Wyndham Hotels and Resorts has signed 100 properties across the US for its new extended-stay brand “Project Echo”.
The concept has a working title of “Project Echo”, standing for “Economy Hotel Opportunity”, and has been under development since summer 2021. The first hotel broke ground in Plano, Texas, earlier this month and Wyndham expects to open the first Project Echo hotels in 2023.
The prototype for the group’s extended stay concept consists of a 124-room purpose-built property occupying just under two acres of land, with a mixture of single and two-queen studio suites with kitchenettes, as well as a fitness centre and guest laundry.
The hotel group has teamed up with Holladay Properties and Gold Coast Premier Properties for recent signings.
Holladay Properties have 25 Project Echo hotels signed in cities across the Midwest as well as Nashville, Savannah, and Jacksonville, while Gold Coast Premier Properties has 10 hotels signed in South Florida and New Jersey.
Chip Ohlsson, executive vice president and chief development officer, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, commented:
“An all new-construction, extended-stay brand developed with leading hotel developers hits the sweet spot with a design aimed to lower costs-to-build and operate, while still capturing the demand for long-term stays. This brand has become Wyndham’s fastest growing in the pipeline already accomplishing our goal of 100 signed by year-end and we expect to continue adding to that total.”
Veronica Garcia, president and chief operating officer of Gold Coast Premier Properties, added:
“We have extensive extended-stay development experience with established brands, yet we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be on the ground floor building a brand together with Wyndham.
“Project Echo’s efficient design paired with access to Wyndham’s negotiated discounts with suppliers will help us reduce costs and simplify operations of our hotels, while introducing a new product to the extended-stay segment.”