Wyndham Announces Latest Commitments to Sustainability and a Culture of DEI
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company with over 8,900 hotels across over 95 countries, released its 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report highlighting its dedication to operating in a socially, ethically and environmentally responsible way. These commitments are underscored by recent accolades, including recognition by DiversityInc, which highlighted Wyndham as a company with leading diversity practices for 2022, and Forbes as one of The Best Employers for Diversity 2022.
“The significance of our Company’s vision – to be the world’s leading hotel company by delivering the best value to owners and guests – is more important than ever. We believe as the world’s largest hotel franchisor, we have the responsibility to strengthen the communities in which we serve as we protect the environment for future generations while continuing the growth and success of our global franchise system,” said Geoffrey A. Ballotti, president and chief executive officer, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “We have witnessed the incredible resiliency of our owners, guests, and team members during these past two years. And as people return to traveling in record numbers, we look forward to welcoming them to Wyndham where we have a brand for every guest as we work to continue to advance our values-driven culture.”
Focus on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Deeply committed to a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across the organization, Wyndham believes that diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences help drive the company’s success and was recognized by DiversityInc as a company with leading diversity practices for 2022. The Company was recently recognized by Forbes as one of The Best Employers for Diversity 2022, and for the fourth consecutive year, Wyndham received another perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index measuring LGBTQ workplace equality. Wyndham continuously infuses different perspectives into the workplace that reflect its diverse guests, customers, and communities around the world and offers enhanced training to address unconscious biases and racism and also foster allyship.
Advancing its commitment to diversity, Wyndham unveiled its innovative “Women Own the Room” program, the first-ever program by a major hotel company specifically targeting women’s advancement in hotel ownership. Women Own the Room is designed to advance and empower women entrepreneurs to break through the predominantly male-dominated hotel industry and is a natural extension of the brand’s commitment to DEI. The program is generating great interest and has proudly awarded new hotel development contracts to women developers for projects in Colorado, Delaware, Texas, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Florida.
“We have created a culture that fosters an inclusive workplace for our team members, where all individuals are treated with respect and can achieve both personal and professional success,” said Monica Melancon, chief human resource officer, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
Leadership in Sustainability
Wyndham is committed to protecting the environment and demonstrating leadership in environmental programs, policies, and performance. Accelerating those efforts, the Company announced that hotels across the world will be required, as part of their brand standard compliance, to attain level 1 in the Wyndham Green Program by April 2023. The Wyndham Green Program is a five-level certification program that helps reduce a hotel’s environmental footprint, includes a proprietary environmental management tool that tracks data to help hotels improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, conserve water, and reduce waste while helping drive the owner’s bottom line. Wyndham’s work has been recognized through its participation in CDP’s climate change and water security responses, where it achieved the management band for sustainability performance and disclosure.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts was recognized as one of America’s Most Responsible Companies for 2022 by Newsweek, which honors those with superior environmental and social responsibility practices. The Company remains committed to reducing the energy and carbon footprint of all Wyndham hotels, and continuously evaluates opportunities to increase efficiencies and the usage of renewable energy where feasible. By 2025, the Company has committed to reducing absolute carbon emissions in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 15%, compared to the 2019 baseline, and achieving 100% renewable energy at corporate headquarters, and North American offices. The Company’s corporate headquarters has a Gold LEED EBOM and Energy Star Certification and provides team members with complimentary access to electric vehicle charging stations to encourage more sustainable commuting and increase adoption of zero-emission vehicles.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts prepared its ESG report in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, integrating the recommendations of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The company obtained third-party assurance over selected data disclosed in this report, as indicated by the 2021 Assurance Statement included in the report. The report covers the performance of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc for the 2021 calendar year and includes the Company’s owned and managed operations, unless otherwise stated, as well as enhanced disclosure around risk management. All financial figures indicated in the report are in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted.