Danziger Seeks Growth at Trump Hotels, Calls Presidential Politics Irrelevant to Operations

Eric Danziger has a collection of presidential memorabilia in his new office at Trump Tower in New York where he started working as Trump Hotels CEO on September 1.

He has sunglasses worn by John F. Kennedy as well as other artifacts and photos; more valuable JFK collectibles are locked away for safekeeping.

Why a tribute to a Democratic president in a building named for a man very visibly running for president as a Republican?

“I was only about 10 years old when Kennedy died but I looked to him as a model of leadership,” said Danziger. “When I established a Future of Wyndham mission at that company I called it Apollo [after the 1960’s space program] because here was a 43-year-old man with the courage to listen to others but to do what was best to advance the country – whether it be sending people to the moon or dealing with the Cuban missile crisis.

“My affection for him was as a great leader. When it comes to politics I always vote for the man, not the party.”

No effect
The fact that Donald Trump is running for president “does not affect the way we operate,” Danziger told Travel Market Report.

“We are in the business or running hotels with that name but the customer cares only about execution at the property level, not whether the founder is running for office.”

Asked about the recent issue over Donald Trump’s comments on immigration, Danziger said, “We are just one facet of the Trump company and our job is to operate hotels; all of those issues are not relevant and not affecting how we do business.”

Danziger, who has served as CEO at multiple hotel companies including Wyndham, Starwood and Carlson, had been at Hampshire Hotels for just over a year when he accepted the Trump position.

“We were doing well and launching six brands but life is timing,” he said. “I’m a simple hotel guy who started as a bellman at the Fairmont in San Francisco and this is probably my last stint in the business.”

Danziger said he hadn’t met the Trumps before “but when I came to visit with the next generation [the Trump children who run the hotels – Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric] I developed such a kinship and connection with them.”

“I found them to be really smart, caring and thoughtful people with great passion. It was an automatic to accept the job,” he said. “These three bring great value to the brand. To build great companies, you have to check your ego at the door.”

That “next generation “of Trumps share offices with Danziger in the Trump Tower.

The family connection
What will distinguish the Trump brand in a crowded luxury field is, in fact, that very family connection.

“There is no Mr. Ritz at Ritz Carlton and no Mr. Seasons at Four seasons,” said Danziger. “There is a Mr. Trump and it is the family’s emotional connection that insures people will love the experience of a beautiful, well run hotel that is not a cookie cutter building and with extraordinary service.”

Although Trump Hotels has been around for a long time, the company has never had a CEO, he said.

“Growth has accelerated at a fairly significant pace [there are now nine hotels] and they always had a COO who ran the hotels,” he explained. “But as the next generation becomes more passionate and committed to growth and the brand, they realized they needed to attain a different level of focus on growth, perhaps with somebody who has had global experience.”

And global growth is very much on Danziger’s agenda.

“We’re going to grow and the stated goal is 30 hotels by 2020,” Danziger said.

But there’s no plan to change the product, which he called “clear, defined and widely accepted by customers who love it.”

Possible expansion
Trump will consider expansion in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, according to Danziger, who added, “Let’s not forget the U.S.; there are a lot of major cities we’re not in, which is a great opportunity for us.”

Danziger is also open to launching brands under a Trump umbrella.

“I am a big fan of saying that if you have a uniqueness about your brand, not every owner can do a five-star luxury hotel. This is something we may or may not do.”

Danziger said the hospitality business has never changed.

“Two of the most important positions are still housekeeping and the front desk,” he added. “Nobody doesn’t recognize the difference between clean and dirty and everybody recognizes a genuinely warm reception.

”One of the things I promised when I took the job is that while we many not invent a lot of things, we will make the hotels more appealing and useful,” Danziger said.

“Steve Jobs did not invent the telephone but he did make it more appealing and useful.”