Ramada Brand Opens First Hotel in Russia; Now Present in 48 Countries

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (Sept. 10, 2009) – Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with more than 7,000 hotels under 11 brands, today announced the continued expansion of its Ramada® hotel chain with the opening the brand’s first hotel in Russia: the 156-room Ramada Yekaterinburg (top right photo)..

Owned by Mayak Corporation Ltd. and managed by Sophos Hotels, the property is the brand’s fifth hotel to open in a new market in the past year and gives the brand a presence in 48 countries.

“Ramada hotels continue to have the most diverse global presence of any Wyndham Hotel Group brand, with close to 350 of the chain’s nearly 900 properties located in key destinations outside the United States,” said Michael Poynter, (middle left photo)  Wyndham Hotel Group senior vice president and managing director, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “The brand’s entrance into Yekaterinburg, one of Russia’s largest and most vibrant cities, is a testament to its powerful international appeal.”

Situated three and a half miles from Kotsovo International Airport, the six-story Ramada Yekaterinburg (bottom right map) consists of 132 guestrooms, 24 suites and six cottage apartments. Highlights of the hotel include complimentary airport and city shuttles, state-of-the art business and fitness centers, heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools, sauna, full-service restaurant, three bars and night club. Rooms feature high-speed wireless Internet access and 32-inch flat-screen televisions.

Yekaterinburg-based Mayak Corporation Ltd., a 20-year old private construction and property development company, specializes in commercial real-estate and has worked with numerous major international partners. Most recently, the company has placed a strong focus on working with Wyndham Hotel Group to develop a presence in the central and Eastern Europe hotel market. More information is available at http://www.ural-mayak.ru/.

Switzerland-based Sophos Hotels SA, a privately held hotel management company specializing in a commitment to efficiency and value through a lightweight and proactive structure, currently manages over a dozen hotels throughout Central and Eastern Europe, including the Days Inn Lourdes.


Additional information is available at http://www.sophoshotels.com/.

Wyndham Hotel Group, part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), encompasses more than 7,000 hotels and 590,000 rooms under the hotel brands: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Ramada®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Wingate by Wyndham®, Baymont Inn & Suites®, Microtel Inns & Suites®, Hawthorn Suites®, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® and Knights Inn®.

All hotels are independently owned and operated excluding certain Wyndham and international Ramada hotels which are managed by our affiliate or through a joint venture partner. Wyndham Hotel Group is based in Parsippany, N.J. Additional information is available at http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com/.

CONTACT: Christine Da Silva, 973-753-6590, christine.dasilva@wyndhamworldwide.com