidiki, the first Registry Collection Hotel in Europe, Siganos said the ultra-all-inclusive resort aims to offer “A Zeus experience” to guests.

“Ajul is designed for the future, adapted to the new needs of customers for privacy and socializing at the same time,” Siganos said, adding that plans include the addition of another 99 rooms to the resort, bringing the total number of rooms to 270.

He added that works at Ajul will be completed in the next two years, reaching a total investment of up to 120 million euros.

“This is the most ambitious project of Zeus International,” he said, adding that the Ajul resort it lays the foundations for future joint projects with Wyndham focused on luxury tourism.

“Wyndham is aiming to develop more luxury brands and its collaboration with Zeus marks a new strategy,” he said.

The Ajul Luxury Hotel & Spa Resort, a Registry Collection Hotel. Photo source: Zeus International

The portfolio of Zeus International also includes the Wyndham Nicosia (former Holiday Inn), three hotels in Italy – in Milan, Montovi and on Lake Garda in northern Italy – and three units in Bucharest. According to Siganos, the company’s valuation is at 300 million euros, not including the value of the portfolio’s new hotels that have started operating recently, such as Ajul. Moreover, in the last six years, Zeus International has made investments in the hospitality sector reaching 150 million euros.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts operates a portfolio of 24 hotel brands and 9,150 properties spanning more than 95 countries, 555 of which in the EMEA region. Ninety-eight percent of Wyndham’s hotels operate through franchises. Wyndham also manages the second largest loyalty program in the world and one of the most recognised in the industry. The Wyndham Rewards loyalty program has over 95 million enrolled members around the world.