Regulations require truckers in the United States and Canada, of which there are nearly 4 million, to get 34 or 36 hours of rest, respectively, to reset their weekly driving limits. When it's time to rest, they need more than just a place to sleep—they need comfort, convenience and value. That's where Recharge with Wyndham comes in. Through the initiative, truckers can earn double Wyndham Rewards points on every qualified stay—enough for up to two free nights annually —along with Wyndham Rewards Gold level ...

With the new offering, travelers can do more than just book their cruise, they can bundle everything they need for a stress-free vacation. From flights and pre-cruise hotel stays to rental cars, excursions, and even post-cruise getaways, Wyndham Travel Bundles allows members to customize their entire journey, all in one place. And with every qualifying reservation earning Wyndham Reward points, members can turn their cruise into a reward-packed adventure. "Carnival is the world's most popular cruise line, a ...

With economic concerns once again front and center, hotel stocks have got off to a shaky start to 2025. Against that backdrop, shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH ) have been somewhereI like to take a long term, buy-and-hold approach to investing, with a bias toward stocks that can sustainably post high quality earnings. Mostly found in the dividend and income section. Blog about various US/Canadian stocks at 'The Compound Investor', and predominantly UK names on 'The UK Income Investor'.Analyst’s ...

World's largest hotel franchisor recognized for third consecutive year PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts was once again named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere, honoring companies that demonstrate business integrity through robust ethics, compliance and governance practices. This award marks the third consecutive year Wyndham has been recognized and fifth time overall. "At Wyndham, we believe that you do well by doing good. That's why our busine ...

Core Viewpoint - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has announced an 8% increase in its quarterly dividend payout, reflecting the company's commitment to enhancing shareholder returns through the utilization of free cash [1][2]. Dividend Increase Details - The quarterly dividend has been raised to 41 cents per share (or $1.64 annually) from the previous 38 cents (or $1.52 annually) [2]. - The new dividend will be paid on or around March 31, 2025, to shareholders on record as of March 17, 2025 [2]. - Based on the closing price of $104.37 per share, the stock now has a dividend yield of 1.6% [2]. Shareholder Return Focus - The increase in dividends underscores the company's focus on improving shareholder returns, as investors typically favor stocks that generate returns, particularly those with a history of consistent dividend payments [3]. Performance Metrics - Wyndham's shares have increased by 41.2% over the past six months, outperforming the Zacks Hotels and Motels industry's growth of 20.4% [4]. - In the fourth quarter of 2024, global RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) rose by 5% year over year in constant currency, with a 5% increase in the U.S. and 6% internationally [5]. - The company's retention rate improved by 10 basis points year over year, reaching a record 95.7% by the end of 2024 [5]. Expansion and Strategy - Wyndham is focused on expanding its geographic footprint and product offerings across all segments, leveraging a diversified brand portfolio [6]. - The company opened 68,700 rooms globally in 2024, marking a 4% year-over-year increase, including approximately 28,000 rooms in the U.S. [7]. - As of December 31, 2024, Wyndham's global development pipeline included around 2,100 hotels and 252,000 rooms, indicating a 5% year-over-year growth [7].

Group 1 - Wyndham Rewards members can earn 7,500 bonus points for staying two qualifying nights, with a maximum of 15,000 points available for two stays [1] - Members with a Wyndham Rewards Earner Visa card can earn an additional 7,500 points for the same stay conditions [1] - The promotion is part of a broader celebration of Member Month, highlighting the program's generosity and commitment to rewarding members [2] Group 2 - Every Wednesday, new exclusive offers will be available for members, allowing them to maximize their rewards throughout the month [3] - Previous Member Months have included discounts on points purchases, special partner offers, and access to trip sweepstakes [3] - Member Month provides opportunities for various types of getaways, catering to families, couples, and solo travelers [4] Group 3 - Wyndham Rewards is recognized as the 1 hotel rewards program, with approximately 114 million members globally [6] - Members earn a guaranteed 1,000 points with every qualified stay and can redeem free nights starting at just 7,500 points [6] - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts operates more than 60,000 hotels and vacation rentals worldwide, emphasizing the program's extensive reach and generosity [6]

