US: BOLD by Wyndham Hotels has signed deals for 18 hotels including 10 under its newly launched ECHO Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham brand.
BOLD by Wyndham, which stands for Black Owners and Lodging Developers, was established to engage and advance black hoteliers by addressing the challenges faced by black entrepreneurs through the scale, relationships and resources of Wyndham.
Galen Barrett, vice president of strategic development, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts said: “There’s an immense gap when it comes to the representation of black hotel owners, which is why it’s crucial that players like Wyndham find and champion new opportunities to drive diversity. With agreements for nearly 20 hotels in our pipeline, BOLD by Wyndham is proving there is opportunity in our industry for black entrepreneurs and that our industry will be all the better for it.”
Among the hotels currently in the BOLD by Wyndham pipeline, 10 are affiliated with Wyndham’s newly launched ECHO Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham brand. Twin brothers Dubi and Chuchu Ajukwu, co-managing partners of VANA Partners, are behind the deal. They never intended to invest in the hospitality industry until they entered the growing extended-stay sector with ECHO Suites.
Dubi Ajukwu said: “Chuchu and I are well-versed in the worlds of residential and commercial real estate and for years, our vision was to build a company leveraging our institutional experience in those sectors. That vision still holds true but has since evolved to have extended stay and hospitality at its center. Participating in BOLD by Wyndham has not only enabled us to break into competitive markets with immense growth potential but also allowed us to leverage the scale and resources of the world’s largest hotel franchising company.”
