'No better time to be in India than now'

Wyndham, the world's largest hotel franchising company, will launch its first luxury hotel in India with the opening of the Wyndham Grand in Udaipur next year, and the chain is also considering 'strategic alliances' with white label operators to boost its presence in the country and bring in more brands, said Dimitris Manikis, president for Europe, the Middle East, Eurasia, and Africa (EMEA), Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, in an interview.

The chain has also appointed Shailender Singh as the market managing director for Eurasia. Wyndham has 60 operational hotels in India, with 45 hotels in the pipeline. Wyndham's upcoming hotel openings for this year include new properties in Srinagar, Nainital, Ayodhya, Vrindavan and Wayanad.

"This is India's decade and Wyndham has to be one of the key players in India's hospitality sector. There is no better time to be in India than now," said Manikis.


"A lot of international CEOs talk about India as a great opportunity. In the last quarter, most of the Wall Street listed companies spoke about India when they spoke to analysts whereas in the past it was only about China. Now, India has become a discussion point when people talk about the growth of the hospitality sector," he added.

Manikis said alliances with white label operators will not only support its owners with professional management, but will also help in bringing new brands to India. "In India we currently have seven brands. We have 25 brands globally and there are more brands that can be developed in the country. Wyndham Grand is our luxury five-star brand. We are also bringing in the Wyndham Garden brand to India," he added.