Wyndham bets on luxury with its first high-end brand

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts has decided to throw its hat in the increasingly crowded ring of luxury hotel brands.

On Wednesday, the chain formally introduced its newest -- and most upscale -- brand: Registry Collection Hotels.

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As its name would suggest, this brand is a collection, meaning it will be comprised predominantly of independent hotels united under Wyndham's quality standards and loyalty program.

The first Registry Collection hotel is the Grand Residences Riviera Cancun in Mexico, and other properties are in the pipeline, according to reporting from Skift. The brand's first growth push will center largely around resort properties in the Caribbean and Latin America. However, according to a Skift interview with Leo Danese, vice president of operations at Registry Collection Hotels, the brand is "talking to owners in urban markets and internationally as well."

Registry Collection's growth will be slow and steady. The brand hopes to have between 20 and 25 properties open within the next five years. The lion's share of these will come by way of absorbing existing properties into the collection and via new-build hotels.

The chain's former top brand, Wyndham Grand, is thought more to sit at the higher end of the "upscale" segment, not a true luxury player to compete with the likes of the Park Hyatts, St. Regises and Waldorf Astorias of the world.

Skift reports, "Wyndham saw an opportunity to bring in a high-end brand and was working on its development for years." But, the pandemic accelerated an increase in demand for high-end luxury properties, thanks in large part to already-affluent people saving extra money during the course of the health crisis.

As the Registry Collection grows, it will face steep competition from already-established collection brands from major players in the hotel business, including the Autograph and Luxury Collections from Marriott, Curio Collection and LXR Hotels and Resorts from Hilton, The Unbound Collection and JdV by Hyatt and more.

The Grand Residences Riviera Cancun is bookable today, with rooms starting from about $230 per night or 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points.