Global Alliance Bonds 235 Hotels, Resorts

In the short term, the alliance focuses on the four partners, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Kempinski Hotels & Resorts, Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts, Rydges Hotels & Resorts. The alliance came together within two months of the initial conversation, a contact for Dallas-based Wyndham International Inc., the partner with the largest portfolio, tells GlobeSt.com. For now, the focus is "maximizing the opportunities" for the founding four although the future promises buy-in talks with hotel corporations with a foothold in other parts of the world.

The initiative is viewed as a way for the mid-size chains to compete against industry giants. The first meet and greet is April 5 when the alliance launches its Web site to introduce trusted customers from each network to the other chains and create a one-stop shopping portal for the hotel quartet. The primary problem that each member faces is the loss of a customer when travel is booked outside its respective network so it is hoped the initiative will eliminate or at least significantly reduce the risk by offering incentives to pass customers onto participating alliance brands.

The global alliance will not change flags or ownership, but aligns the four for marketing, sales and incentive packages. The free-flowing ideas now being generated include a "ski year round" package, which is based on the premise that "there's snow always somewhere" within the global alliance's 63,000 guest rooms on five continents.

The alliance roster consists of chains considered dominant players in their coverage territories: Wyndham in North America; the Berlin-headquartered Kempinski Hotels & Resorts with a portfolio that crisscrosses Europe and includes the Middle East, Africa, South America and Asia; Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts, based in Tokyo, which has 59 hotels in the Pacific Rim and is the largest chain in Japan; and Rydges Hotels & Resorts, with its main port in Sydney to oversee a 30-property portfolio in Australia and New Zealand.