Faculty & Research
Eric A. Danziger
President & CEO
Wyndham Hotel Group
Eric A. Danziger is responsible for the operation, growth, performance and strategic direction of Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company, with approximately 7,190 hotels and 611,200 rooms in 65 countries around the globe.
A lodging industry veteran, he joined the company in late 2008 after serving in executive leadership roles for some of the world’s most well known hospitality companies including Carlson Hotels Worldwide, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Double Tree Hotels and the former Wyndham International.
Most recently, Danziger was chief executive officer of WhiteFence, an online home services comparison shopping Web site based in Houston where he was responsible for overseeing the company’s vision, planning and strategy as well as serving on its board of directors.
Prior to WhiteFence, he served as president and chief executive officer of ZipRealty®, a national full-service real estate brokerage firm based in Emeryville, Ca. During his five-year tenure, the company saw 88 percent compounded annual growth.
From 1998 to 2001, Danziger was president and chief operating officer of Carlson Hotels Worldwide where he oversaw the growth, development and operations of the Radisson, Regent and Country Inns and Suites hotel brands as well as the integration of the Park Inns and Park Plaza brands into the Carlson Hotels portfolio.
From 1995 to 1998, he was president and chief executive officer of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, where he relocated the company to Phoenix and led it through several acquisitions including the acquirement of Westin Hotels & Resorts® and Sheraton®. Under his leadership, the company grew from just under 20 hotels to nearly 600 hotels.
In addition to his time with Carlson and Starwood, Danziger has served in a variety of other executive level roles, including positions with Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® and Doubletree Hotels. He began his career as a bellman at San Francisco’s historic Fairmont Hotel.
Danziger, who is a 2011 UJA-Federation of New York Honoree, has been the recipient of numerous industry awards and honors, including the 2005 Northern California Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the category of real estate, hospitality and construction.
He is a member of the prestigious Industry Real Estate Financing Council and the Urban Land Institute, and he sits on the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation Board of Trustees. He also previously served as the chairman of the American Hotel & Motel Association’s Strategic Planning Group and as a trustee of the American Hotel & Motel Federation. Danziger holds an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., where he is a distinguished visiting professor.
He is based in the company’s Parsippany, N.J., offices.