CD Cendant

PARSIPPANY, N.J., July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wyndham Hotels and Resorts(TM) today debuted exterior and interior images of its three new hotel prototypes including guest rooms, lobbies, coffee bar and other public spaces. Created by the internationally acclaimed architecture firm, Michael Graves & Associates, the 126- to 301-room prototypes are designed with a mix of guest rooms and meeting and social space to accommodate local market preferences. The prototypes feature a lounge where guests can convene, work and eat; a 24-hour food mart; "front porch" with rocking chairs; and regional art decorating the hallways. Instead of a traditional hotel front desk, guests will find a "pod" system created to ensure a friendlier guest experience. The pods remove the traditional desk barrier and enable service agents to freely move about to interact with guests when checking them in and out of the hotel. The Graves group designed a "kit of parts" to give developers of new-construction and conversion properties the flexibility to mix and match key guest-room components in an economical way that is appropriate for local markets. The kit includes various furniture configurations including options for closet space, desk and casework arrangements in the guest rooms as well as fireplaces, library and entertainment centers in the first floor common areas. Dubbed "The Room that Performs(SM)," the guest room prototype features a large work desk; the Wyndham signature Smart Chair; and a welcome center with a coffeemaker, television remote control, ice bucket and minifridge. Guest rooms are decorated with wallpaper and photographic images featuring regional scenes as well as original Michael Graves artwork. The Smart Chair is equipped with easily accessible power and Internet outlets to provide guests with a functional place to use their laptop computer, charge their personal data assistant and connect to the Internet. The chair also features pivoting table arms and is covered with a specially engineered fabric that resists stains and bacteria. "Our objective was to marry good design and functional innovation to create a hotel that is practical, warm, personable and inviting," said Peter Strebel, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts president. "In designing the Wyndham prototypes, the Graves team created a truly practical space with a distinctive look that draws on regional elements. Both the common areas and guest rooms are streamlined spaces equipped with useful amenities." The Michael Graves Design Group is known in hospitality for projects including the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels in Orlando, Fla., and international luxury resorts in Egypt, among others. The group's other signature work includes the scaffolding that surrounded the Washington Monument during its restoration in the late 1990s. Graves became a household name in the United States with a line of home products designed for Target, Alessi and Dansk. Since its founding in 1964, Michael Graves & Associates has been at the forefront of architecture and design worldwide and has received more than 180 awards for design excellence. Michael Graves, FAIA, received the AIA Gold Medal in 2001 and the National Medal of Arts in 1999. Throughout the project Michael Graves & Associates collaborated with its sister company, Michael Graves Design Group, which provides industrial and graphic design services. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE:CD) based in Parsippany, N.J., offers upscale hotel and resort accommodations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. All hotels are independently owned and either franchised or managed by an affiliate of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. DATASOURCE: Cendant Hotel Group CONTACT: Christine Da Silva, Senior Manager, Trade Media Relations, Cendant Hotel Group, +1-973-496-0750, Web site: http://www.cendant.com/

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