Owner Spotlight: Real Support and Responsiveness for Days Inn Owners

“Gonzales, Texas, has a population of 7,500. It’s an oil and gas town,” says Patel. “If you don’t have a reason to come, you don’t come to Gonzales.”

For Patel, this made an extended stay property the best bet for success. Workers in town for long-term jobs can find a comfortable place to stay for weeks or months, and companies can negotiate reasonable rates for these stays. The result can be a win-win for owners: Occupancy and average daily rate (ADR) remain steady, and they still have enough available rooms for guests traveling through town or stopping for short-term stays.

Extended stay, however, doesn’t equal guaranteed success. “When we bought the property, it was mismanaged and underperforming,” says Patel. He knew a change was necessary, so he decided to convert the property to a Days Inn by Wyndham, in part because the brand was widely recognized and well-regarded. “In the first year, we increased revenue by more than double.”

But the story doesn’t end there.

“I received a trusted recommendation to leave Wyndham for another brand and was told ADR and occupancy would go up. But the first day we put the new sign up, we knew it was a mistake. We were hoping and looking for the picture that was painted, but our occupancy dropped from 60% to 70% down into the teens.”

It was a tough time. “I lost sleep,” says Patel. “I didn’t know where my mind was.” This spring, Patel moved back to Wyndham. “When we converted back to Days Inn, we saw a quick increase in occupancy.”

Discover the Wyndham Advantage: A Partnership for Growth

So what sets Wyndham and Days Inn apart from the competition?

Value and true support top the list. With Wyndham, nearly $8 out of every $10 is delivered directly to owners. Plus, Wyndham helps to lower owner costs with the negotiating power of the world’s largest hotel franchisor.¹

Dedicated Support Teams, Ready When You Are

“I should have never left Wyndham,” Patel says. While RevPAR and occupancy played a key role in his decision to come back into the Wyndham fold, he also highlights the benefits of Wyndham support.

“When I first came back, I went to the 2025 Wyndham Global Conference,” he says. “I walked maybe five feet, and hands were coming out to shake mine—including CEO Geoff Ballotti. It felt like I was back in the family.” This is what true support means to Wyndham: Owners have access to sales teams, marketing experts, and top-level leadership.

Wyndham also helped Patel navigate a challenging financial reality: After 18 months of low occupancy and limited support, Patel wasn’t in a great place. “We were in ICU,” he says, “but Wyndham supported us with a customized property improvement plan (PIP).”

Patel was able to provide input on his PIP working in collaboration with Mark Mercer, Director of Franchise Sales at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “We decided we were going to create a solution,” says Mercer. “We were going to find a pathway. We were able to get the PIP so that it was workable with his financial situation. Our goal was to get heads in the beds and get the revenue flowing again.”

Access to Cutting-Edge Technology

Many economy hotel owners don’t have access to leading-edge technology. Cost and complexity conspire to frustrate owner efforts—buying and implementing solutions is expensive, and owners don’t have time to become technology experts when they’re busy running hotels. With Wyndham, owners get access to best-of-breed technologies backed by the negotiating power and full support of the world’s largest hotel franchisor. And if they have questions about new tech solutions, Wyndham support is only a phone call, email, or text away.

Consider Wyndham’s RevIQ solution, which is included in the cost of a hotel’s property management system for all owners. This tool makes it easier to manage inventory and pricing by automatically shopping competitors 5 times per day and providing pricing recommendations. Wyndham’s all-in-one guest engagement platform, Wyndham Connect, also available at no additional charge to owners, helped generate $5.3 million in upsells through 2024.²

Other solutions, such as Wyndham’s Signature Reservation Services (SRS), provide a call-transfer program that, on average, delivers an 8-second answer speed, converts 33% of bookings, and drives higher ADR than property direct bookings.³

Wyndham is also investing in the future, spending nearly $350 million to put cutting-edge tools within reach of even the smallest hotel.⁴ One example is AI. Already, more than 90% of hotel owners are leveraging some form of AI, with 70% using it to support operations, and 60% using it for guest-facing services.⁵

With Wyndham in their corner, owners are better prepared to drive value with current technologies and lay the groundwork for next-generation hotel management solutions.

