Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is expanding franchisee relief measures by reducing breakfast requirements for its economy brands. These changes, which were revealed at Wyndham’s spring conference with North American franchisees, can help substantially reduce breakfast expenses for economy owners.
The move is designed to help its owners manage costs and operate more efficiently while continuing to provide the high level of service guests expect as travel begins to return, the company reports. The new economy breakfast guidelines build on previous Wyndham franchisee relief measures that began in March 2020 and included multiple fee waivers and extensions, as well as access to hospital-grade cleaning and safety products at reduced prices when these items were difficult to source early in the pandemic.
“We’ve always taken an owner-first approach to support our hotels,” said Scott LePage, president, the Americas, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “Since the pandemic began, we’ve worked alongside our franchisees to help them step up their health, safety and service protocols to meet today’s guest expectations, and we are continually looking for even more ways to assist. Over the past two decades, the creeping cost of a free breakfast has had an impact on hotel profitability, particularly in the economy segment. The modifications we announced this week are based on extensive feedback from our owners, franchise advisory councils and most importantly, the guests we’ve surveyed on what they value most during their stay. They are changes that will help our owners reduce their operational costs while enabling them to continue to deliver on our Safe Stay initiatives and brand standards our guests most appreciate, while providing Wyndham’s best-in-class ‘Count on Me’ service.”
For the more than 3,000 Days Inn by Wyndham, Howard Johnson by Wyndham and Super 8 by Wyndham hotels in the U.S., the new breakfast requirements—which go into effect July 1—have been simplified to include upgraded coffee and juice beverages, plus one prepackaged food item such as a granola bar or breakfast pastry. Travelodge by Wyndham, one of the company’s other economy brands, will continue offering 24-hour beverage service.
For its economy brand Microtel by Wyndham, as well as its midscale and upper-midscale brands, Wyndham is currently evaluating breakfast options with a similar goal of reducing costs while maintaining guest satisfaction. Current COVID-related restrictions around breakfast remain in place for these hotels.
The company will closely monitor guest feedback related to the changes and will be prepared to make adjustments as necessary. Hotels interested in offering a more robust breakfast will have the discretion to adjust their breakfast offerings as desired.
Also at this week’s “Count on Wyndham” virtual spring brand meetings, company leadership shared recovery strategies, tools and resources with thousands of North American franchisees to help them recover faster. The company provided supplier discounts it secured from vendors thanks to the purchasing power of the Wyndham portfolio of hotels; detailed the investments it is making in technology, sales and marketing to help owners generate and optimize revenue; and offered examples of how Wyndham’s owner-first value proposition makes it an attractive option for hoteliers looking to expand their portfolios.