By James Wilkinson at NZHIC in Auckland
Wyndham’s Knights Inn brand is set to be launched in Australia in the coming months in a move that’s set to add major competition to the economy sector.
Speaking exclusively to HM at the 2017 New Zealand Hotel Industry Conference (NZHIC) in Auckland yesterday (July 20), Wyndham Hotel Group’s President and Managing Director for South East Asia and Pacific Rim, Barry Robinson, revealed discussions were advanced for an imminent launch.
“We are about to get a Knight’s Inn of the ground in Australia,” he said. “It’s an exciting product and the great thing from an hotel owners’ perspective it that it’s flexible, very affordable and has a very attractive agreement that works for both parties.
“It owners an opportunity to try the Knights Inn product out and if it’s not working for them – we are sure that it will be working for them though – they’ve got an easy exit and they’re not locked in for 20 years.”
Robinson first revealed the brand was set to debut down under while on stage at the 2017 Australasian Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition (AHICE) in Melbourne during May.
Knights Inn is Wyndham’s lower economy hotel chain and has over 340 locations across North America.
According to Wyndham, the hotels provide basic overnight accommodations and complimentary continental breakfast for an affordable price. For operators, from first time owners to experienced hoteliers, Wyndham says the brand provides a lower cost of entry and competitive terms while still providing the extensive tools, systems and resources of the Wyndham Hotel Group.
Robinson was talking to HM at NZHIC in Auckland where he revealed the company is set for significant expansion in New Zealand on the back of solid performance across the nation.
“Both the global inbound and trans-Tasman numbers continue to be very strong,” he said. “The New Zealand market is really exploding at the moment.
“We’re wanting to add at least another 10 to 20 hotels here in New Zealand over the next two to three years,” he told HM.
It has been a big week for Wyndham, with the company announcing it was buying the AmericInn hotel brand in the United States for USD$170 million.