The Wyndham brand will be launched in Xiamen - China during the fourth quarter this year, with the opening of a newly constructed, 550-room, 26-floor luxury hotel that it will manage in Xiamen, Fujian Province.

The Wyndham Xiamen hotel, now under construction by the He Ping Li Hotel Company in the center of Xiamen, will feature three full-service restaurants, a 300-square-meter lounge, fitness room, sauna, pool and 1,500 square meters of meeting space including a 1,000-square-meter ballroom, boardroom and additional function rooms.

Yan Wen Liang, principal owner of He Ping Li Hotel Company, recently signed a 10-year agreement with Wyndham Hotel Group to manage the property.

Steven A. Rudnitsky, Wyndham Hotel Group president and chief executive officer, said the introduction of the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand in China fulfills a key corporate objective to begin developing the brand in Asia and establish a management capability to support those hotels.

"Our upscale Wyndham brand will ensure that we are represented in China's major segments along with our upper-midscale Ramada^® hotels, upscale Days Inn^® and Howard Johnson^® hotels and upper-economy Super 8^® brand," he said.  "With 84 hotels representing nearly 14,500 rooms under four brands, Wyndham Hotel Group already is one of the largest U.S.-based hotel companies in China."

The Wyndham Xiamen hotel will be the group's first fully managed property in the Asia Pacific region.  Rudnitsky said Wyndham Hotel Group's approach to developing hotels in China varies by brand including a joint-venture partnership to provide management services, master franchising and direct franchising.

"This flagship opportunity is a testament to the strength of the Wyndham brand and our management expertise," he said.  "We anticipate strong growth of the Wyndham brand in China.  Our overall strategy is to identify and pursue flagship Wyndham hotel properties in key international and gateway cities."

While the Wyndham brand is positioned in North America as an upscale product, the Wyndham Xiamen and other Wyndham hotels developed in China will be built to luxury standards.

Located along the southeast coast of China, Xiamen is a key gateway city and a favored destination for foreign investment. The city has commercial links with Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.  Xiamen's primary economic activities include fishing, shipbuilding, food processing, tanning, textiles, machine tools manufacturing, chemical industries, financial and telecommunication services.

Xiamen is also a tourist city widely known for its seaport and coastline, according to the China Travel Guide.  The city's tourist attractions include Gulangyu Island, Nanputuo Temple, stores featuring local products including tealeaves and sugar canes and water tours of the many small islands that are clustered along the coast near the city.