Stephen P. Holmes
Chairman of the BoardRelevant Expertise
- Visionary leader in the global hospitality and hotel franchising industries with over 30 years of experience and leadership in the field, including guiding Wyndham’s signature Count On Me! service culture and building Wyndham Hotels from the ground up into the largest and most diverse hotel franchisor, commencing with the acquisitions of the Ramada US and Howard Johnson brands in 1990
- Extensive M&A and capital allocation experience. Stephen has overseen and negotiated M&A and restructuring transactions for four decades, including the spin-off of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from Wyndham Worldwide, the divestiture of Wyndham Worldwide’s European vacation rentals business and the acquisition of La Quinta. He also has a long track record of returning capital to shareholders through billions of dollars of dividends and repurchases
- Significant financial knowledge and brand portfolio management expertise from managing and growing complex hospitality portfolios as well as vehicle rental, timeshare development, timeshare exchange and vacation rental businesses in various senior executive roles
Career Highlights
- Non-Executive Chair of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (2018 – Present)
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wyndham Worldwide (2006 – 2018)
- Vice Chairman and director of Cendant Corporation and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cendant’s Travel Content Division (1997 – 2006)
- Vice Chairman of HFS Incorporated (1996 – 1997)
- Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of HFS (1990 – 1996)
- Holmes began his career as a Certified Public Accountant with Deloitte before focusing on M&A and investments, first at Reliance Group Holdings and then at Blackstone Group
Other Public Company Board Experience
- Travel + Leisure Co. (formerly Wyndham Destinations & Wyndham Worldwide) (Chairman, 2006 – 2018; Non-Executive Chairman, 2018 – Present)
- Cendant Corporation (1997 – 2006)
- PHH Corporation (1997 – 2005)
- Avis Europe PLC (1997 – 2004)
- Avis Group Holdings (2000 – 2001)
- Director of HFS Incorporated (1994 – 1997)
Other
- Bucknell University Trustee (including Vice Chair) (2007 – 2023)
- World Travel and Tourism Council (former member)
- Inducted to US Travel Association Hall of Leaders (2007)