Wyndham Worldwide CEO Steve Holmes opened the inaugural Wyndham Hotel Group Global Conference yesterday by saying how “committed and intent” he was on growing the company’s hotel business. Less than an hour later, Wyndham Hotel Group CEO and President Eric Danziger proved it wasn’t just talk by making the 5,700 in attendance the first to hear the news: Wyndham signed a license agreement to franchise the Planet Hollywood Hotels brand and provide management services globally.

“Any successful hotel brand needs notoriety,” said Robert Earl, who founded the brand capitalizing on the global appeal of movies, sports, celebrity and entertainment-based themes in 1989. “Planet Hollywood has that. Most importantly it needs to have great standards and a great reservation system. And Wyndham now adds that.”

Planet Hollywood will continue to own its brand trademarks and intellectual property, but Wyndham Hotel Group will look to grow the burgeoning hotel brand through franchising and primarily management opportunities. Planet Hollywood becomes the 13^th brand in the Wyndham Hotel Group family and expands the offerings on the upper-end of the spectrum.

Danziger said Wyndham won’t look to become involved in casino-hotel properties like the 4,000-room Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, but he sees opportunity for the upper-upscale entertainment-themed Planet Hollywood hotels and resorts in all types of major cities throughout the world.

He says properties will be added through new construction and conversions, and could be anywhere from 200 rooms in size to more than 1,000. They’ll be a complement to the Wyndham brand, Danziger said, not “instead of.”

Earl said he’s had many opportunities to add a second location to the successful Las Vegas casino, but the deterrent to another property re-flagging was always the lack of a reservation system. “We’ve now got that missing component,” he said.

Danziger and Wyndham Hotel Group signed the agreement with Earl and Planet Hollywood on Monday, one day before the start of the group’s first all-brand conference at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Now the two leaders will get to work on creating the essence and standards of the hotel brand.

“The addition of an entertainment-based hotel offering will complement Wyndham Hotel Group’s strong global portfolio by expanding its appeal to a much wider audience,” said Danziger. “Planet Hollywood is a world-renowned brand favored by travelers and developers who crave unique experiences, distinctive dining and outstanding service. We are especially proud to work with Robert Earl, a dynamic entrepreneur, as we look to expand the brand in key tourist hotspots around the world.”