Wyndham Hotel Group Opens First Hotel in Iraq

Company opens two Ramada hotels in the Middle East in one day

LONDON (July 7, 2013) - Wyndham Hotel Group, the world's largest hotel company with approximately 7,380 hotels and part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), today announced its entrance into Iraq with the opening of the newly-built, 71-room Ramada Sulaymaniyah Salim Street in Kurdistan.  The hotel opened on the same day as the Ramada Plaza Beirut Raouche in Beirut, Lebanon.

Featuring 58 guest rooms and 13 suites, ranging from 44 to 135 square metres and including all modern conveniences, the Ramada Sulaymaniyah Salim Street is centrally located within easy reach of the city's various cultural, historical and commercial points of interests, and is just 10 kilometres from Sulaymaniyah International Airport.

In addition to its high-quality accommodation, the Ramada Sulaymaniyah Salim Street features a 728-square-metre theatre-style ballroom catering for up to 700 people. The hotel has various dining options ranging from the Panorama A La Carte Restaurant on the top floor to the Boulevard Café and Aquarium Lobby Bar.  Guests can also elect to dine in the comfort of their room by taking advantage of 24-hour room service.

Ramada Sulaymaniyah Salim Street offers extensive leisure facilities, including a spa with seven treatment rooms, a 144-square-metre indoor swimming pool, a Turkish bath, saunas and a whirlpool.  Additionally, the hotel offers free indoor parking with a valet service and airport transfers are available for an additional fee.

“Wyndham Hotel Group constantly evaluates opportunities to enter new markets and bring our renowned brands and best-in-class service to new destinations,” said Rui Barros, Wyndham Hotel Group's senior vice president and managing director of Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We look forward to offering business and leisure travellers in the market a new hotel experience, not to mention all of the benefits of the world's largest hotel loyalty programme, Wyndham Rewards.”

In addition to launching the Ramada brand in Iraq, Wyndham Hotel Group continues to grow the presence of the full-service hotel chain in existing markets around the Middle East. On the very same day as the opening of Ramada Sulaymaniyah Salim Street, Wyndham Hotel Group added 144-rooms in the Lebanese capital of Beirut through the opening of the 18-storey Ramada Plaza Beirut Raouche, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea.

With a mix of 119 standard, deluxe and executive guest rooms alongside 25 suites, the hotel occupies an iconic city centre location, opposite the famous Raouche Rock and just a 15 minute drive from Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport.  Featuring a mix of meetings and events space including a 391-square-metre ballroom and a pool and fitness club, the hotel aims to cater to both business and leisure guests looking for high-quality facilities and an internationally renowned brand.

Dining options at the Ramada Plaza Beirut Raouche include Views, an exclusive restaurant on the eighteenth floor offering international cuisine with panoramic views of the sea and mountains; El Fornayo, serving Italian cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere; Umsiyat, offering all day dining and traditional Lebanese fare; and The Lobby Lounge.  Other facilities at the hotel include a fully equipped business centre, a boardroom and an additional six meeting rooms ranging from 12 square metres to 214 square metres in size, with a total capacity of 500 people.

Currently, Wyndham Hotel Group offers guests a choice of over 30 hotels across the Middle East, ranging from the luxurious upper-upscale Wyndham Grand® Regency Doha, to stylish Ramada hotels in locations including Dubai, Manama, Muscat, Jeddah and Kuwait City, as well as comfortable economy options under the Howard Johnson® and Days Inn® brands, including the recently opened Days Hotel Olaya in Riyadh. 

In addition, the company recently announced plans to introduce the iconic Super 8® brand to Saudi Arabia.  With more than 2,300 hotels around the globe, Super 8 is not only the largest Wyndham Hotel Group brand, but also the largest economy brand in the world.  Wyndham Rewards members can earn and redeem valuable points when they stay at participating Wyndham Hotel Group properties in the Middle East. Free night redemptions are available for as low as 5,500 points at select hotels. Members can also redeem their points for a number of reward items available on the Wyndham Rewards global rewards catalogue, allowing members in all countries where the programme is available to select items that are locally relevant to them.