Press Release
October 11, 2000
DALLAS, TX -- Wyndham International, Inc. (NYSE:WYN) announced three new additions to its executive management
team, including Curt R. Ewald as senior vice president, operations resources; James Walters as senior vice president,
sales; and Robert S. Davis as senior vice president, vacation ownership.
``These three key appointments substantially strengthen and complete our management team,'' said Fred J. Kleisner,
president and chief executive officer of Wyndham. ``Curt, Jamie and Rob bring extensive expertise to their respective
positions that will help us accomplish our goal of becoming a premier branded hotel operating company.''
Curt R. Ewald -- Senior Vice President, Operations Resources
In his new role, Ewald will coordinate the efforts of all corporate functions that directly impact hotel operations,
such as procurement, finance, sales and marketing, human resources and information technology, as well as others,
in order to ensure the company benefits from synergies and economies of scale. He reports to Ted Teng, chief operating
officer.
``This new position is aimed at better aligning our product lines and corporate support,'' said Teng. ``Formalizing
coordination of our corporate staff will create focus and support for our hotel operations and maximize the value
we deliver to our properties, while improving communication and speeding up decision-making.''
Ewald joins Wyndham with 23 years of international hotel industry experience. He most recently served as senior
vice president, Asia-Pacific for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where he had substantial responsibility for both
hotel operations and staff resources. He has also held key sales and marketing positions for Starwood and Westin
Hotels & Resorts, as well as at numerous hotels across the U.S.
James Walters - Senior Vice President, Sales
In his new position, Walters will oversee all of Wyndham's sales units including travel agent, business transient
and group/meeting sales as well as the individual property sales teams. He will also oversee the company's national
sales offices in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Washington, D.C. He reports to Dave Johnson,
executive vice president of sales and marketing.
``Jamie's extensive experience will lead Wyndham's sales units to continued success,'' said Johnson. ``As we grow
our various sales teams, we look forward to positioning Wyndham as an upper-upscale hotel brand among each of our
target audiences.''
Walters joins Wyndham with over 16 years of marketing and sales experience in the hospitality industry. Most recently,
he served as vice president of sales and marketing for Adam's Mark Hotels & Resorts, where he successfully
implemented the company's central reservations system and expanded their national sales operations to enhance the
performance of on-site hotel sales teams. He also previously worked for Hilton Hotels Corporation, where he held
several positions including: assistant director of sales for the Hilton San Francisco & Towers; director of
sales for the Waldorf Astoria in New York City; and director of sales and marketing for the Hilton Chicago &
Towers.
Robert S. Davis - Senior Vice President, Vacation Ownership
In his new position, Davis will work with Tempus Resorts International, Ltd. to implement Wyndham Vacation Club,
the company's new vacation ownership initiative. He will be responsible for maximizing opportunities in this rapidly
growing market as he serves as liaison between the Wyndham brand and Tempus, the company's exclusive Vacation Club
partner, to identify, develop and manage Wyndham-branded vacation ownership properties. He reports to Ewald.
``We are pursuing opportunities in the vacation ownership market that support our position in the upper-upscale
segment of our industry,'' said Teng. ``Rob will work closely with Tempus to strategically position this product
so that it can mature into one of the leaders in its market.''
Davis joins Wyndham with more than 24 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He was most recently with
the Promus Hotel Corporation as senior vice president of Promus Vacation Resorts, where he developed that company's
resort and club product lines and their respective operating standards and support infrastructures. In addition
to his 16-year career with Promus, he also worked in a variety of hotel operations positions with the Hyatt Corporation.
Wyndham International, Inc. (NYSE:WYN) offers upscale and luxury hotel and resort accommodations through proprietary
lodging brands and a management services division. Based in Dallas, Wyndham International owns, leases, manages
and franchises hotels and resorts in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. For more information,
visit www.wyndham.com. For reservations, call 800-Wyndham.
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Contact:
Wyndham International, Inc., Dallas
Media Inquiries:
Fred Stern, 214/863-1256
fstern@wynhdam.com
or
Analyst Inquiries:
Elizabeth Williams, 214/863-1389
ewilliams@wyndham.com