Wyndham's RCI on an Expansion Mode

Wyndham Worldwide Corporation’s (WYN - Analyst Report) leading vacation exchange network, RCI, recently declared the inclusion of 150 affiliated resorts in its portfolio in 2012. The company has added these properties in various popular destinations worldwide.

In this regard, few resorts worth a mention here are The Royal Haciendas in Cancun, Riverwalk Resort in Lincoln, N.H., Enotel Lido in Portugal, Ramada Gurgaon Central in India and Las Vegas and Hawai based Elara and Hokulani Waikiki, respectively.

RCI, a unit of the company’s Vacation Exchange and Rentals segment, was previously offering its clients the privilege to access more than 4,000 vacation properties located in about 100 countries. Now, with this addition, management will be able to further enhance its Vacation Exchange network.

During 2012, RCI introduced several new programs, including online tour generation and the timeshare online listing center. RCI also launched new initiatives, especially in North America and Europe to boost its Vacation Exchange business through moving more of the transactions to the Web and by continuously upgrading its facility. In fourth-quarter 2012, the company’s Exchange revenues were $153.0 million, up 2% year over year.

The company also announced fourth quarter 2012 adjusted earnings of 63 cents per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 60 cents per share and increased 34% year over year. Net revenues climbed 9% year over year to $1,094 million in the reported quarter. The increase reflected advancement across Wyndham’s lodging and vacation ownership businesses.

Wyndham currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Some other hospitality and lodging companies worth a mention include and Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (RHP - Snapshot Report) carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). China Lodging Group, Limited (HTHT - Snapshot Report) and Choice Hotels International Inc. (CHH - Snapshot Report) both carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).