Wyndham Hotels: Loyalty Matters

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[00:02:48] - [First question] - What Wyndham is and the scope of their hotel franchise

[00:04:17] - Defining what select-service hotels are compared to traditional ones 

[00:04:49] - An overview of what the hotel business is and their important levers 

[00:06:44] - Why Wyndham’s business model is so advantageous

[00:09:22] - Franchisee expectations and the pros of franchising the brand 

[00:12:22] - Whether or not Wyndham participates in loan and debt generation

[00:13:36] - Overview of their award-winning loyalty program

[00:17:36] - Customer acquisition for their loyalty program and how it drives spending

[00:19:16] - Wyndham’s corporate history and how it affects them today

[00:22:17] - Driving growth beyond their current real-estate footprint

[00:24:30] - Possible positive or negative nonlinear events that could affect them

[00:26:09] - Overview of the sales functions inside of their business

[00:28:05] - Changes in hotel use trends as of late

[00:30:05] - What hotel management means as a business

[00:33:05] - Capital allocation and abundant free cash flow without much need for it

[00:35:48] - Considering the ESG implications when evaluating the hotel industry

[00:38:17] - Aspects of the business that make it both resilient and competitive

[00:42:14] - Big variables that could cause Wyndham to fail

[00:44:10] - What it is about Wyndham’s economic opportunity that is favorable for franchisees

[00:46:19] - Unit economics and expenses at the individual hotel level

[00:47:40] - Lessons learned about brand, investing in a brand, and identifying new brands to acquire

[00:50:22] - What she’s learned most as an investor working with Wyndham

[00:52:19] - Attractive opportunities Hilton could offer that Wyndham couldn’t

[00:53:46] - What she’s learned about being a strong operator while working at Wyndham