LODGING LEADERS
121 | An American Idea with Trump Hotels CEO Eric Danziger
LODGING LEADERS
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
LODGING LEADERS
-
277 | Contagious Ideas: Hospitality brand and design experts search for creative solutions in the age of COVID-19
In the introduction of his book, “Hotel, an American History,” A.K. Sandoval-Strausz writes: “The hotel as we know it today did not evolve randomly or naturally, nor did it develop as some sort of automatic response to structural needs. Rather, it was the deliberate creation of an identifiable group of people who lived in a read more
-
276 | A Measured Response: Hotel industry hires for diversity but fails with inclusion
Many companies in the hotel industry claim they practice diversity in their hiring practices. When questioned about how many Black people they employ, most companies can back up their hiring outcomes with data. That’s all well and good, but what’s missing in most employment demographics is a measurement of how inclusive the company is not read more