Wyndham Acquires Upscale European Vienna House Brand

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has acquired Vienna House, an Austrian-based brand with more than 3 dozen hotels.

Here’s what to know about the deal.

Vienna House Has More than 6,000 Rooms

Wyndham has purchased the Vienna House hotel company for $44 million. When the deal is completed, Vienna House properties will be known as Vienna House by Wyndham.

The acquisition expands Wyndham’s footprint in Europe considerably. According to the chain, the deal adds nearly 30 hotels in Germany alone. The combined portfolios of Wyndham in Europe and Vienna House will see more than 400 hotels in more than 30 countries.

Vienna House hotels are typically located in popular European cities, particularly in Eastern Europe, with properties in Berlin, Munich, Prague, and more. Brands under Vienna House include Vienna House Easy and Vienna Townhouse hotels.

In announcing the acquisition, Wyndham CEO Geoff Ballotti pointed to travel to Europe “steadily bouncing back” after the coronavirus pandemic.

“Vienna House’s guest-centric culture, strong brand recognition and ambitious brand development plans align with our distribution goals, making it a perfect match to continue our international growth and reinforces our position and commitment to the region,” Ballotti said in a statement. 

Dimitris Manikis, Wyndham’s President for Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa (EMEA), said Vienna House had built a “highly-recognized name” in Europe for travelers.

This marks a massive expansion for Wyndham, which boasts 9,000 hotels across over 95 countries on 6 continents.

Wyndham says Vienna House properties will become part of the Wyndham Rewards program, which currently has nearly 2 dozen brands, including Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Ramada, La Quinta, and Days Inn.

It’s unclear when the merge will happen and where Vienna House properties will fall on Wyndham’s award chart. Wyndham has one of the most straightforward hotel award charts, with free nights costing 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per night for any Wyndham property.

Earning Wyndham Rewards points is pretty simple. There are 3 co-branded Wyndham Rewards credit cards: the Wyndham Rewards^® Earner℠ Business Card, Wyndham Rewards^® Earner℠ Card, and Wyndham Rewards^® Earner℠ Plus Card.

If you don’t have a Wyndham card, you can also transfer points from Citi ThankYou Rewards or Capital One Miles at a 1:1 ratio, though this isn’t a great use of either currency.

Hot Tip: Learn more about the best credit cards for Wyndham Rewards loyalists in our detailed guide!

Final Thoughts

Wyndham is expanding in Eastern Europe and has acquired a well-known and respected hotel brand. This means Wyndham is getting new hotels in coveted destinations, such as Vienna House Zur Bleiche Schaffhausen and Vienna Townhouse Berlin. We’ll have to wait and see how much award nights will cost after the deal is finalized!