Days Inn by Wyndham: A Brand You Can Trust

The Days Inn rising sun logo is known worldwide.⁶ So is the brand’s focus on the things that matter to guests, such as friendly service and comfortable accommodations.

Patel’s experience highlights the trusted nature of Days Inn. Despite being the only extended stay property in town and having full kitchens in every suite, changing franchise partners and moving away from the Days Inn brand led to a massive drop in occupancy. While guests were impressed with Patel’s efforts if they made it past the front door, most simply drove on by in search of more familiar lodgings and logos. “Once we got people into the property, they were amazed,” says Patel.

When Patel moved back to Wyndham, however, occupancy soared. This speaks to one of the most significant factors for any hotel owner: Branding. With the Days Inn logo on full display, guests were willing to give the hotel a chance because they trust the brand and they’re confident that they’ll receive friendly service, clean rooms, and value-added amenities. For example, widespread brand recognition and targeted marketing campaigns such as 2024’s “Seize the Day” helped deliver more than 110 million impressions and 200,000 website visits for Days Inn properties. In addition, Days Inn owners who have implemented the Days Inn Dawn package have seen a roughly 14 percent increase in RevPAR.⁷

Why Owners Choose Days Inn and Wyndham

As one of the largest economy brands worldwide, Days Inn has more than 1,500 properties in city centers, urban areas, and small towns. It’s trusted, familiar, and comfortable—three things every owner wants guests to feel about their property.

However, the advantage of Days Inn extends beyond its brand name. The hotel chain delivers value through its Dawn room renovation package—properties that have adopted this standard saw a 125% RevPAR index, versus their economy competition, per 2024 data.⁸ Owners also benefit from Wyndham’s reputation. “Wyndham’s guests are loyal,” says Patel. “The company has a huge niche in the market, and they don’t back down from marketing or advertising.”

Wyndham’s OwnerFirst approach, meanwhile, helps hoteliers navigate challenges around rate pressure, offshore support, and leadership turnover. While many owners are now being pushed to lower rates—even when they could earn more—Wyndham owners get guidance on strategy and suggested price promotions, but are ultimately in control of their own rates. And where many brands have moved their support offshore, Wyndham offers North America-based assistance for real-time responsiveness. Finally, Wyndham’s leadership is committed to the long haul, with most members of the executive team having 20 years (or more) of tenure.

Patel has experienced both the benefits and drawbacks of hotel ownership. He’s seen occupancy fall thanks to a lack of support, and he’s watched his property flourish thanks to a brand that puts owners first.

“Wyndham has great leaders and development teams that are always there to help you grow,” he says. From welcoming him back with open arms to working in tandem to get his property back on track, Wyndham has been with Patel every step of the way. Backed by a trusted brand, he’s found peace of mind. Thanks to ongoing, personalized support, his hotel is well-positioned for growth.

¹https://wyndham.showpad.com/share/oSAyuv9qvoVAyi8gT1noI

² For hotels on Wyndham Connect from 1/1/2024-12/31/2024 in the US; https://wyndham.showpad.com/share/oSAyuv9qvoVAyi8gT1noI

³https://wyndham.showpad.com/share/oSAyuv9qvoVAyi8gT1noI

⁴ Over the past 5 years

⁵ https://corporate.wyndhamhotels.com/news-releases/wyndhams-first-annual-owner-trends-report-highlights-positive-long-term-outlook-vital-role-of-brands/

⁶ Based on Hotel Brand Health Tracking Q4 2024 Report on Wyndham’s brands and certain of Wyndham’s competitive brands by Takedown Research Inc

⁷ https://lodgingmagazine.com/days-inn-room-updates-gain-momentum-rate-for-franchisees/

⁸ https://development.wyndhamhotels.com/brand/days-inn-by-wyndham/