New Wyndham Hotel Group CEO to Come from Timeshare Division

Wyndham Worldwide recently announced that Geoff Ballotti would become the new President and CEO of Wyndham Hotel Group. Former CEO Eric Danziger announced this week that he would be stepping down due to personal interests, effective March 28th, 2014.

Geoff Ballotti comes from Wyndham’s timeshare exchange and vacation rental division, where he served as president and CEO.

Chairman and CEO Wyndham Worldwide, Stephen P. Holmes said,

“During the past five years, and through some very challenging global economic conditions, Eric provided leadership that strengthened Wyndham Hotel Group’s service to its franchisees, expanded its hotel management offerings, and significantly grew its global footprint. As a well-respected hotel industry veteran, Eric brought real passion for hospitality to Wyndham, and leaves our hotel division set on a strong course for the future. We thank him for his leadership, congratulate him on his legacy within our industry, and wish him all the best in the future.”

Ballotti became the president and CEO of Wyndham Exchange & Rentals in 2008. Here he managed a portfolio of more than 107,000 resorts in over 100 countries worldwide.

“Geoff brings a unique perspective that combines his extensive experience building and growing storied hotel brands, as well as his proven track record of leveraging synergies among diverse hospitality segments and businesses throughout the world and at Wyndham Worldwide,” said Holmes.

Before joining Wyndham, Ballotti spent two decades with Starwood Hotels and Resorts. He held various leadership positions including President of the North American division. In this role he managed a group of 450 hotels and 65,000 employees. He also held leadership roles in real estate development, marking, sales, call center and travel distribution management, and regional brand management.
He continued, “Over the past six years, Geoff has led aggressive growth for our exchange and rentals businesses in both geographic reach and innovative offerings to customers. I am excited to now ask him to continue his leadership at Wyndham Hotel Group to further grow and strengthen our iconic hotel brands around the world.”

As Ballotti moves to his new role, Wyndham Exchange & Rentals will be managed by current CFO, Gail Mandel. During this time of transition, Gail will become chief operation officer of the division. She will work closely with Stephen Homes.

“In her additional role as COO, Gail will leverage her years of hospitality industry experience to steward the ongoing growth of our timeshare exchange and vacation rental businesses, where each has strong trajectories and proven leadership teams in place,” said Holmes. “We have built an exceptional culture at Wyndham Worldwide which continues to attract the best talent in the industry, and these transitions reflect the depth of our leadership and sound strategies that consistently drive our strong results.”

To learn more, visit WyndhamWorldwide.com.