Meet WHG’s New President and CEO

Eric A. Danziger

Eric A. Danziger, a hotel industry leader for more than 30 years, is Wyndham Hotel Group’s new president and CEO since coming on board in December. He is responsible for the operation, growth, performance and strategic direction of Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company, representing nearly 7,000 hotels and more than 588,000 rooms in 67 countries.

“Eric is a highly qualified and well-regarded hotel industry executive with an impressive track record in multiple brands, including Wyndham,” said Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and CEO, Wyndham Worldwide. “Eric’s proven leadership skills, hands-on operations experience and ability to diversify and grow businesses make him the ideal candidate to lead our hotel business and create and maintain strong relationships with our franchisees and owners.”

Danziger built his career from the “ground floor up,” starting as a bellman at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco and growing into progressively senior roles in hotel operations, general management and regional operations. Danziger took on his first president role in 1990 for Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, a relatively small hotel company at the time. He grew the portfolio to 100 hotels during his tenure and helped the company successfully go public in 1995. He then joined Starwood Lodging as president and CEO. Under his leadership, the company grew from just under 20 hotels to nearly 600 hotels. He later served as president and CEO of Carlson Hotels Worldwide where he again helped diversify the portfolio and grow the company internationally.

Danziger most recently was CEO of WhiteFence, an online one-stop comparison shopping and transaction site for home services, and, prior to that, served as CEO of a startup online real estate company, ZipRealty.

“I am extremely excited to return to the hospitality industry and help to lead and grow Wyndham Hotel Group’s business and portfolio of 11 brands encompassing nearly 7,000 franchised and managed hotels,” commented Danziger. “But most importantly, it was the people and the company’s focus on execution and growth that attracted me to Wyndham Worldwide and the Hotel Group. The breadth and diversity of the business model and portfolio of world-renowned brands is exciting and I am really looking forward to being part of the high-energy and innovative leadership team.”

Over the course of his 30 years as a leader in the hospitality industry, Danziger has received numerous industry awards and honors, including the 2005 Northern California Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the category of real estate, hospitality and construction.

Danziger previously served as the chairman of the American Hotel & Motel Association’s Strategic Planning Group and as a trustee of the American Hotel & Motel Federation. Currently, he is a member of the prestigious Industry Real Estate Financing Council and the Urban Land Institute, and he is a distinguished visiting professor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I.

He is based in the company’s Parsippany, N.J., offices.