PARSIPPANY, N.J., USA, May , 2024 — Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company, today announced the appointment of Amit Sripathi as Chief Development Officer. Sripathi, a seasoned professional with a robust background in real estate and hospitality, will report directly to Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. He will lead Wyndham’s North American franchise sales team, aiding hotel owners to leverage the strengths of the company’s extensive brand portfolio.
“Amit’s deep experience in mergers & acquisitions and capital markets focused on the real estate and hospitality sectors at Deutsche Bank and RLJ Lodging are instrumental as we increase our focus on growing our midscale-and-above portfolio while reinforcing our leading position in the resilient select-service segments,” Ballotti remarked. “Since joining Wyndham, Amit has demonstrated a strategic approach to growth. He’s helped divest our owned and managed segments leading to a pure-play U.S. franchise business and worked with our sales teams across the country and around the world deploying over $250 million in development support for our owners. He hits the ground running, knowing what our franchise sales teams need to continue outperforming expectations.”
Sripathi expressed his enthusiasm for his new role, stating, “With 15 consecutive quarters of organic net room growth and our largest development pipeline ever, it’s clear that existing and prospective franchisees appreciate Wyndham’s market-share leading brands and the world-class sales, marketing, and distribution systems curated for their individual needs. Together with the best franchise sales team Wyndham has ever assembled, we will help even more owners discover the power of partnering with Wyndham and experiencing our Owner-FirstSM approach.”
The announcement also marks the departure of Chip Ohlsson, the outgoing Chief Development Officer, who will leave the company in June. Ohlsson played a pivotal role in expanding Wyndham’s brand portfolio from 14 to 25 brands and was a key advocate for diversity within the franchise sales team and among owners.
“From launching his sales career with us in 1993, to returning nearly ten years ago to lead our North America franchise sales teams, Chip has shown unwavering commitment to Wyndham and our franchisees,” said Ballotti. “We are extremely grateful for his proven leadership and ability to attract, promote and develop a best-in-class sales team that consistently delivers, and we wish him all the best.”
About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts:
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) operates approximately 9,200 hotels across more than 95 countries, making it the largest hotel franchising company in the world by the number of properties. Wyndham commands a significant presence in the economy and midscale segments with approximately 876,000 rooms that cater to the everyday traveler. The company manages a portfolio of 25 distinct brands, including Super 8®, Days Inn®, and Ramada®. Wyndham’s award-winning loyalty program, Wyndham Rewards, has over 106 million enrolled members.
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