Wyndham Takes on Upscale Extended Stay with WaterWalk

The company announced the addition of a new brand in their portfolio, WaterWalk: An upscale extended stay hotel that becomes the 25th brand under their umbrella.

WaterWalk Expands on Brand Founded by Extended Stay Inventor

WaterWalk was originally founded by Jack DeBoer, credited as an “extended-stay trailblazer” who founded two of the first successful extended stay hotels, including the Residence Inn (part of Marriott), and Candlewood Suites (part of IHG). The 11 hotels currently in brand include locations in Jacksonville, Florida; Tucson, Arizona; and Wichita, Kansas.

Courtesy: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

All hotels consist of two types of rooms. Travelers looking for a traditional extended stay experience can book a STAY room, which includes all the traditional features of a longer stay room, such as a two-room suite with a living area and a kitchenette. For those who will call WaterWalk home for longer, there’s the LIVE unit, which comes unfurnished and allows travelers to fully customize their home away from home for as long as they are staying there.

Already integrated into the Wyndham Rewards program, guests can earn points for stays at all 11 hotels, as well as use their points for stays at the WaterWalk properties. The brand will compliment Wyndham’s other two extended stay properties: ECHO Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham and Hawthorn Extended Stay Suites by Wyndham.

Courtesy: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

“In the last year, guest demand for the extended stay segment reached record highs, which has been underscored by demand from owners and developers looking for new opportunities to partner with Wyndham,” Chip Ohlsson, chief development officer at Wyndham, said in a press release. “Our vision is to offer the industry’s most robust portfolio of extended stay brands and the addition of WaterWalk marks an important step in that direction—helping ensure we have an offering in every segment, for every owner and for every guest.”

The moves comes after Wyndham was successful in fending off a hostile takeover bid from Choice Hotels, which at one point sought to nominate board members to Wyndham in order to favor their buyout.

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All images courtesy: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts