Wyndham Hotel Group Appoints Electronic Distribution Expert

By: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | 0 Shares 165 Reads

March 12, 2009 // Franchising.com // Parsippany, N.J. — Wyndham Hotel Group, the world's largest lodging company with more than 7,000 hotels, today announced the appointment of lodging industry veteran Linda Kent as senior vice president of electronic distribution.

An expert in the areas of global distribution systems, reservations and account management, Kent will be responsible for global revenue generation through third party distribution channels and the strategic direction and development of the company's branded Web sites, which serve more than 90 million guests annually.

Prior to joining the Hotel Group, Kent served eight years with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide in White Plains, N.Y., as vice president of electronic distribution, overseeing contributions to overall revenue through multiple distribution channels. Under her leadership, the company achieved $2.4 billion in annual gross room revenue, mainly driven from high–profile relationships with major consortia customers and agencies, and spearheaded the launch of its first ever global travel agent educational program.

"Linda will be instrumental in helping to ensure a consistent and customer friendly experience across all of Wyndham Hotel Group's electronic distribution channels, strengthening the global performance of both the company and its brands," said Ross Hosking, Wyndham Hotel Group executive vice president of global sales. "Her leadership and experience with global hotel companies will prove to be an asset to the company, our customers and our team."

Kent received her bachelor's degree in French from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., where she graduated Magna cum Laude. She currently serves as vice president of the Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association's board of directors and is a member of the National Business Travel Association Hotel Committee and Open Travel Alliance Hotel Working Group.

Wyndham Hotel Group, one of three principal components of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), encompasses over 7,000 hotels representing nearly 593,000 rooms in 67 countries under the Wyndham®, Ramada®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Wingate® by Wyndham, Baymont Inn & Suites®, Microtel Inns & Suites®, Hawthorn Suites®, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge®, Knights Inn® and AmeriHost Inn® brands. Wyndham Rewards®, the company's loyalty program, is the largest in the lodging industry based on the number of participating hotels.

The Hotel Group is committed to providing guests and franchisees with exceptional customer service and the most lodging choices anywhere around the world. The company strives to help franchisees maximize revenues while providing travelers with value–added experiences.

All hotels are owned individually and operated independently or by Wyndham Hotel Management. Wyndham Hotel Group is based in Parsippany, N.J.

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