Wyndham Debuts New Brands Overseas; First Prince Akatoki Opens

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Brands are making their debuts overseas, including Microtel and Wyndham Garden from Wyndham, and the first Prince Akatoki. Here’s a look:

The Prince Akatoki London Opens

The Prince Akatoki London, the inaugural luxury hotel under the newly launched Prince Akatoki global brand, recently officially opened.

Located on Great Cumberland Place in Marylebone, the luxury hotel, formerly The Arch London, now welcomes guests after a multimillion-pound refurbishment. The hotel blends a refined Japanese aesthetic with a unique sense of Western heritage, creating a one-of-a-kind urban sanctuary.

“We are delighted to announce we have opened The Prince Akatoki London,” said Takashi Goto, president/CEO, Seibu Holdings. “This new global brand name bares our flagship brand ‘The Prince’ of Prince Hotels and aims to raise the awareness of Prince Hotels by making full use of the brand value of Prince Hotels in Japan. Akatoki is an old expression of Akatsuki, meaning sunrise, before dawn, a new beginning and speaks to a new time for Prince Hotels and Resorts, reflecting our international growth of the business.”

Interbrand Australia, together with London-based B3 Designers, applied The Prince Akatoki brand design principles—natural light, tranquillity, modern Japanese culture and minimalism—to the existing building layout. The hotel includes 82 guestrooms and suites; TOKii, a Japanese-inspired restaurant; The Malt Lounge & Bar, a late-night destination.

Wyndham Garden to Make Australian Debut in Brisbane

Wyndham has unveiled plans to introduce its Wyndham Garden brand to Australia with the signing of a new hotel in Brisbane.

The 120-room Wyndham Garden Suites Spring Hill Brisbane, scheduled to open in September 2021, will have a collection of suites for guests on both short and extended stays in the city. The new-build hotel is owned by Image Developments and will operate under a franchise agreement with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

“We are thrilled to debut Wyndham Garden—one of our fastest growing brands—in one of Wyndham’s most important markets,” said Joon Aun Ooi, president/managing director, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, South East Asia and Pacific Rim. “Brisbane’s tourism industry is booming (with visitor expenditure surging 10% in the year ending March 2019, including an impressive 15% jump in international revenues), making this the perfect time to add our third brand in the city. The launch of Wyndham Garden will give even more options to domestic and international guests traveling to Australia and we look forward to expanding to even more destinations nationwide.”

Microtel by Wyndham Brand Opens in China

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has debuted its Microtel by Wyndham brand in China with the opening of the 192-room Microtel by Wyndham Guiyang.

Located in the heart of Guiyang, in Southwest China’s Guizhou province, the opening marks a key milestone for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as it continues to aggressively expand its presence across China, introducing new brands and hotels to key primary and secondary markets.

“Since 2015, Wyndham has successfully introduced four new brands to the China market,” said Leo Liu, president/managing director of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in Greater China. “With inbound and domestic tourism in China rising year over year, this creates tremendous opportunity for brands like Microtel, which is purpose-built for the needs of today’s modern travelers, particularly millennials, with stylish rooms and efficient, tech-centric amenities.”

The newly-built hotel is situated in building 4 of the International Finance Center in the Guanshanhu District. The 21-floor hotel is in Guiyang’s core financial district, and a 10-minute walk from the Ecological Conference Center and five-minute walk from the nearby metro station. Offering sweeping city views, it is the first intelligent hotel in Guiyang thanks to in-room voice automation, which allows guests to control lighting, temperature and the television, and check weather conditions and traffic patterns by speaking to a small, tabletop device.

A self-check-in and check-out kiosk is available for an accelerated arrival and exit experience. The kiosk supports fast electronic payment through scanning a QR code.

In addition to one all-day dining restaurant, the hotel has two meeting facilities that cater to 50 and 100 guests, respectively. Additionally, complimentary laundry and free access to the gym are available for every staying guest.

Wyndham already has plans to continue expanding Microtel’s footprint across Greater China, as two more Microtel hotels have been signed and are scheduled to open later this year. This includes a new Microtel in Hangzhou, which will incorporate in-room technology from Xiaomi Youpin. Microtel will leverage its collaboration with Xiaomi Youpin in an effort to further explore hotel automation and artificial intelligence functions.