Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ newly-appointed chief development officer, David Wilner, is stepping into the role with three decades of franchising and brand‑building experience—and a clear vision shaped by the same principle that launched his career: Do what’s right for the franchisee.
Wilner, who began his hospitality career in 1997 with U.S. Franchise Systems and later spent more than a decade helping La Quinta transition from a corporate-owned platform to a franchise brand, said that philosophy has anchored every step of his professional journey. Some franchisees are investing their life savings or the savings of their partners or parents to develop a hotel—and that anchors what Wilner does every day.
“They’re truly relying on you, your brand and everything that brand promises them,” Wilner said during a meeting at the Hunter Conference earlier this month. “If you stay focused on doing what’s right for the franchisee, everything else good happens from there.”
That owners-first mentality made the transition into the new Wyndham role feel less like a shift and more like a natural continuation. Wyndham’s “owner’s first” culture matched the professional DNA Wilner had been building for decades.
“The vision is doing what Wyndham has always done best—unlocking the value of our brands and delivering that value to franchisees,” he said. With 25 brands across every segment, the development team’s responsibility is to “provide the right brand to the right owner with the right expectations.”
This includes doubling down on Wyndham’s economy and midscale brands—Super 8, Days Inn and Microtel—while remaining aggressive in the upper midscale and upscale categories, particularly with La Quinta and the fast‑growing brands within the hotel company’s expanding collections portfolio.
Wilner is particularly bullish on La Quinta’s continued runway, citing disciplined conversions alongside continued new construction momentum.
One of Wyndham’s newest brands, Echo Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham, represents the company’s largest development pipeline in history—and Wilner believes the momentum will continue as extended-stay continues to be a bright spot in the industry.
The brand is nearing its 20th opening, with “dozens more under construction and dozens more about to break ground.” Demand from developers, he said, validating the brand’s purpose‑built model and lean operating structure.
Growth in a Challenging Environment
Wilner is realistic about the macrodevelopment environment right now: Higher construction costs, interest rate uncertainty and pressure on revenue per available room in certain segments have made pure new-build growth more challenging. But he views these conditions as opportunities.
“Opportunities are in conversions right now,” he said. “I wouldn’t count out new construction, but there’s incredible opportunity on the conversion side.” Softness in parts of the economy and midscale segments has prompted many owners to re-evaluate whether their current brands are delivering the value they need.
The company’s global system grew 4 percent year over year, including 1 percent growth in the U.S. and 7 percent growth in the company’s EMEA and Latin America regions, which often report higher revenue per available room. “We opened a record 72,000 rooms, the largest number of organic room additions in Wyndham's history, and 13 percent more than last year,” Wyndham Hotels & Resorts President and CEO Geoff Ballotti said during an earnings call earlier this year.
Still, Wilner believes that new construction will surge in importance again soon. With limited supply entering the market in recent years, “savvy developers are taking advantage,” he said. Construction costs have moderated from their highs, and projects breaking ground today will enter markets with historically low supply additions.
Wyndham is also leaning more heavily into data science and AI to identify markets, stress‑test opportunities and optimize brand placements. “AI is evolving every six hours,” Wilner said. “There’s almost too much data—but when you sift through it correctly, it gives us remarkable insight.”
The company is using AI-driven analytics to find opportunities to lift RevPAR, extended‑stay demand patterns, markets with rising rates but limited supply, and markets experiencing downturns where brand support can create meaningful performance gains.
Wilner, now in his 30th year in hotel development, has lived through multiple cycles—and he remains optimistic regardless of economic headwinds on the horizon.
“This industry is cyclical. There will always be another cycle,” he said, adding that the strongest performers are those who take a contrarian view. “Sell when people are buying, buy when people are selling, develop when people are timid.”
The People Behind the Growth Push
Asked what excites him most as he steps into the CDO role, Wilner’s answer came immediately: “The team.”
With strong cross‑functional support in design, construction, marketing, operations and commercial strategy, he believes Wyndham is equipped to deliver on development promises at scale. “It makes you sleep well at night knowing the systems and infrastructure are hitting on all cylinders,” he said.
As the development environment continues to shift, Wilner’s mandate is clear: Maximize brand value, drive disciplined growth and uphold Wyndham’s owners‑first foundation—no matter where the cycle turns next.