Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?
As the world’s largest hotel franchisor with ~9,100 hotels in more than 95 countries, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the world, including a responsibility to make the hospitality industry more inclusive through DE&I efforts.
In July 2022, Wyndham pioneered a first-of-its-kind program for diverse hotel ownership and development called BOLD by Wyndham (Black Owners & Lodging Developers), with the goal of driving conversations forward around the gaps in hotel ownership, positive social impact and an increase in Black hotel owners. In an industry where less than two percent of owners are Black, according to 2022 data from NABHOOD, BOLD was designed to attract Black entrepreneurs on the path to hotel ownership and accelerate those already familiar with the significant opportunities hotel ownership provides, offering the tools and guidance needed to achieve success.
And the goals were certainly bold: drive interest and awareness around hotel ownership through educational programming, sign hotel agreements with Black owners and developers and increase diverse representation amongst Wyndham’s hotel owners.
Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)
To drive awareness around BOLD by Wyndham, the Company executed a successful multichannel strategy across PR and marketing (awareness) and sales (implementation). Kicking off with a press release and media outreach to key trade and consumer media in July 2022, Wyndham announced BOLD and its first participant, Vaughn Irons. In just over a year since it was announced, Wyndham has:
• Hosted two BOLD Symposiums with 100+ combined attendees. The events, hosted in the Atlanta and Miami areas, provided an overview of hotel ownership, networking opportunities with Wyndham and industry experts and educational sessions on topics like financing and more.
• Forged partnerships with key industry organizations like The Vonne Group, raising awareness through a 3-city roadshow to generate interest from prospective women and Black owners. Also built key relationships with Tracy Prigmore and SHAD to reinforce Wyndham’s commitment to advancing women in hospitality with other committed partners across the industry.
• Sponsored and held a significant presence at the 2022 and 2023 NABHOOD Conferences, a leading industry conference for Black entrepreneurs.
• Hosted its first BOLD Incubator event for ~20 qualified applicants, giving them access to Wyndham leadership, a behind-the-scenes look at hotel management and ownership and more.
And the efforts are paying off. Since launching BOLD, Wyndham has 26 deals in its pipeline, three open hotels and nearly 500 inquiries on the program website since January 2022. That means Wyndham is not only moving the conversation forward but actively making progress to change the face of hospitality.
Wyndham has also garnered ~70 pieces of earned media coverage online and on social media, generating ~26 million impressions in key hospitality and business outlets along with news sites that amplify black culture and voices, such as Ebony, Black Enterprise, Hotel Dive, Global Traveler, LODGING, SKIFT, Hotel Business, and more.
Return on Investment: How much revenue has the piece or campaign generated and how does this compare to your goal? What was the return on investment?
BOLD's mission is social progress, and there are clear goals to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion across Wyndham’s global operations by securing deals with Black hoteliers – and we’ve seen the ROI through direct and indirect factors like deals signed (26 signed, 3 open) and brand reputation as it relates to DE&I space.
With Inclusivity as one of its key values, Wyndham has brought greater diversity to the industry through other initiatives, including DE&I training, broadening recruitment strategies to recruit from a diverse talent pool and launching affinity business groups sponsored by executive team members to mentor and actively engage with team members to foster growth and innovation. Additionally, Wyndham became the first in its industry to partner with the United Negro College Fund, opening doors for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
As a result, the hotel brand has been recognized for its efforts by Forbes as One of America’s Best Large Employers, Newsweek as One of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, and Diversity Inc.’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity, among many others.
Diversity is critically important at Wyndham because it’s the right thing to do and it’s good business. It opens the door to new communities, new ideas and new opportunities that may not exist otherwise.
Division
Integrated Campaign - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Marketing