Arcan Bayraktaroğlu, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Head of Operations Türkiye, answered questions from Tourism Today News.

1. What is the importance of Türkiye for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts? What kind of market is it, in terms of investments?

Türkiye is a key growth market for Wyndham, and our fifth largest market globally by the number of properties. We are also the largest international hotel company in Türkiye by the number of properties, with over 125 operating hotels in our country. Our development pipeline in Türkiye continues to grow as well, as we continue to work on approximately 30 additional hotel projects currently under development.

Türkiye is also a major hub for our operations in EMEA. In parallel with the dynamism of the Turkish market and our strong growth here, our team in the country continues to grow as well. Our team members at Wyndham's regional headquarters in Istanbul and located in other cities of Türkiye provide operational support to our existing hotel partners, both in the country and across EMEA, as well as creating new partnerships. Together with our Turkish investors, we are developing projects in other regions such as Georgia and the Balkans as well. General managers and department heads from      our country hold positions at hotels by Wyndham in the Middle East and elsewhere in EMEA, contributing to know-how transfer across our network.

2. Many hotel chains have ambitious growth targets for Türkiye. What does the future hold for Türkiye in terms of investments?

Franchise model is the driving force behind Wyndham’s growth, both globally and in Türkiye. Our growth strategy includes both new constructions and conversion projects. In addition to our diverse platform of brands, we provide pre-opening support, operational guidance, sales and marketing expertise, learning tools and access to resources that help our partners deliver world-class hospitality, whether they are building a new hotel or interested in growing their existing business with Wyndham. Hotels by Wyndham also gain access to the user base of approximately 120 million enrolled members of our loyalty programme, Wyndham Rewards.

Owners and developers in Türkiye understand the value and opportunities that the franchise model creates very well. As the number 1 expert of this business model globally, we continue to grow in Türkiye together with our hotel partners. Türkiye is home to an enormous number of creative entrepreneurs who are bound for success, given the support of the right brand and expertise. Making these opportunities in the hospitality industry visible for investors is a part of our job.

Key performance indicators such as occupancy rates, RevPAR and ADR may have ups and downs over time, which is very normal considering the cyclical nature of travel industry. However, we’ve always seen an upwards trend in the size of our development pipeline in Türkiye, something that reinforces our confidence in the long-term potential of tourism in the country.

3. Investors and hotel chains are looking into opportunities not only in big cities but in secondary destinations as well. What is your view on this?

The variety of destinations we are present in Türkiye is one of the proudest aspects of our growth story in the country. As Wyndham, we have presence in not only destinations that are among the world's most sought-after hotspots such as Istanbul, Antalya or Cappadocia, but also in nearly 50 provinces of Türkiye ranging from Edirne to Van. In addition to the local charms that await discovery, secondary destinations present a high potential in terms of business travel as well. For example, Karacabey and Karapınar are two important agricultural hubs in Türkiye, and Batman and Soma have strong energy industries. We have hotels that respond to the demand for branded accommodation services in destinations like these as well.

We need to pay close attention to the preferences of the next-generation travellers when we speak about leisure travel. Taking selfies with famous landmarks is not enough for young travellers, as they want to discover something less known, create their own story and share their unique story with the world. Moreover, repeat guests are an invaluable asset for the country, as much as they are for us as hoteliers. Visitors who have already seen Istanbul and Izmir become interested in places like Trabzon and Mardin as well and include these destinations in their future itineraries. There is a fast-growing demand for outbound travel in India and China, and visitors from these countries have a particular interest nature and culture-oriented trips. Türkiye's strong potential comes from not only its beautiful beaches and coasts, but also from other opportunities such as winter travel, nature, culture and gastronomy trips.

4. What are Wyndham's targets for the short and medium terms?

As Wyndham, we will continue to grow our brands in Türkiye and EMEA. Our 25 global brands extend from economy all the way up to upper-upscale and enable hotel owners to execute every concept ranging from boutique hotels in urban centers to luxury resorts, mixed-development projects with residential units to all-inclusive hotels, with the support of Wyndham’s global scale. 11 of our 25 brands are currently present in Türkiye, including some of the world’s most recognized hospitality brands such as Ramada by Wyndham, Days Inn by Wyndham and La Quinta by Wyndham, as well as our namesake brands Wyndham, Wyndham Grand and Wyndham Garden. We expect continued growth in destinations where we already have presence, and we expect to add new destinations to our portfolio as well.

In 2025, we completed some key openings in Istanbul, Alanya and Tarsus. We opened Wyndham’s first-ever cave hotel worldwide in Cappadocia in recent months. Additional openings are expected in Istanbul, Mardin’s Midyat district and Konya’s Selçuklu district in the fourth quarter. We also expect to open our first Wyndham Garden and Dolce by Wyndham hotels in Ankara this year.

Upscale resorts and all-inclusive properties are in the focus of Wyndham's growth strategy in the Mediterranean, particularly in Southern and Eastern European regions. We achieved strong growth in the Turkish Riviera in recent years. We added Fethiye, Datça, Dalaman and Alanya as new destinations in our portfolio last year. We opened two hotels in Çeşme, with one marking the launch of our upscale Dolce by Wyndham brand in Türkiye. We see that the demand for the resort segment and coastal destinations remains strong.

There is also a growing demand for midscale branded residences, which were previously seen as exclusively upper-scale products. This new trend presents enormous opportunities, especially in Türkiye and its surrounding region.  Wyndham now has more branded residences than anywhere else in the CIS countries and Georgia, and developers in Türkiye are increasingly becoming aware of the potential in this segment.

5. Hotels in Türkiye are having difficulties with recruiting team members. How does Wyndham approach the issue of sourcing team members who meet the company's standards?

Wyndham's global scale and extensive network present a wide range of opportunities for operators and professionals, including those related to their careers. We launched our Wyndham Partner Careers to further enhance the interaction between our properties and more effectively match newcomers to the industry, as well as professionals who are seeking new opportunities in their careers, with our hotels that align best with their personal goals. With our Talent Engagement Programme provided through our internal digital platform Wyndham University, we are also helping our hotels reinforce team relationships.

Türkiye has some important advantages such as a young population, expertise in tourism and educational infrastructure. Expanding and strengthening collaborative projects for career building will help realize this potential further. Our franchise model has a leveraging effect in this regard as well. Our hotels make collaborations on the local level, participating in joint career initiatives with universities, vocational schools and other stakeholders in their regions. These efforts also integrate into the initiatives that we, as Wyndham, implement on the global level.

6. Another challenge for hotels in Türkiye is the costs. What is your view on this? Does the issue of costs have an impact on Wyndham's targets in Türkiye?

Costs are a global challenge and a frequent topic of debate. Tourism industry has repeatedly proven its resilience against the crises we have seen in recent years. As Wyndham, we continued to grow our development pipeline through this period, and our teams continue to work with the encouragement they get from this track record.

The support we provide to our hotels in revenue management and operational efficiency are two of the most important pillars of the Wyndham Advantage. Our expert teams and technology solutions in these areas help our hotel partners to predict changes in demand, and optimize costs and revenues. They also gain access to competitive prices through our long-standing relations with leading suppliers in the industry. In addition, we help our hotels reduce their environmental impact, as well as costs, through efficient use of resources through Wyndham Green, our internal sustainability certification programme.

7. Anything else you would like to add?

Türkiye continues to stand out as an attractive destination for tourism investments, due to its large market size, diversifying visitor profile, and the formal incentive mechanisms offered by the government. In particular, the increasing diversity of international visitors and the growing demand across different segments provide the sector with long-term growth potential.

At the same time, current economic conditions present certain challenges for investors. High macroeconomic volatility, fluctuations in exchange rates, inflationary pressures, and consumer price sensitivity necessitate a more cautious approach to investment projects. Additionally, due to unexpected factors and uncertainties arising from external influences, investors should incorporate flexibility and robust risk management practices into their strategies. It is critical for those planning to invest in Türkiye ’s tourism market to structure their projects prudently, conduct detailed performance tests, and leverage local expertise.

We believe that the value we bring to our partners becomes even more important in times like this, when the competitive capabilities of hotel owners are put to test. As the world’s largest hotel franchisor by the number of properties, we offer our hotel partners tools and resources that put them on the path to success, and a close team support that help them leverage these tools and resources effectively during the development stage and in their operational processes; in addition to the strength of our globally recognized and trusted brands.

For disciplined investors who minimize FX and inflation risks and prioritize operational resilience, Türkiye still offers a market with significant potential. Projects supported by careful planning and a solid financial structure are likely to pave the way for more successful and sustainable investments in Türkiye’s tourism sector in the future.