DETOUR Editor Ron Stodghill called up Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ Vice President, Strategic Franchise Initiatives Galen Barrett to learn about the company’s Black Owners & Lodging Developers (BOLD) program in a new episode of Publisher’s Studio. 

“One of our values at Wyndham is inclusivity,” Barrett said. Wyndham invests in the inclusion of ambitious Black entrepreneurs, developers and hotel staff to support the manifestation of enriched communities brought about by those existing and new professionals. 

By going out into communities and making themselves available to the common person, experts like Barrett showcase the value of stepping out from behind the desk and reaching out through the BOLD program. 

BOLD lays the foundation of Black success in the hotel industry and accelerates that success by offering training, conferences and experience: Participants can join in networking events with Wyndham and industry experts; receive educational materials on getting started in hotel ownership, maximizing revenue and operations; and work with Wyndham teams to find local financing opportunities. 

Read how Vaughn Irons, Principal of Stonecrest Resorts, was able to work with BOLD to revitalize the largely Black community of Stonecrest, Georgia here.

“Giving people the ability to understand what hotel and commercial real estate development means, the full breadth, is step one,” said Barrett. 

Watch the full interview on the Detour YouTube channel at detour_xp. 

Campbell Hamai is a journalist and associate producer with Detour through the Meredith-McClatchy Scholarship sponsored by the University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri. She is passionate about elevating the work and voices of POC authors and creators. Hamai can be reached through email at campbellhamai@detourxp.com. 

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