Newest Hotel in Welsh Capital Will Join Wyndham Hotels and Resorts Brand

By: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | 0 Shares 114 Reads

March 23, 2010 // Franchising.com // PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Wyndham Hotel Group, the world's largest hotel company with more than 7,100 hotels and 11 brands, today announced an agreement with CHI Hotels & Resorts of Malta, its joint-venture management partner in EMEA, to operate a new, 200-room upscale hotel to be constructed along the waterfront in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.

The £60 million Wyndham Cardiff hotel, now under development by Bayscape Limited, a privately owned development company led by Christopher Odling-Smee and Drew McDonald, is expected to open during the spring of 2013. Once completed, the 32-story, 127-meter-high structure will be the tallest hotel in Wales.

The hotel will feature an additional 35 serviced apartments, 3,600 square meters of function space, an indoor pool, sauna, whirlpool, fitness center, spa, two restaurants and three bars including a health bar, café and signature bar and restaurant on the 24th and 25th floors that will provide panoramic views of the bay and the city. The site is adjacent to Cardiff Marine Group's 350-berth marina in the heart of the International Sports Village.

The project also will include 100 residential units, shops, offices and businesses, many of which will overlook the marina and the adjacent Cardiff International White Water (CIWW) center that opens this week. The project will connect with the Pont y Werin footbridge and link with a 10.5k-meter circuit of the bay edge walkway.

Jeff Wagoner, president of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, noted that this will be the third Wyndham® branded hotel in Europe, joining the brand's Wyndham Grand London Chelsea Harbour in London and Wyndham Apollo Hotel Amsterdam.

"This magnificent project in a prime location demonstrates our ability to provide the right hotel solutions for our partners," he said. "The strength of the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand, coupled with the management expertise of CHI, will result in world-class service and accommodations for the growing business and leisure market in Cardiff."

The Wyndham Hotel Group portfolio in Europe now includes 234 hotels that span the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Days Inn®, Howard Johnson®, Ramada®, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham® and Wyndham-affiliated Corinthia® brands.

Chris Odling-Smee said the hotel development will complete the work started with Cardiff Marina and Cardiff Marine Village by diversifying the land use alongside other Bayscape projects to provide the city with a dynamic, mixed-use space.

"The Wyndham Cardiff property will be a leading destination in the bay designed to complement the marina's facilities, neighboring white-water rafting and canoe center as well as the International Sports Village as a whole," he said. We are delighted to join the growing Wyndham family and to bring high-end accommodations to this burgeoning city."

Cardiff, the largest and most populous city in Wales, is a commercial center and base for national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh news media and National Assembly. It also is the most popular tourism destination in Wales, attracting 11.7 million visitors in 2009.

The Wyndham Cardiff hotel will offer guests private river bus rides to the city centre and will be a 10-minute drive from Millennium Stadium, St. David's shopping center, the financial district of Callaghan Square, the Welsh Assembly, Mermaid Quay and the Millennium Centre.

Hotel guests will be able to take advantage of the Wyndham brand's guest recognition program, Wyndham ByRequest®, which offers complimentary benefits including free high-speed Internet access, choice of welcome snack and beverage, preferred pillow type, express check-in, guaranteed late check-out, local and long-distance calls, best available room upon arrival, photocopies, faxes and online receipts.

Members also earn Wyndham Rewards® points, which can be redeemed for free hotel stays, airline tickets, name-brand merchandise and dining and shopping gift cards, among other options. In lieu of points, members may elect to earn airline or rail miles with a variety of carriers.

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC and its affiliates offer upscale hotel and resort accommodations throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, China and the Caribbean. All Wyndham hotels are either franchised or managed by the company or managed through a joint-venture partner.

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts is part of Wyndham Hotel Group, one of three business units within Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN), which encompasses more than 7,100 hotels and 597,000 rooms in 67 countries under the hotel brands: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Ramada®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Wingate® by Wyndham, Baymont Inn & Suites®, Microtel Inns & Suites®, Hawthorn Suites® by Wyndham, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® (USA and Canada only) and Knights Inn®. Wyndham Hotel Group is based in Parsippany, N.J. with offices around the globe including Hammersmith in the U.K.

CHI Hotels & Resorts is a leading hotel management company that provides a full range of technical assistance and management services to hotel owners worldwide. CHI is the exclusive operator and developer of the luxury Corinthia Hotels brand and the exclusive operator of the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and Ramada Plaza brands in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.