Wyndham adds new president, managing director of Southeast Asia and Pacific Rim

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts appointed Joon Aun Ooi to the role of president and managing director for Southeast Asia and Pacific Rim. 

In his new role, Ooi will lead the post-spin development and growth of the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts family of brands across the Southeast Asia and Pacific Rim region and drive its strategic objectives including the company’s brand transformation and its focus on loyalty, distribution, sales and marketing.

Ooi reports to Bob Loewen, EVP and COO of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. He replaces Barry Robinson, who has been named president and managing director, Wyndham Vacation Clubs, a division of vacation ownership and exchange company Wyndham Destinations.

Ooi joined Wyndham in 2013 as VP, openings and operations for Wyndham Hotel Group Greater China. During this time, he introduced four new brands to the market and played a role in growing the combined franchise and management portfolio to over 1,400 hotels.

Before joining the hospitality industry in 2002, Ooi spent more than seven years at The Boston Consulting Group, where he was a principal. He made his first foray into the hospitality industry as VP of strategy at InterContinental Hotels Group before moving to China in 2005 to take on the role of VP, hotel openings (Greater China), where he played a role in establishing and implementing the China growth strategy for the group. In 2009, he was appointed VP of strategy and hotel openings (Asia Pacific) at Hilton Worldwide, where he oversaw the growth of the Hilton portfolio in China.

“Asia Pacific is one of the world’s strongest travel markets, underpinned by rising middle class affluence and increased intraregional travel driven by low cost carriers. We are accelerating the growth of our brands across the region to meet this demand which will make travel more accessible to all groups of travellers,” Ooi said in a statement. “Wherever they choose to go, our guests can expect the largest, most diverse collection of hotel experiences, tied together by the most generous loyalty program in the business, Wyndham Rewards. Going forward, we will be focused on our strategic transformation laser-focused on our brands, technology and marketing which will unlock even greater value for our franchisees, owners and management partners.” 

“Joon Aun is a strategic leader with a strong regional expertise and operational experience across China and South East Asia. He has played an instrumental role in our rapid growth in China where we are now the largest international hotel chain, and will now lead the way for Wyndham’s continued success in the Southeast Asia and Pacific Rim region,” Bob Loewen, EVP & COO of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said in a statement.

Ooi was born in Penang, Malaysia, and is a permanent resident in Singapore, where he will be based. The Singapore office has been established as the region’s new headquarters and is supported by offices in Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea. 

Ooi holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a master of business administration from Stanford University.