Wyndham Expands Luxury Hotel Portfolio Through Deal With Casino Resort Near DFW
One of the world’s largest hotel chains has struck a deal with a popular casino and resort brand within driving distance of Dallas-Fort Worth as it aims to bounce back from a disappointing financial performance last year.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced an agreement with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma to add its flagship Durant resort and three other locations to the chain’s portfolio. The deal for close to 2,000 rooms will add the Choctaw Casino & Resort-Durant to the Wyndham Grand brand, while the nation's resorts in Grant, Broken Bow and Pocola will join the Trademark collection.
Located about 90 minutes north of Dallas near the Texas-Oklahoma border, the Choctaw casino in Durant accounts for around 1,600 of those rooms and also has a more-than-100K SF casino, 100K SF of conference and event space, a 3,000-seat entertainment venue and over 40 restaurants and bars.
Wyndham reported a 5% drop in revenue per available room in the third quarter because of softer demand for rooms in Texas, California and Florida. The chain reduced its 2025 RevPAR outlook to a 2% to 3% decline and its adjusted net income outlook to between $347M and $358M at that time.
The company had previously predicted that RevPAR would range from a 1% gain to a 2% loss and net income would be between $358M and $372M.
Wyndham aims to leverage the popularity of gambling destinations with travelers with the addition of its luxury portfolio. Top-tier hotels showed much more momentum in both average daily rates and RevPAR last year than lower-scale hospitality offerings.
Wyndham President and CEO Geoff Ballotti said in a statement that the deal with the Choctaw Nation will give its visitors the chance to experience “the country's fastest-growing gaming markets."
In addition to its proximity to DFW, the Choctaw Nation also has a strong presence in the metro. In 2021, the nation's casino and resort brand struck a deal with the Texas Rangers to change the name of the team’s former Arlington field, Globe Life Park, to Choctaw Stadium.
The 200K SF stadium was turned into a commercial and retail venue in 2019 following the Rangers' move to Globe Life Field. The 30K SF Spark Arlington, a business incubator for startups and entrepreneurs, opened at Choctaw Stadium in 2023.
The agreement with Wyndham positions the Choctaw Nation “for continued growth on a global stage," Chief Gary Batton said in a statement.
The Choctaw resort in Durant will soon face competition from a pair of megaresort projects at Lake Texoma that aim to turn the body of water on the Texas-Oklahoma border into a year-round tourist destination.
The $6B Preston Harbor development with a Margaritaville Resort at the center will be on the Texas side of the lake, while the $2B Pointe Vista development and its Hard Rock Hotel will be just west of Durant.
