The Dallas-based Wyndham gets a long-term management contractand the Annapolis, MD-based Thayer gets 1,211 rooms in four keymarkets--Peachtree City, GA, Lisle, IL, Miami and Colorado Springs.At the end of the day, the deal weds manager and owner in a quidpro quo alliance. "We are very much looking forward to a long andmutually beneficial relationship with Thayer Lodging," Matt Sparks,Wyndham's vice president of development, tells GlobeSt.com. "Iexpect we will be working on many other acquisitions betweenus...in the Wyndham assets or assets that Thayer may bring into theWyndham-brand portfolio. We are likely to have other JVs withThayer going forward."

Sparks says talks have been ongoing for some time about theassets and a way to combine forces. The four hotels were carvedfrom a 32-property "for sale" roster announced in August inWyndham's ongoing sell-off to transition from owner to manager ofselect properties. "We were very interested in keeping the Wyndhambrand (on the hotels)," Sparks says, "and the assets also fit intoThayer's strategy." For yesterday's story, click here.

The deeds will pass in October, opening the door to a$27.5-million renovation under Wyndham's watch. Sparks says theextent of the work, possibly some expansions, will be decided inthe coming weeks, but the tentative plan calls for renovations ofall rooms and fresh soft goods.