Press Release
February 23, 2001
DALLAS, TX -- Wyndham International, Inc. (NYSE:WYN) has named Kathi Kulesza as senior director of Wyndham ByRequest(SM),
the company's unique guest recognition program offering personalized items and services to meet individual travelers'
needs.
In this position, Kulesza is responsible for growth of Wyndham's brand-wide ByRequest program, while ensuring the
quality of guest services at all Wyndham properties.
Kulesza joined Wyndham in 1994 as a hotel manager and has since served in numerous operational and general manager
roles throughout the Wyndham chain, including a stint as regional director of operations for Wyndham Garden Hotels,
managing seven Midwest properties, and as a hotel ByRequest manager.
``Wyndham ByRequest is a guest service philosophy that is the heart and soul of the brand,'' said Andrew Jordan,
senior vice president of marketing for Wyndham. ``Kathi brings a wealth of operations knowledge to the ByRequest
program due to her strong background of nearly 15 years in the hotel industry. This expertise, paired with the
everyday experience of responding to guests' needs, will be a real asset to the success of this program.''
Kulesza is directing all Wyndham ByRequest managers and overseeing the ByRequest guest information network, which
tracks personal profiles of all ByRequest members. Last year, Wyndham concentrated on fine-tuning the infrastructure
of the program, while this year it is aggressively rolling-out and promoting ByRequest to all guests at every Wyndham
property.
As the first guest recognition program to focus on personalization instead of points, Wyndham ByRequest is literally
reinventing the four-star hotel category by empowering guests to ask for and receive what they want in their rooms.
By filling out a personal ByRequest profile, all Wyndham guests can enjoy personalized service to help ease the
burden of business travel.
When a ByRequest member arrives at a Wyndham Hotels & Resorts property or Summerfield Suites by Wyndham(a)
property, they are welcomed to a room that has been tailored to their individual preferences. For example, the
guestroom will be located in the area/level of the hotel they prefer, and contain items requested on the profile,
such as favorite magazines, extra towels or a special snack and beverage. Additionally, each property's ByRequest
manager is an expert at going above and beyond to create memorable guest experiences, from finding information
about a local event to picking up an emergency bow tie for an evening gala.
``With delays and inconveniences, traveling can be stressful,'' said Kulesza, who began her hotel career in 1985
in rooms operations. ``It makes a difference when you can come to Wyndham and find the comforts of home, from your
favorite bottle of wine or a pair of your favorite slippers to a hand-written welcome note. Through Wyndham ByRequest,
we are raising guests' expectations for the quality and service of their hotel stay.''
According to Kulesza, one of the most important components of Wyndham ByRequest is that it empowers guests to convey
exactly what they want in their hotel stay, while empowering managers at every level to take better care of the
guest. Kulesza plans to use her knowledge of guest needs and day-to-day operations to make realistic, smart decisions
for ByRequest that can be implemented chainwide. In addition, as a former ByRequest manager, Kulesza is known for
her ability to educate hotel staff to make the program part of the Wyndham culture.
For more information on Wyndham ByRequest, call 888/994-2227 or visit www.wyndham.com
and click on Wyndham ByRequest.
Wyndham International, Inc. 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.
(a) Wyndham ByRequest will be available at Summerfield Suites by
Wyndham properties in the second quarter of 2001.
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Contact:
Edelman PR Worldwide
Jamie Trandel, 312/240-2687
jamie.trandel@edelman.com
or
Wyndham International, Dallas
Darcie M. Brossart, 214/863-1335
dbrossart@wyndham.com