Franchise Operations Quality Assurance

TRACY RIPA, CHE

Greater NYC Metro Area 973-***-**** ****.*****@*****.***

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Franchise Operations Leader Expert in Enhancing Franchise Relationships, Performance & Profitability

Seasoned Executive Leader driving Franchise Operations and Quality with over 20 years of experience providing strategic vision and direction in the hospitality industry, including for the world’s largest hotel franchising company. Recruited, hired, and developed over 240 team members to grow franchisee relationships and drive hotel performance and profitability. Extensive experience in all aspects of business leadership, including strategic planning, work flow optimization, data analytics, new and long-term partnerships, account development, and brand standards. Continually exceeds expectations by building and cultivating key relationships across all levels of an organization, including stakeholders, executive management, partners, sales teams, and clients. A visionary leader who inspires and champions an environment of collaboration, respect, diverse thought and perspective, and high performance to deliver on impactful, sustainable results.

CORE COMPETENCIES

National & Global Franchise Leadership Operational Excellence & Efficiency Improvements

Industry & Market Trend Knowledge Quality Initiatives & Brand Standards

Strategic Planning & Financial Analysis Revenue Growth & Market Expansion

Work Flow Optimization & Quality Assurance Account Management & Relationship Building

Sales Cycle Management & Account Development Customer Service, Satisfaction & Retention

Training Development & Implementation Team Training, Mentoring, Coaching & Leadership

Consultative & Strategic Selling Techniques Performance Metrics & Stakeholder Engagement

Advanced Data Analytics & Business Intelligence Strategic Sourcing & Vendor Management SELECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Enhanced Franchisee Engagement & Brand Growth: Spearheaded initiatives that improved franchisee engagement and brand growth, achieving a 22-point increase in Owner Net Promoter Score

(NPS) YOY, and fostered relationships with 6,000+ franchisees.

Strategic Leadership in Operations: Oversaw operations of 6,300 hotels in North America, managing a budget of $65M, leading to significant revenue increases and cost reductions. Directed comprehensive quality assurance, brand standards, and operational efficiencies, contributing to improved compliance rates and service quality.

Hotel Integration: Exceeded integration goals through strategically leading and directing the forecast process, collaborating with senior leaders on the Franchise Sales and Finance teams to identify potential targets to obtain net room growth (NRG), nurturing and cultivating opportunities while demonstrating the value of the brand, addressing and troubleshooting challenges, overseeing document finalization and technology, and successfully launching and adding to the portfolio to strategically meet market demand.

Innovative Program Development: Developed and launched the ‘Count on Us®’ safety program in response to COVID-19, which enhanced guest and team member safety across multiple hotel brands. TRACY RIPA Page 2

Revenue Management & Growth: Generated 700 revenue management leads, increasing Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) for 50%+ of involved hotels. Supported the launch of franchise operations for a major hotel acquisition, integrating new franchisees smoothly and efficiently.

Vendor Negotiations & Supply Chain Optimization: Negotiated with 170 vendors to secure cost- effective procurement of essential products, maintaining brand quality and consistency, which supported franchisee profitability.

Leadership and Team Development: Led a diverse team of 175+ members, fostering a culture of high performance and engagement. Initiated educational and training programs that increased operational effectiveness and owner satisfaction across all brands. CAREER HISTORY

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts – Parsippany, NJ

Senior Vice President, Brand & Franchise Operations

Senior Vice President, North America Franchise Operations

Group Vice President, Franchise Operations & Quality

Vice President, Franchise Operations & Quality

Vice President, Franchise Quality

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Member – American Hotel & Lodging Association

Former Co-Chair – AHLA Safe Stay Advisory Council

Former Member – School of Hospitality Leadership, East Carolina University Former Member – AHLA Women in Lodging Executive Committee Former Chair – Educational Institute’s Certification Commission TRAINING LICENSES CERTIFICATIONS

Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) – Expired 2024 Certification in Hotel Educator (CHE)

EDUCATION

Master of Science in Hospitality Administration and Management – Fairleigh Dickinson University Bachelor of Arts in Sociology – Caldwell University TRACY RIPA Page 3

RESUME ADDENDUM

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts – Parsippany, NJ

Senior Vice President, Brand and Franchise Operations 2022 – Present In 2022, scope of SVP for North America Operations role was expanded to include leadership and oversight for both Brand and Franchise Operations. Leads a team of Brand Leaders supporting 16 brands who are accountable for improving the brand value proposition, managing and growing the portfolio, and increasing owner engagement. Directs the strategic planning of the brands to move the needle on brand performance. Provides the operational oversight, expertise and guidance to ensure Brand Leaders’s successfully execute on complex goals and objectives.