Financial Performance - Hotel Franchising adjusted EBITDA for 2024 was $767 million, up from $727 million in 2023, reflecting a growth of 5.5%[30] - The company reported a net income of $628 million for Hotel Franchising in 2024, compared to $606 million in 2023, indicating a year-over-year increase of 3.6%[30] Franchise Operations - The company licensed its brands to approximately 6,200 franchisees globally, with franchise agreements typically lasting 10 to 20 years, providing significant visibility into future cash flows[31] - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts operates approximately 9,300 hotels across 25 brands in more than 95 countries, making it the world's largest hotel franchisor by number of franchised properties[32] - The company operates approximately 6,200 franchisees, with one master franchisor in China accounting for 12% of its hotels, while no other franchisee exceeds 2%[66] Growth Strategy - The company aims to grow its direct franchising system by 3.6-4.6% in 2025, targeting high FeePAR growth through attractive RevPAR and royalty rates[36] - Wyndham plans to enhance franchisee profitability by optimizing top-line performance and lowering operating costs through continuous digital innovation[45] Sustainability Initiatives - The company is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainability through its Wyndham Green Program, which includes best practices for energy and water conservation[62] - Wyndham Rewards members have donated over 200 million points to various non-profit organizations, supporting humanitarian causes and providing temporary safe housing for victims of human trafficking[55] Employee Information - As of December 31, 2024, Wyndham had approximately 2,200 employees, with around 1,000 employees located outside the United States[41] Financial Risks - The company has a total outstanding balance of variable-rate borrowings, net of swaps, amounting to $531 million as of December 31, 2024[222] - A hypothetical 10% change in the effective weighted average interest rate on variable-rate borrowings would result in a $2 million increase or decrease in annual long-term debt interest expense[222] - The company has foreign currency rate exposure, particularly with the Canadian Dollar, Chinese Yuan, Euro, Brazilian Real, British Pound, and Argentine Peso[224] - The absolute notional amount of outstanding foreign exchange hedging instruments was $186 million as of December 31, 2024[225] - Foreign currency exchange losses related to Argentina were immaterial, totaling $14 million and $4 million during 2024 and 2023, respectively[226] - The company uses interest swap contracts and foreign currency forwards to manage interest rate and currency exchange rate risks[220] - The fair values of cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables, and accounts payable approximate their carrying values due to their short-term nature[223] - The company assesses its interest rate exposure using sensitivity analysis, indicating potential impacts on earnings and cash flows based on hypothetical interest rate changes[222] Market Trends - The hotel industry experiences seasonal revenue fluctuations, with higher revenues typically occurring in the second and third quarters due to increased leisure travel[67]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a strong finish for the year with net room growth of 4% and comparable adjusted EBITDA and EPS growth of 7% and 10% respectively [9] - Adjusted EBITDA increased 12% on a comparable basis, driven by higher fee-related revenues and ongoing margin expansion [36] - Adjusted diluted EPS grew 18% on a comparable basis to $1.04, reflecting adjusted EBITDA growth and share repurchase activity [37] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company opened a record 69,000 rooms, the largest number of annual organic room additions in its history, representing a 4% increase from last year [10] - The ECHO Suites brand showed strong performance in new markets, with operating performance exceeding owner expectations [11] - The extended stay market is projected to grow nearly 30% from $21 billion in 2024 to $27 billion by 2028, with ECHO Suites, Hawthorn Suites, WaterWalk, and Wyndham Residences representing nearly one-third of the domestic development pipeline [12] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - U.S. RevPAR in the fourth quarter grew by 5.3%, with a 140 basis point contribution from hurricane impacts [16] - Internationally, RevPAR grew by 6% year-over-year in constant currency, with Latin America seeing a 32% increase [22] - In China, RevPAR declined 11%, but the direct franchising system grew 16% with over 60 openings in the quarter [23][15] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on accelerating the growth of its direct franchising brands internationally, which are expected to drive sustainable growth [16] - The development strategy targets significantly higher FeePAR additions to the portfolio, with a focus on midscale and above properties [40] - The marketing strategy aims to attract younger and more affluent customers, with a growing share of check-ins from higher-income guests [25] Management Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in achieving 2025 goals, highlighting strong development momentum and continued royalty rate expansion [32] - The outlook for 2025 includes global net room growth of 3.6% to 4.6% and RevPAR growth of 2% to 3% on a constant currency basis [44] - Management noted that U.S. leisure travel intentions have increased year-over-year across all income brackets, reflecting broad-based confidence in travel and the economy [21] Other Important Information - The company returned $430 million to shareholders in 2024, representing 6% of its market cap [42] - The Board of Directors authorized an 8% increase to the quarterly cash dividend, raising it to $0.41 per share [43] - The company expects adjusted EBITDA growth of 7% to 9% in 2025, with adjusted net income projected at $369 million to $379 million [49] Q&A Session Summary Question: Development guidance and net unit growth - Management indicated that the net room growth guidance reflects expectations to accelerate growth, with new construction expected to be a larger portion of net room growth in 2025 [56][58] Question: Key money investments and returns - Management confirmed that they are seeing higher returns on key money investments, with those properties bringing in FeePAR premiums of 40% compared to those without [62] Question: Pipeline and FeePAR premium impact - Management stated that the higher FeePAR strategy is expected to contribute to RevPAR growth and outperformance in 2025 [66][68] Question: Credit card fee stream growth - Management expects ancillary revenue growth to be in the low teens range in 2025, driven by the renewal of the Barclays credit card agreement [78] Question: RevPAR environment needed for growth - Management indicated that they expect RevPAR to improve from flat last year to up about three points this year, which is necessary for achieving the 8.5% adjusted EBITDA CAGR [96] Question: Hurricane impact on RevPAR guidance - Management clarified that they have adjusted hurricane benefits out of their RevPAR guidance for 2025, accounting for a 30 basis point headwind [90][93]

