Twin brothers Dubi and Chuchu Ajukwu never dreamed that they would invest in the hospitality sector, even though their parents owned a small independent hotel in Nigeria where they once worked.

But a program by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company with approximately 9,100 hotels in over 95 countries, made an offer the brothers couldn’t refuse.

The hotel chain’s BOLD by Wyndham initiative, which stands for Black Owners and Lodging Developers, aims to promote hotel ownership among Black entrepreneurs as a vehicle for generational wealth through its incubator program.

“Chuchu and I are well-versed in the worlds of residential and commercial real estate and for years, our vision was to build a company leveraging our institutional experience in those sectors,” Dubi Ajukwu said in a statement. “That vision still holds true but has since evolved to have extended stay and hospitality at its center.

“Participating in BOLD by Wyndham has not only enabled us to break into competitive markets with immense growth potential but also allowed us to leverage the scale and resources of the world's largest hotel franchising company.”

The co-managing partners of VANA Partners, and graduates of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, once worked as hotel waiters at their parent’s hotel.

Now, the Ajukwus are working to establish a footprint in Florida and will break ground on their first hotel project in Daytona Beach later this year.

Data provided by the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD) suggests that Black employment in the hotel industry represents nearly 20 percent of all team members in the industry, though less than two percent of hotel owners are Black.

To solve this, Wyndham has signed deals for 18 hotels across the U.S., including 10 under its newly launched ECHO Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham brand.

“There's an immense gap when it comes to the representation of Black hotel owners, which is why it's crucial that players like Wyndham find and champion new opportunities to drive diversity,” Galen Barrett, vice president of strategic development at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “With agreements for nearly 20 hotels in our pipeline, BOLD by Wyndham is proving there is opportunity in our industry for Black entrepreneurs and that our industry will be all the better for it.”