Improve Brand Value Proposition: Secured senior executive alignment and established multi-year brand strategy/business plan; communicated and collaborated cross-functionally to execute goals and strategic priorities; monitored brand KPIs and partnered with respective functions to drive and communicate results; evolved brand owner value proposition and core proof points to attract new owners, inspired existing owners, and differentiated the brand in the market; and developed and owned brand investment programs, brand-defining elements, and brand standards roadmap, improving quality of the system

Manage and Grow Portfolio: Retained and grew business with high profile owners through meaningful interactions and portfolio business reviews; launched proactive retention campaigns; triages breaches, restrictions and defaults; partnered with development; and developed plans to replace poor performing and/or existing assets

Increase Owner Engagement: Developed brand action plans to improve Owner NPS; developed and implemented owner engagement strategy; facilitated execution of Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) meetings and key owner forums; and served as Executive Spokesperson for internal and external brand-related media opportunities and industry events

Senior Vice President, North America Franchise Operations 2020 – Present

Directs and provides oversight for 16 franchise hotel brands across multiple industry segments; achieved 80% compliance with key standards

Exceeded integration goals through strategically leading, directing, and successfully launching and adding to the portfolio to strategically meet market demand

Successfully increased franchisee engagement and brand growth, with an owner NPS of 22+ points improvement YoY

Developed and implemented comprehensive brand strategies based on identified market needs and competitor analysis

Ensured franchisee compliance with brand standards through quality audits, survey results, and ongoing training programs

Fostered collaborative relationships with 6,000+ franchisees, providing ongoing support and resolving operational challenges

Implemented customer satisfaction initiatives across all brands, leading to 12-point increase in NPS’s YoY

Led team that cultivated 700+ revenue management leads, positively impacting RevPAR for over 50% of those hotels

Partnered and worked closely with hotels to implement processes to help protect the safety of guests and team members during COVID-19

TRACY RIPA Page 4

Group Vice President, Franchise Operations & Quality 2018 – 2020

Led franchise operations for North America, encompassing 6.3K hotels, and increased engagement with owners

Drove performance of all franchised properties, ranging from economy to luxury segments, and ensured brand conformance

Led franchise operations, quality assurance, brand standards, property improvement, strategic sourcing, and hotel openings

Managed $45M expense budget, with more than a decade of experience reducing expenses and driving top line revenue

Used effective project management techniques and budget strategies to increase revenue and profitability across hotels

Led team of 175+ dedicated associates who worked tirelessly to drive franchisee engagement, revenue growth, and profitability

Improved owner relations, with a strong emphasis on identifying and assisting owners in achieving their business goals and objectives

Developed innovative, companywide ‘Owner First’ philosophy and approach to the organization’s support model

Effectively managed relationships with master licensees to drive retention and company Net Room Growth

(NRG) goals

Trained franchise operations team to identify potential opportunities, generating 500+ franchise development leads

Negotiated with 170 vendors and suppliers to assist franchisees in obtaining essential products at favorable pricing

Ensured brand-defining items were sourced from consistent, qualified providers to protect the brand and meet guest quality expectations

Developed significate operational efficiencies during the hotel opening process to drive performance-ready metrics

Vice President, Franchise Operations & Quality 2017 – 2018

Led the operations and integration team for the acquisition of LaQuinta Inn and Suites over a 12-month process

Facilitated franchisee education on Wyndham resources, and built relationships with franchisees during townhall meetings

Worked with franchisees to successfully implement Wyndham Central Reservation and Property Management Systems

Restructured core support departments to reduce overhead and improve efficiency, and led the team to ‘do more with less’

Partnered with franchisees to improve quality and service, and motivated them to drive improved JD Power results

Improved franchisee engagement with Wyndham Rewards program through property incentives based on meeting KPIs

Vice President, Franchise Quality 2015 – 2017

Developed and implemented district model aligned with STR (global leader in hospitality data benchmarking analytics and marketplace insights) regions to support operations and quality across all brands

Led initiatives that drove overall improvements in RPI, RevPAR, OSR, OSAT, and Engagement with Wyndham Rewards

Developed and led Quality Matters workshops for franchise community, increasing OSAT scores for participating hotels

Managed Wyndham Hotel Group’s global quality assurance philosophy and its implementation, along with brand standards

Developed new bonus structure for the operations and quality team based on meeting key performance metrics

Saved the company $1M+ annually by launching new QA tool and disengaging 3rd-party vendor

Managed team of 30 quality consultants offering consultative and education services to the franchise community

Oversaw property improvement plan and quality assurance inspection processes to meet brand standards TRACY RIPA Page 5

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts – Parsippany, NJ

Vice President, Franchise Quality

Senior Director, Franchise Quality

Director, Franchise Quality

Director, Retention

Director, Learning & Development

Senior Manager Operations Ramada

Prime Hospitality – Fairfield, NJ

Various Property-Level Roles

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