Press Release
January 25, 2001
NEW YORK, NY -- Cendant Corporation (NYSE: CD) yesterday announced that Franz Hanning has been appointed as president
and chief executive officer of Fairfield Communities (NYSE: FFD), subject to completion of the acquisition of Fairfield
Communities by Cendant. In November, 2000, Cendant announced plans to acquire Fairfield Communities for approximately
$650 million in a transaction that is expected to be completed early in the second quarter of 2001.
Mr. Hanning, 46, is currently the company’s chief operating officer and has held a variety of sales, marketing
and management positions since joining the company in 1982.
"We see in Fairfield a business model that has tremendous potential for growth", said Stephen P. Holmes,
chairman and CEO of Cendant’s Travel Division. "Franz has assembled a great team of professionals and we are
looking forward to capitalizing on the obvious synergies between RCI, Cendant Travel and other Cendant divisions."
As COO with responsibility for all sales and marketing operations in the company, Mr. Hanning presided over a period
of substantial growth for Fairfield. The company’s total revenue grew from $275 million in 1996 to more than $491
in 1999, an increase of more than 78%. During that same period, the company’s portfolio of resorts and vacation
owners grew to more than 32 and 340,000 respectively. Also in 1997, the company carried through on its strategic
decision to become more self-sufficient in the marketing arena by acquiring two companies: Apex Marketing and Vacation
Break USA.
"I am proud to be given this opportunity and excited to be leading Fairfield within the Cendant family,"
said Hanning, who was instrumental in the creation of Fairfield’s points program. "We took a huge leap of
faith back in 1993 when we launched FairShare Plus, our points-based vacation ownership product. While most of
the players in our industry were skeptical, we kept our heads down and successfully transitioned the sales process
to position the points product as not just vacation real estate, but as a vacation lifestyle product with more
value and more flexibility than anything a consumer has seen before. It’s just a better value proposition for the
consumer, and the more value you can deliver, the greater the penetration you can achieve. We look forward to building
on our existing alliances and creating new ones both within and beyond the Cendant family."
Cendant Corporation is a diversified global provider of business and consumer services primarily within the real
estate and travel sectors. The Company's core competencies include building franchise systems and providing outsourcing
services. Cendant is among the world's leading franchisers of real estate brokerage offices, hotels, rental car
agencies, and tax preparation services. Cendant is also a provider of outsourcing solutions to its business partners
including mortgage origination, employee relocation, customer loyalty programs, and vacation exchange services.
Other business units include NCP, the UK's largest private car park operator, and WizCom, an information technology
services provider. With headquarters in New York City, the Company has approximately 28,000 employees and operates
in over 100 countries. More information about Cendant, its companies, brands and current SEC filings may be obtained
by calling 877-4INFO-CD (877-446-3623) or by visiting the Company's Web site at www.cendant.com.
----------------------------------
Cendant Media Contact:
Elliot Bloom 212-413-1832
Cendant Investor Contacts:
Sam Levenson 212-413-1834 Denise Gillen 212-413-1833
SOURCE: Cendant Corporation