Joon Ooi on business philosophy
From Inside Asia-Pacific: How Wyndham is Building Hotels for a Rising Middle Class · · No Vacancy News
“We have a business philosophy of owner first. We put ourselves into the shoes of the owners, and it's not just a cliche. We actually do that, and the team listens, reacts, and responds to their needs, which is what gets us ahead and moving forward together with owners.”
On , Joon Ooi, President of Asia Pacific at WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESRTS, spoke about business philosophy during Inside Asia-Pacific: How Wyndham is Building Hotels for a Rising Middle Class on No Vacancy News.
About Joon Ooi
Joon Ooi, President of Asia Pacific at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, has emphasized the company's "owner first" business philosophy as central to its growth strategy in the region. In a June 2025 interview, he stated that the company blends its own brand preferences with the realities of different markets and what owners want to decide how and when to grow. He noted that the Wyndham and Ramada tier brands remain strong favorites, accounting for about 50% of annual growth, while the company also introduces new brands. Ooi cited Microtel by Wyndham as an example of a brand adapted to local market nuances while maintaining its core DNA. He described the middle class as a key growth segment and said the company is aligning with consumer trends by focusing on the midscale level. Ooi has also highlighted strong growth metrics for the region. In 2024, he said Wyndham opened 220 hotels and signed 286 in Asia Pacific, and noted that the company now has over 1,800 hotels in the region covering segments from budget to luxury. He pointed to China's domestic travel prospects, citing increased air capacity and infrastructure upgrades, and said China experienced a more than 150% increase in inbound travelers in 2023. In earlier remarks from 2020, Ooi described Vietnam as a market with "phenomenal growth" potential, with more than 10,000 rooms in its executed pipeline. He also discussed undergoing a 14-day quarantine in Shanghai in June 2020, stating that he felt China was "one of the safest places on earth" due to government-imposed processes for international arrivals.