Core Insights - Wyndham Hotels reported revenue of $341 million for the quarter ended December 2024, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 6.2% [1] - The earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter was $1.04, up from $0.91 in the same quarter last year, resulting in an EPS surprise of +4.00% against the consensus estimate of $1.00 [1] - The reported revenue was slightly below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $343.57 million, showing a surprise of -0.75% [1] Financial Metrics - Total rooms available were 903,000, slightly below the average estimate of 904,267 from four analysts [4] - Total Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) was reported at $40.01, compared to the estimated $40.09 [4] - Fee-related and other revenues from royalties and franchise fees reached $136 million, exceeding the average estimate of $129.14 million, marking a year-over-year increase of +16.2% [4] - Marketing, reservation, and loyalty revenues were $135 million, slightly below the estimated $139.47 million, with a year-over-year change of +1.5% [4] - Management and other fees were reported at $3 million, in line with the average estimate of $3.46 million, showing no change year-over-year [4] - License and other fees amounted to $30 million, surpassing the estimated $29.71 million, reflecting a +3.5% change from the previous year [4] - Other fee-related revenues were $37 million, below the estimated $40.53 million, indicating a year-over-year decrease of -2.6% [4] Stock Performance - Wyndham's shares have returned +6.1% over the past month, outperforming the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +4.3% change [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), suggesting it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term [3]

Core Viewpoint - Wyndham Hotels reported quarterly earnings of $1.04 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1 per share, and showing an increase from $0.91 per share a year ago, indicating a 4% earnings surprise [1] - The company posted revenues of $341 million for the quarter ended December 2024, which was a 6.24% increase from $321 million year-over-year but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.75% [2] Group 1: Earnings Performance - Wyndham has surpassed consensus EPS estimates for the last four quarters, with the latest earnings surprise being 4% [1][2] - The company’s earnings for the previous quarter were $1.39 per share, slightly above the expected $1.37, resulting in a 1.46% surprise [1] Group 2: Revenue Performance - The revenue of $341 million for the latest quarter represents a year-over-year increase of approximately 6.24% from $321 million [2] - Wyndham has not been able to beat consensus revenue estimates over the last four quarters [2] Group 3: Stock Performance and Outlook - Wyndham shares have increased by about 6.6% since the beginning of the year, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 3.2% [3] - The company's future stock performance will largely depend on management's commentary during the earnings call and the trends in earnings estimate revisions [3][4] Group 4: Earnings Estimates and Industry Outlook - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.91 on revenues of $321.86 million, while for the current fiscal year, it is $4.81 on $1.5 billion in revenues [7] - The Hotels and Motels industry, to which Wyndham belongs, is currently ranked in the bottom 46% of over 250 Zacks industries, which may impact stock performance [8]