Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is growing its presence in the all-inclusive segment in the Americas, thanks to a new partnership announced today with Bogota, Colombia-based Decameron All Inclusive Hotels and Resorts. The agreement will add nine hotels and more than 2,600 rooms to Wyndham’s portfolio.
The agreement includes five properties in Mexico, three in Jamaica and one in Panama. All will retain their existing Decameron branding. Grand Decameron hotels are joining the Wyndham Trademark Collection portfolio, and the others will be branded as Ramada All Inclusive Resorts. Guests who stay at the properties will be able to partake in benefits of the Wyndham Rewards program.
The change, which is fully enacted today, includes properties ranging in size, from the 146-room Decameron Isla Coral Guayabitos, Ramada All Inclusive Resort in Nayarit, Mexico, to the 852-room Royal Decameron Panama, a Trademark All Inclusive Resort in Rio Hato, Panama.
To get the inside scoop on what the new partnership means for travelers and travel advisors, TravelAge West spoke with Jimena Faena, vice president of Latin America marketing and brand operations for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
Decameron Los Cocos Guayabitos, a Ramada All Inclusive Resort, is about an hour away from Puerto Vallarta.
Credit: 2024 Wyndham Hotels & ResortsWhat is Wyndham’s goal with the new partnership with Decameron All Inclusive Hotels & Resorts?
Our mission at Wyndham is to make hotel travel possible for all — in every segment at every price point, we should have a hotel and an incredible experience globally, so looking for growth [to that end] is our goal. The all-inclusive segment is one that we see as a great opportunity, because it's the type of vacation that more travelers are choosing around the world, and mainly in in our region. Decameron hotels offers possibilities in the middle-scale segment to deliver great vacations with international hotel standards, under the brands Ramada and Trademark Collection.
Are any changes being made at the Decameron properties that are part of the agreement?
The changes are mainly to fit with international brand standards that Wyndham has, and mainly it's operational. The properties don’t need to be renovated; they're very good products and they fit perfectly with both brands.
Decameron has been around for decades in Latin America and the Caribbean, but some U.S. travelers and advisors may not be familiar with it. What should they know about the Decameron positioning and experience?
Decameron has a great product of all-inclusive vacations in great locations, with a very [attractive] combination of food and beverage, entertainment and hotel accommodations, at a very good price point. I think that that’s one point we have in common; we have 24 brands in different segments, but in our essence, we look to democratize travel. Decameron has figured out the perfect combination for a great all-inclusive vacation at a very approachable price point.
Jimena Faena, vice president of Latin America marketing and brand operations for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Credit: 2024 Wyndham Hotels & ResortsHow are your all-inclusive offerings with Decameron different from your other all-inclusive brands, like Viva by Wyndham and Wyndham Alltra?
We have a Wyndham all-inclusive portfolio, and there you can see that we have different segments. We have from middle to luxury. In the middle we have now the Decameron properties that are coming under Ramada and Trademark Collection brands. Then we have our Viva by Wyndham; they’re in the midscale all-inclusive segment. Then we have the upper midscale, and there we can find the Wyndham Alltra properties; it’s a brand that’s only for all-inclusive resorts.
Next, we have our upscale and upper-upscale hotels: the Wyndham Grand in Cancun, the Wyndham Grand in Barbados and then our Registry Collection brand, where you can find the Grand Palladium and TRS All Inclusive Resorts.
Decameron has a portfolio of more than two dozen hotels. Is there a possibility that Wyndham might add more Decameron properties to its partnership?
It’s not something that’s decided, but both companies see opportunities to continue growing. This is our first step in the partnership, phase one.
What is Wyndham’s long-term goal for the all-inclusive segment?
Our goal is to be number one — we have the advantage, the strength and the experience to do it.
