DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
121 | An American Idea with Trump Hotels CEO Eric Danziger
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
Eric Danziger is the chief executive officer of Trump Hotels, the world-renowned luxury hotel brand and management company, and is responsible for the strategic direction, growth and performance of the business.
With more than 45 years of experience in the hotel business, Eric, who started as a bellman at The Fairmont San Francisco at the age of 17, has served as the head of several of the industry’s leading hotel companies. He joined Trump Hotels following roles as President and CEO of Starwood Hotels, President and COO of Carlson Hotels Worldwide and President and CEO of Wyndham Hotel Group.
Most recently, Eric was president and CEO of Hampshire Hotels Management, now Dream Hotel Group, where he introduced a collection of lifestyle hotel brands. His first executive role was with DoubleTree Hotels, where he was part of the team which created the iconic DoubleTree cookie.
Eric was instrumental in the exponential growth and success of each organization he led. As an example, he is credited with greatly expanding the footprint of Wyndham Hotel Group, and he was the visionary that first leveraged the organization’s strength and synergies across its brands.
He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors and actively involved in industry associations and major universities.
In This Episode, Eric Reveals:
- How the idea of a franchise model for Trump Hotels came about.
- Their new franchise brands, including Scion – their upper upscale, full service, 4-star design focused brand, and American Idea – their 3-star, budget friendly brand.
- The launch of the first Scion property being developed by Chawla Hotels in Cleveland, Mississippi, and how it’s aligned with the Trump Hotels vision.
- Their agreements with Chawla Hotels to convert three properties to the American Idea brand, what Trump Hotels is looking for when considering conversions, and what their pipeline looks like.
- His philosophy on brand standards, and why he believes the brand, and it’s owners, should be treated differently then they are by most franchisors.
- The projected cost per key they expect for conversions to the American Idea brand.
Resources & Links
Mentioned in this Episode
Trump Hotels
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
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346 | Repositioning For Recovery: Hotel conversions to outpace new builds
Lodging Econometrics has tracked the hotel industry since 1998. Its global database includes new-hotel pipelines as well as renovations and brand conversions. Hotel franchisers once eager to launch new brands are focused on converting existing hotels because it’s a faster way to recover revenue lost to the COVID-19 pandemic than through new construction. In Episode 346, Lodging Leaders explores the increasing number of conversions in the U.S. hotel industry and what owners and operators need to consider before repositioning an asset.
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345 | ‘Rosy View of Future’: Hotel industry sees unleashing of pent-up investor demand
In the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., financiers anticipated a swell of distressed hotel businesses. Some raised rescue funds to respond to what they thought was a pending crisis. Though there are financial rescues taking place, the level of such activity is far below what industry advisers and fund managers expected. Commercial real estate investors positioned to act in the early days of the pandemic held off and are now just beginning to unleash their cash hoards totaling billions of dollars. Episode 345 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores the state of capital investment in the hotel industry.