Wyndham gives name to extended-stay brand

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has unveiled the name of its 24th brand, ECHO Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham.
Officially the fastest-growing brand in Wyndham’s development pipeline, the brand has 120 hotels in its pipeline across the U.S. (as of Sept. 30), well ahead of the company’s previously shared end-of-year goal.

In six short months, ECHO Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham has secured its place as the fastest growing brand in our development pipeline, highlighting continued, robust demand from both travelers and developers for budget-friendly, extended stay offerings,” said Geoff Ballotti, president/CEO, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “Imagined and designed from day one with the constant input, review and oversight of many of our nation’s most experienced extended-stay developers, ECHO Suites was engineered with one specific goal in mind: creating an ROI-driven prototype that is as cost-efficient to build as it is to operate.”

ECHO Suites was crafted to help maximize efficiencies and reduce operating costs, all while providing a “home away from home” optimized for longer-term guests, the company reports.

Ballotti added, “More than ever, travelers today are looking for value, especially long-term guests booking extended stays. At the same time, they want a space that looks and feels like them. A space that’s well-designed and inviting. We believe if you can give them that, they will come back, night after night, stay after stay. That’s what ECHO Suites is all about: giving guests a great extended stay experience, at a great price, so that, like an echo, they repeat it, over and over again.”

Following the ground break of its first hotel in Plano, TX with Dallas-based Gulf Coast Hotel Management this past September, ECHO Suites today broke ground on its second and third hotels in Sterling, VA, and Richmond, VA. Both hotels are being developed by Richmond-based Sandpiper Hospitality, one of the brand’s first and largest developers.

“From the very beginning, Wyndham has proven itself to be an owners-first organization, prioritizing developers so they could not only understand our needs, but appreciate what makes this segment different from others in the industry,” said Carter Rise, founder/CEO, The Sandpiper Group of Companies. “That fact, combined with the continuous support and accessibility of the leadership team at Wyndham, is why we’re breaking ground today on our first two of 27 planned ECHO Suites hotels.”

The purpose-built, new-construction, 124-room ECHO Suites prototype requires just under two acres of land and has a highly competitive cost per key, according to Wyndham. Coming in at approximately 50,000 sq. ft.—nearly 74% of which is rentable—individual rooms average 300 sq.-ft. The rooms consist of single- and two-queen studio suites with kitchenettes as well as efficiently designed public spaces—a lobby, fitness center and 24/7 guest laundry—that help to limit labor needs.