Ramada International Hotels & Resorts, a division of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR), has appointed Daniel Dannenmann vice president of global training, quality assurance and brand standards, a newly-created position. Ben Ancher will take over Mr. Dannenmann’s former position as vice president of operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Based in Washington, D.C., Mr. Dannenmann will oversee ExCEED, Ramada International’s global quality assurance program; worldwide management and associate training; and system operational standards. Mr. Dannenmann will be responsible for ensuring brand standards compliance at all of Ramada International’s hotels, including successful implementation of Ramada’s six core pillars, which are a restful sleep, an invigorating shower, a welcoming staff, an exceptional level of cleanliness, the “Ramada Mornings Breakfast,” and a Spirit to Serve Our Communities.

“In the competitive world of hotels, we need to provide additional value to our guests, owners and franchisees, so we have created this new position and department to ensure that our hotels are maintaining the high standards we set for them,” said Reas Kondraschow, senior vice president and managing director, Ramada International. “With our rapid growth through the conversion of multi-unit portfolios, we felt we needed focused leadership in bringing all of these newly branded hotels to a consistent standard around the world.”
He added, “Daniel has played a key role in our rapid growth throughout Europe and the Middle East. I know he will bring the same success to his new role.”

In his previous position, Mr. Dannenmann was in charge of Ramada’s operations and franchise service division in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and was based in Frankfurt, Germany. Before joining Ramada International, he was an area manager for Bass Hotels & Resorts, in charge of the Chicago market. During his time in this role, he facilitated the branding of over 100 hotels in the region. Mr. Dannenmann began his career in hospitality as a chef de rang at a fine restaurant in Montreux, Switzerland.

Originally from Germany, Mr. Dannenmann has also lived in Switzerland and the United States. He received undergraduate degrees from HOTELCONSULT Swiss Hotel & Catering Colleges and the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He earned a certificate of completion from the Institute of Independent Business Studies in Munich and a Master of Business Administration from Clemson University in South Carolina.
Mr. Ancher joins Ramada International from the InterContinental Hotel Group where he was senior director of franchise business. He has worked as a general manager for various hotel companies throughout Europe and has worked as operations director for Crest Hotels of Europe. In his new position, Mr. Ancher will be based in Frankfurt, Germany.

“We are looking forward to having Ben join Ramada. With his extensive hotel background throughout Europe, he will be a tremendous asset to our team,” said Mr. Kondraschow.

Born in The Netherlands, Mr. Ancher is a Belgian citizen. He attended hotel school in The Hague, The Netherlands, and has also attended Cornell University in New York.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading worldwide hospitality company with over 2,600 lodging properties in the United States and 68 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Ramada International brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., has approximately 128,000 employees, and was ranked as the lodging industry`s most admired company and one of the best places to work for by FORTUNE®. For more information or reservations, please visit the web site at www.marriott.com.
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