Coming on the heels of last year's deal to franchise Planet Hollywood hotels, Wyndham Hotel Group has followed with a similar arrangement with Chatwal Hotels & Resorts for exclusive rights to franchise and manage its Dream and Night boutique hotel brands globally.
The two brands help fill out Wyndham's diverse brand offerings with Night, an “affordably chic” limited- or full-service option, and the Dream brand positioned as a full-service lifestyle brand for gateway cities and resorts.
The two new brands fill a niche in the portfolio, says Eric Danziger, Wyndham Hotel Group president and CEO. “These design-driven, destination-within-a-destination brands are favored by travelers who crave an avant-garde yet cosmopolitan experience.”
The brands help Wyndham fill the needs of diverse developers and franchisees with offerings like Super 8 and Days Inn in the economy segment to Wingate and Ramada in the middle, the broad Wyndham brand and now Dream at the top upscale and above segments.
New York-based Chatwal Hotels & Resorts owns and manages 10 hotels, including the 216-room Dream New York in midtown Manhattan, the 72-room Night Hotel in Manhattan, the 195-room Dream Hotel Bangkok and the 151-room Dream Cochin in India. The 108-room Art-Deco inspired Dream South Beach (Miami) is under construction and scheduled to open early this year, while a Dream hotel in New York's Meatpacking District is planned for later this year.
A Wyndham spokesperson confirms that Chatwal will continue to manage the existing and under construction locations of the two brands, but Wyndham's systems — reservations, global sales, marketing and more — will eventually be integrated into those properties.
Sant Singh Chatwal, chairman and CEO of Chatwal and its management arm Hampshire Hotels & Resorts, says Wyndham will further develop the brands by leveraging the distribution system, loyalty program and more. Chatwal continues to own the brand trademarks and intellectual property.
“The relationship with Wyndham will unlock the true potential of our Dream and Night brands, which have proven their success in key markets like New York and Bangkok during the last six years and are prime to further expand globally,” says Chatwal. “Working with industry colleagues like Eric to leverage Wyndham Hotel Group's scale and reputation as a global brand leader will benefit the future of these inspired brands.”
Wyndham plans to develop the Night brand in primary and secondary markets in full- and limited service models that could also be adapted from existing exterior-corridor hotels. Properties will feature ground floor “living areas” and innovations like guest DJs in lounges, discounts for guests with hybrid and electronic cars and gourmet quick-service food and beverage offerings.
Dream will be developed as a full-service lifestyle brand for gateway cities and resort locations. The brand will have a light-hearted personality. Vivid visuals, progressive designs and local food and beverage offerings will highlight the brand with the tagline: “It's your dream, we provide the room service.” According to the company, the hotel is similar to luxury brands, with a casual approach
In Progress: Lacoste Creates Flagship on Fifth Avenue
DEVELOPER: RFR
LOCATION: 608 Fifth Avenue, New York City
BUZZ: Sports apparel retailer Lacoste is expanding and jazzing up its ground floor presence on Fifth Avenue to create a flagship store. It will also carve out space on the second floor at the corner of 49th Street. Lacoste leases the space from RFR, a privately held, Manhattan-based developer and owner.
SIZE: 9,955 sq. ft., including 1,029 sq. ft. of added space on the ground floor
PROJECTED COMPLETION: Summer 2011