Wyndham accelerates hotel expansion across EMEA

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has accelerated its expansion across Europe, the Middle East, Eurasia and Africa, signing 25 hotels and opening 13 properties during the first half of 2026.
The additions have taken Wyndham’s regional network to more than 750 hotels and over 99,000 rooms. The scale reinforces EMEA’s position as an important growth market for the world’s largest hotel franchising company by property count.
Expansion has been driven by demand for experience-led holidays, branded accommodation and destinations beyond established tourism gateways. Wyndham is targeting secondary cities, pilgrimage centres, infrastructure corridors and markets where international hotel brands remain underrepresented.
Türkiye, India, Central Asia and the Gulf have emerged as key areas of activity. The company is also pursuing opportunities across the Commonwealth of Independent States, where improving transport links and greater international interest are supporting hotel development.
Wyndham’s strategy reflects a broader change in travel patterns. Guests are combining traditional tourism centres with smaller cities and culturally distinctive destinations. Domestic travel has also remained resilient across several regional markets, while governments continue to invest in airports, railways, roads and tourism infrastructure.
The Middle East remains central to the company’s expansion plans. Wyndham signed five projects across the UAE and Saudi Arabia during the six-month period. Its operational portfolio across the Middle East and Pakistan has reached 80 hotels with 12,885 rooms.
Saudi Arabia’s tourism transformation is creating opportunities for international operators as the kingdom develops leisure destinations, entertainment districts and religious tourism facilities. Wyndham has previously outlined plans with local partners to expand its Super 8 brand significantly across Saudi Arabia and the wider region.
The UAE continues to attract hotel investment through strong international arrivals, aviation connectivity and the growth of leisure and business travel. Development is extending beyond established districts as investors explore opportunities in mixed-use projects, residential communities and emerging tourism locations.
India accounted for 11 new signings during the first half, making it one of Wyndham’s largest development markets. The company now has more than 150 properties operating or under development across the country.
New agreements cover destinations including Vrindavan, Jaipur and Khajuraho Airport Road. Wyndham is seeking to benefit from rising demand in pilgrimage centres, heritage destinations and cities gaining improved road, rail and air connectivity.
The group opened Ramada Encore by Wyndham Ayodhya, strengthening its presence in a major spiritual tourism market. It also expanded in Nepal with the opening of Ramada by Wyndham Itahari Pashupati Marg.
Wyndham executives have identified infrastructure investment, middle-class mobility and resilient domestic tourism as important forces behind development. A large share of its signings has come from ownership groups joining the Wyndham system for the first time, indicating growing interest among regional developers in international franchising platforms.
Franchise operators can provide owners with reservation systems, loyalty programmes, marketing support and access to international distribution networks. Such capabilities have become more valuable as independent hotels face rising operating costs, digital competition and changing guest expectations.
Wyndham operates 25 brands spanning economy, midscale, upscale, extended-stay and luxury segments. Its regional strategy includes established names such as Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Wyndham Garden, Wyndham Grand and the Trademark Collection.
The company is using that range to pursue different types of development, including conversions of existing hotels, newly built properties, mixed-use schemes and branded residences. Conversions can offer faster market entry because existing properties may be adapted to brand standards without the longer timetable required for construction.
Globally, Wyndham’s development pipeline reached more than 2,200 hotels and about 261,000 rooms at the end of June, rising 4 per cent from a year earlier after excluding properties connected to the insolvency of European franchisee Revo Hospitality Group.
About 69 per cent of the pipeline is in the midscale and higher categories, while 17 per cent is in extended-stay accommodation. New construction represents roughly 78 per cent of planned rooms, although only about 35 per cent of those projects have broken ground.