When Eric Danziger left Wyndham in 1996, the company had just two brands. Now a dozen years later, Wyndham Hotel Group has 12 brands totaling nearly 7,000 hotels in 67 countries. And the former president is back again, unfazed by the huge task at hand in these uncertain economic times.

Danziger, who went on to lead Starwood Lodging as its CEO before becoming president and COO of Carlson, left the hotel industry in 2001 to care for his sick father. He later became CEO of ZipRealty, a mostly online real estate brokerage firm, and then WhiteFence, an online comparison-shopping site, before returning to Wyndham as its president and CEO on Dec. 1.

He recently sat down for an interview during the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in San Diego. He’d only been on the job for seven weeks, but the dynamic leader wasn’t shy about his thoughts on his new (old) company and the industry as a whole.

QUESTION: What’s it been like coming back?

DANZIGER: Fantastic. You know nothing changes. The reality is customers still have the same selections in hotel choices; owners still have the same expectations. Brands still have the same burden to deliver. Nothing’s really changed.

Why Wyndham and why now?

Once I was done taking care of my dad before he died and then after taking ZipRealty public, it was really finding the right match. I’ve had some interesting experiences in this industry. I’ve worked with Curtis Nelson and Carlson and Barry Sternlicht and Starwood so it was very important to me that I associated with really, really neat people. This company has that. I looked at some other opportunities, but I wanted to be very selective. This is going to be my last deal, so I wanted it to be right. Now was the time and this was the place.

You’re coming in at a very interesting and challenging time…

I love that, because it is what it is. The opportunity for having great brand clarity and delivering great consumer products is there in tough times because you’re focusing on that more. Every customer matters even more than when times are good. These times force companies to really deliver.

What’s changed with Wyndham in the time you were away?

I was president of Wyndham from 1990-96 and Wyndham at the time was just Wyndham and Wyndham Garden. Now it’s 12 brands. That’s really exciting. I have a great affinity for the company. Unfortunately for Wyndham, it’s had foster parents. It had Patriot America, which was not in the hospitality industry—it was real estate. Then Apollo, ditto…and then Blackstone. There’s nothing wrong with a kid who’s been through foster parents, but if you get transferred a few times with foster parents no one is focused on growing you into being a great adult. That’s what’s happened to this company.  Now it’s back in the hands of parents who love it, want to raise it to be a great adult and that’s what we’re in the process of.

Any ideas going forward on what you’d like to see or do with the brands?

I have a lot of ideas, I don’t know what they mean right now. They’re sort of percolating. It’s only been seven and a half weeks.  I could talk about all of our brands, but a couple examples: When I was a kid, Howard Johnson—oh my god, what an iconic brand. Who didn’t go to a Howard Johnson…or a Travelodge? The first thing I can say is it’s clear to me I want to rejuvenate, reinvigorate and re-excite those brands. We’ve got powerful brands; I could say the same about each. I would like to see a little more clarity with a Ramada. What is a Days Inn? How is it different from a Super 8? Is there an opportunity, for instance, with the XYZ Generation … Like a W kind of idea, but their pocketbooks can’t afford it? Could one of these brands be kind of a W light for that traveler? Could you build it on the history of Howard Johnson and go back to the future and have that brand almost look like it did in the ’60s? I don’t know the answers, but I know there is a lot of excitement about all the brands.

Any talk of combining, contracting or selling some brands?

I don’t think so. It’s not on the table right now. I don’t think it’s necessary. We have great brands, great global brands. What we’re trying to do is tie them more together, like with our rewards program … just build on what we have. It’s a renovation not a reconstruction.

What about the former U.S. Franchise Systems brands (Microtel Inns & Suites and Hawthorn Suites)?

They’re integrated as a part of our brands now. We’re one company, 12 brands.

Did you agree with economist Todd Buchholz’s prediction of a third-quarter turnaround during the ALIS keynote address? What do you see in your crystal ball?

One of the great lines is how come you never read about a psychic winning the lottery.  If I had to give my opinion, I would agree with him. I do think late spring or summer it’s going to start to get better. The whole paralysis is the bigger issue. I liken it to when I was a kid and we had these nuclear drills and we got under our desks and everyone is under their desk and they ain’t coming out until they hear the alarms go off and it’s OK and safe. But once they come out, it’s business as usual and things pick up pretty fast. I’m fairly optimistic too. I feel it’s going be ’09 when it will start to recover.

Web resources: http://www.wyndham.com