PARSIPPANY, NJ, Jun 07 (MARKET WIRE) —
Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN) today announced that its Wyndham Hotel
Group business unit has agreed to acquire the Tryp(R) hotel brand from
Sol Melia Hotels & Resorts.
In addition, Wyndham will enter into a license agreement with the current
91 Tryp hotels located throughout Europe and South America that will
continue to be owned, operated, managed or licensed by Sol Melia. Wyndham
Hotel Group and Sol Melia will form a strategic alliance to work together
to develop the Tryp brand globally and market the hotels cooperatively
through their central reservations systems and loyalty programs.
The brand, expected to be renamed Tryp by Wyndham(R), is a
select-service, midmarket brand representing approximately 13,000 rooms
and caters to business and leisure travelers in cosmopolitan cities
including Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Lisbon, Frankfurt, Buenos Aires, Sao
Paulo and Montevideo.
The acquisition price is approximately $43 million (USD), subject to
adjustments. The all-cash transaction is anticipated to close by the end
of the second quarter, subject to satisfaction of customary closing
conditions. Sol Melia will continue to operate hotels, resorts and
vacation clubs under its seven other owned brands.
“This acquisition reflects our strategy to invest in our fee-for-service
businesses and supplement organic growth with complementary brands,” said
Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and chief executive officer of Wyndham
Worldwide. “The addition of more than 90 high-performing hotels in key
international cities enhances and accelerates the recent development
momentum of the Wyndham Hotel Group. The transaction significantly
increases our international platform, enhancing our growth opportunities,
especially in Europe and Latin America.”
The Tryp by Wyndham brand would join Wyndham Hotel Group and its 11 other
hotel brands, which encompass nearly 7,100 hotels and 593,300 rooms in 65
countries.
“We look forward to adding the Tryp brand to our strong global portfolio
and continuing our working relationship with Sol Melia, a world-renowned
company,” said Wyndham Hotel Group president and chief executive officer,
Eric Danziger. “Sol Melia’s leaders built a family enterprise into a
successful and innovative global hotel company, providing an outstanding
collection of products and services for more than 50 years. We intend to
continue expanding the Tryp brand by utilizing our global development
team to tap the significant growth opportunities across Europe and the
Americas.”
“We selected to work with Wyndham Hotel Group because of the company’s
reputation as a global brand-builder, which will benefit the future of
the Tryp brand,” said Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, vice chairman and chief
executive officer of Sol Melia. “We are proud to have nurtured this
successful brand for the last 10 years. Now, this alliance will help Tryp
become a truly global hotel brand by creating long-term synergies between
our companies to boost Tryp Hotels to the next level.”
Wyndham Worldwide retained Kirkland & Ellis LLP and DLA Piper LLP (US)
for corporate legal services related to this transaction.
About Wyndham Hotel Group
Wyndham Hotel Group encompasses nearly 7,100 hotels and 593,300 rooms in
65 countries under the hotel brands: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts(R),
Wingate(R) by Wyndham, Hawthorn Suites(R) by Wyndham, Ramada(R), Days
Inn(R), Super 8(R), Baymont Inn & Suites(R), Microtel Inns & Suites(R),
Howard Johnson(R), Travelodge(R) and Knights Inn(R).
All hotels are independently owned and operated excluding certain Wyndham
and international Ramada hotels which are managed by an affiliate or
through a joint venture partner. Wyndham Hotel Group is based in
Parsippany, N.J. Additional information is available at
www.wyndhamworldwide.com.
About Sol Melia
Sol Melia was founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain and is one of
the world’s largest resort hotel chains, as well as Spain’s leading hotel
chain in both the business and leisure markets. It currently provides
more than 300 hotels in 26 countries on 4 continents under the brands:
Gran Melia, Melia, ME by Melia, Innside by Melia, Tryp, Sol, Paradisus
and Sol Melia Vacation Club.
Sol Melia is the only travel company included in the exclusive
“FTSE4GoodIbex” Spanish stock market index and is a signatory of the
United Nations Global Compact. In 2008 the company approved its Global
Sustainability Policy and in 2009 it was named the first “Biosphere Hotel
Company” by the Responsible Tourism Institute, supported by UNESCO. That
same year the company was also awarded the Prince Felipe Award for
Tourism Excellence for the second time.
The company currently employs more than 33,000 people worldwide with
staff from over 90 different countries. The company respects equal rights
and balance in its contracting of male and female staff and 10% of its
workforce is made up of immigrants. For more information, visit
www.solmelia.com.
About Wyndham Worldwide
As one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, Wyndham Worldwide
offers individual consumers and business-to-business customers a broad
suite of hospitality products and services across various accommodation
alternatives and price ranges through its premier portfolio of
world-renowned brands. Wyndham Hotel Group encompasses nearly 7,100
franchised hotels and approximately 593,300 hotel rooms worldwide.
Wyndham Exchange & Rentals offers leisure travelers, including its 3.8
million members, access to over 65,000 vacation properties located in
approximately 100 countries. Wyndham Vacation Ownership develops, markets
and sells vacation ownership interests and provides consumer financing to
owners through its network of over 155 vacation ownership resorts serving
over 820,000 owners throughout North America, the Caribbean and the South
Pacific. Wyndham Worldwide, headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., employs
approximately 25,000 employees globally.
For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit the Company’s
web site at www.wyndhamworldwide.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the
meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, conveying management’s expectations for the future, which are
based on plans, estimates and projections at the time the Company makes
the statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual
results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed
or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking
statements contained in this press release include statements related to
the closing of the transaction discussed in this release and the
performance of the acquired business.
You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
in the forward-looking statements include general economic conditions,
the economic environment for the hospitality industry, the impact of war
and terrorist activity, operating risks associated with the hotel
business, risks associated with acquisitions, especially international
transactions, as well as those described in the Company’s Annual Report
on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 19, 2010 and the Company’s
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2010, in
each case including under such headings as “Risk Factors”, and in other
filings and furnishings made by the Company with the SEC from time to
time. Except for the Company’s ongoing obligations to disclose material
information under the federal securities laws, it undertakes no
obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking
statements, to report events or to report the occurrence of unanticipated
events.
Media Contact:
Evy Apostolatos
Director, Media Relations
Wyndham Hotel Group
22 Sylvan Way
Parsippany NJ 07054
+1 (973) 753-6590
Evy.Apostolatos@wyndhamworldwide.com
Investor Contact:
Margo C. Happer
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations
Wyndham Worldwide Corporation
(973) 753-6472
Margo.Happer@wyndhamworldwide.com
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