At this week s Hunter Hotel Conference in Atlanta, HOTELS sat down with Ballotti to discuss his plans for Wyndham and his outlook on the hotel industry.

　　Earlier this month Wyndham Hotel Group announced Geoff Ballotti would take over as the company’s president and CEO. Ballotti has served as the president and CEO of Wyndham Exchange & Rentals since 2008 and spent 20 years in various leadership roles at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. At this week's Hunter Hotel Conference in Atlanta, HOTELS sat down with Ballotti to discuss his plans for Wyndham and his outlook on the hotel industry.

　　HOTELS: Where do you think the U.S. hotel industry is in terms of the business cycle?

　　Ballotti: There are a couple years ahead of us of really strong growth. In the segments we play, economy and midscale, if you are looking at STR data supply growth is flat, and if you are looking at PKF data it is declining. The economy and midscale supply that is leaving the system is leaving it for all the right reasons because they are end-of-life hotels, and this is what PKF believes is causing that contraction. That creates great opportunities for our brands, and we think this cycle is going to continue to roll on and be strong for us.

　　HOTELS: What are your most pressing priorities as you transition to your new role?

　　Geoff Ballotti: Getting to know and understand Wyndham’s leadership teams around the world. For example, earlier this week I met with our e-commerce team. They were hired from all walks of life to optimize our distribution program.

　　HOTELS: Your predecessor oversaw some large-scale changes to Wyndham’s brands such as the Howard Johnson refresh. Do you foresee any of these on the horizon?

　　Ballotti: We are always looking for new opportunities to make the brands more relevant. This week we have had a hotel development show that had owners and developers of four brands, Wingate by Wyndham, Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham and Wyndham Garden Hotels. It has been very refreshing to hear why developers believe in the brands they have. To the extent that we could refresh them, we could make them more modern, we could take cost out of labor and design with better sourcing and FF&E.

　　HOTELS: At the next Wyndham Hotel Group global conference, should we expect more videos of the CEO appearing in Hollywood movies and walking out dressed as a superhero, or will there be a change of tone?

　　Ballotti: I think there will be a change of tone. The superheroes at the next conference will be our brand leaders. I would love our franchisees to see, feel and understand the people that lead our brands day in and day out in terms of what their vision is, where those brands are headed and why those brands are meaningful and can continue to deliver better operating margins to owners. You’ll hear a lot less from me than you might think.

　　HOTELS: Your predecessor Eric Danziger switched Wyndham Hotel Group’s headquarters attire from casual to business formal. Do you plan any changes there?

　　Ballotti: It was business casual at the business unit I was previously running, and the culture at Wyndham Hotel Group will now be business casual unless we are out in the field or meeting with customers — then it will be business formal.