PARSIPPANY, N.J. and SANTA CLARA, CA (Mar. 26, 2015) – Wyndham Hotel Group, the world's largest hotel company based on number of hotels and one of three hospitality business units of Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN), today announced new efforts to deliver personalized, pre-arrival upgrade offers to guests at select hotels globally and in turn, present hotel owners and operators with new ancillary revenue generating opportunities.

Part of a partnership with leading travel merchandising company Nor1, the effort is made possible thanks to Nor1's eStandby Upgrade® platform, which empowers Wyndham Hotel Group's portfolio of hotels to offer dynamic, individually customized, pre-arrival offers to guests—e.g. discounted suite upgrades—and as a result, monetize premium inventory and services that may otherwise go unused.

"In providing this solution to our hotels, we're ensuring that operators have one of the essential tools needed to maximize the revenue streams that stem from their premium offerings and room types," said Kathy Maher, senior vice president of revenue management at Wyndham Hotel Group. "What's more, we're giving those same operators the flexibility to manage when and how upgrades are awarded, leading to meaningful guest interactions that inspire brand confidence and loyalty."

Here's how it works: once a guest makes a reservation at a participating hotel, the eStandby Upgrade platform automatically analyzes various data points to determine whether an upgrade should be offered and if so, at what cost. The guest is then notified, either via the booking confirmation page or via the reservation confirmation email, of the upgrade opportunity and given a chance to purchase. If he or she does, the upgrade is conditional upon availability at check-in, meaning the guest pays nothing until he or she arrives at the hotel. Should a purchased upgrade not be available, the original reservation stands and the guest is not charged anything extra. Thus, guests are able to realize significant savings during times of lower occupancy while hotels are able to maximize revenue opportunities for their best offerings.

More than 20 Wyndham Hotel Group properties are already taking advantage of the eStandby Upgrade platform—including the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel in New York City, the Wyndham Hamilton Park Hotel and Conference Center in Florham Park, N.J., the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Fla., and the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach in Miami, Fla. Over the course of the next three months, we hope that more than 500 of the company's managed and franchised hotels, from Boston, Mass. to Santa Monica, Calif. and beyond will explore this opportunity.

About Nor1

Nor1, Inc. is the technology leader in travel merchandising. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Nor1 provides data-driven pricing and merchandising solutions to maximize incremental revenues for hotels and resorts worldwide such as Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Carlson Rezidor. Nor1′s patented, dynamic decisions intelligence engine PRiME®, powers Nor1′s Active Merchandising Platform including its signature eStandby Upgrade® ,eReach™, and eFDU™ products.

Nor1 is creating the fusion between technology and guest experience. It's that combination of expertise and skill that have set Nor1 apart and continues to attract technology's most distinguished investors such as Concur (CNQR), Goldman Sachs and Accel Partners. For more information, please visit www.nor1.com.

About Wyndham Hotel Group

Wyndham Hotel Group is the world's largest hotel company based on number of hotels and is one of three hospitality business units of Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN). As both a leading hotel brand franchisor and hotel management services provider, the company's global portfolio consists of approximately 7,650 properties and 661,000 rooms in 70 countries under the following brands: Dolce Hotels and Resorts® (acquired February 2015), Wyndham Grand® Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Wyndham Garden® Hotels, TRYP by Wyndham®, Wingate by Wyndham®, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham®, Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham®, Ramada Worldwide®, Baymont Inn & Suites®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® and Knights Inn®. Wyndham Rewards, the company's guest loyalty program offers more than 38 million members the opportunity to earn and redeem points at thousands of hotels across the world. For more information visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

Alan Young
Puzzle Partner, Agency of Record