If you’ve ever driven down a highway in the United States, you’ve seen that sunburst logo. It’s everywhere. For decades, La Quinta was the scrappy Texas underdog that eventually became a staple of suburban travel. But honestly, if you’re looking at the sign and wondering who’s actually cashing the checks at the end of the month, the answer is a lot more corporate than it used to be.
Who owns La Quinta Inn today? It’s not the Barshop brothers anymore. It isn’t even a standalone company. Since 2018, La Quinta has been a crown jewel in the massive portfolio of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
But that’s just the surface. When you dig into the paperwork, you realize that "ownership" in the hotel world is a bit of a shell game. Wyndham owns the brand, the logos, and the reservation system. They don’t necessarily own the dirt or the bricks.
The $1.95 Billion Handshake
Back in May 2018, the hospitality world shifted. Wyndham Worldwide (which later spun off its hotel wing as Wyndham Hotels & Resorts) dropped nearly $2 billion in cash to scoop up La Quinta’s franchise and management business. This wasn't just some small "tuck-in" acquisition. It was a massive power move.
By acquiring La Quinta, Wyndham didn't just get 900+ hotels. They bought a direct ticket into the "upper-midscale" segment. Think about it. Before this, Wyndham was mostly known for budget-friendly icons like Super 8 and Days Inn. La Quinta was a step up. It gave them a brand that business travelers actually liked and—crucially—a brand that was famous for being pet-friendly.
The deal was complicated. Before the ink was even dry, La Quinta’s physical real estate was sliced off into a separate entity called CorePoint Lodging.
Why? Because modern hotel giants don't want to own buildings. Buildings require new roofs and plumbing. Brands, however, just require marketing and software. Wyndham wanted the brand, not the baggage of property taxes and maintenance.
The Wyndham Era and the Global Push
Geoff Ballotti, the CEO of Wyndham, has been pretty vocal about why this brand matters. To him, La Quinta is a "flagship." Since the acquisition, they haven't just sat on the brand; they’ve exported it.
You’ll now find La Quinta locations in places the original Texas founders probably never dreamed of.
- Istanbul, Turkey
- The Dominican Republic
- New Zealand
- United Arab Emirates
It’s a weird feeling for someone who remembers La Quinta as the "Texas hotel." Now, it’s a global player. Under Wyndham, the brand has been integrated into the Wyndham Rewards program, which, as of early 2026, boasts over 120 million members. If you stay at a La Quinta in San Antonio, you can use those points for a beach resort in Bali. That’s the kind of scale the Barshops couldn't have imagined in 1968.
The "Two La Quintas" Confusion
Here is where people get really confused. If you go to La Quinta, California, you’ll find the La Quinta Resort & Club. It’s stunning. It’s historic. It’s also... not a La Quinta Inn.
Basically, the famous luxury resort in California is owned by Hilton, specifically under their Waldorf Astoria banner. It has zero business connection to the La Quinta by Wyndham chain. The name "La Quinta" just means "the country villa" in Spanish. It’s a common enough name that two completely different companies are using it for two completely different types of stays.
If you show up to the Waldorf Astoria with a Wyndham Rewards voucher, the concierge is going to give you a very polite, very expensive "no."
Who Really "Owns" the Hotel You’re Staying In?
If you want to be technical about who owns La Quinta Inn when you’re standing in the lobby, the answer is usually a local franchisee.
Wyndham is primarily a franchisor. This means about 65% to 70% of La Quinta locations are owned by independent investors, small business groups, or real estate investment trusts (REITs). These owners pay Wyndham a fee (usually around 4.5% to 5% of gross room revenue) to use the name and the booking tech.
The rest? About 30% or so used to be corporate-owned, but that number is always shifting as Wyndham moves toward an "asset-light" model. They want to provide the "brain" of the hotel, while someone else provides the "body."
A Timeline of Who's Been in Charge
- 1968 – 2005: The Barshop family and various public shareholders.
- 2005 – 2018: The Blackstone Group. The private equity giants bought it for about $3.4 billion, polished it up, took it public again in 2014, and eventually sold the brand rights to Wyndham.
- 2018 – Present: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
Why the Ownership Matters to You
Does it really matter if a giant corporation in New Jersey owns the brand? Sorta.
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Ownership changes usually mean "prototypes" change. If you’ve stayed in a newer La Quinta lately, you’ve probably seen the "Del Sol" design. It’s all bright colors, sleek furniture, and lots of charging ports. That’s a direct result of the Wyndham/Blackstone transition. They’re trying to move away from the "dark wood and popcorn ceilings" vibe of the 90s.
Also, the "pet-friendly" policy—which is the main reason many people choose La Quinta—has remained mostly intact under Wyndham, though some individual franchisees have started charging small fees. That's the downside of the franchise model; while the "owner" is Wyndham, the person setting the pet fee might be a local LLC.
What to Check Before You Book
Since ownership is fragmented between a parent corporation and local franchisees, your experience can vary wildly.
Verify the "Managed by" status. If a hotel is managed directly by Wyndham, it usually adheres strictly to corporate standards. If it’s a "mom and pop" franchise, you might find more local flavor (and sometimes more variance in quality).
Check the Rewards. Make sure you’re using a Wyndham Rewards account. Since the merger, the points value at La Quinta is actually one of the better "bang for your buck" options in the Wyndham system, especially for "Go Fast" awards where you mix points and cash.
Look for the "Del Sol" tag. If the listing mentions "Del Sol Prototype," you’re getting the modern, post-acquisition version of the brand. If not, you might be staying in a "legacy" property that still feels a bit like 1994.
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The "sunburst" isn't going anywhere. While the ownership has moved from a family-run Texas business to a global hospitality behemoth, the core mission of being a reliable, mid-tier stop for road trippers hasn't changed. Just know that the "owner" is likely a massive boardroom in Parsippany, New Jersey, and the "landlord" is likely a local investment group.
Actionable Next Steps
If you are planning a stay or looking into the brand for business reasons, your first move should be to download the Wyndham Hotels app. This is the only way to ensure you're getting the corporate-guaranteed rate and the correct pet policy for that specific location. Additionally, if you're a frequent traveler, check if your credit card has a partnership with Wyndham; many mid-tier travel cards now offer "Gold" status shortcuts that apply specifically to La Quinta properties because of this 2018 ownership shift.