Wyndham International Names Sysco Preferred Supplier of Food, Food Distribution; SYSCO's eSYSCO Internet Order Entry System Delivers Efficiency Along With Food

SYSCO, generating annualized sales in excess of $18.5 billion, is the largest foodservice marketing and distribution organization in North America. SYSCO provides food and related products to about 325,000 restaurants, healthcare and educational locations, lodging establishments and other foodservice customers.

Today's announcement is the latest in a series of strategic procurement agreements designed to leverage Wyndham International's scale and enhance its purchasing power. Wyndham's previously announced purchasing agreements include in-room entertainment, waste management and travel planning.

Fred J. Kleisner, president and chief operating officer, Wyndham International, said, "Our relationship with SYSCO complements our ongoing efforts to increase synergies throughout the Wyndham organization. By leveraging our scale, we are able to increase our purchasing power while ensuring the highest level of quality for our guests."

Effective immediately, Wyndham International will convert its food purchasing operations in the U.S. and the Caribbean to SYSCO's proprietary Internet-based system, eSYSCO.

"We are delighted to be working with Wyndham International to achieve substantial synergies," said Tom Lankford, executive vice president, merchandising and multi-unit accounts, SYSCO Corporation. "Our eSYSCO Internet Direct Order Entry system makes it possible for SYSCO to provide state of the art value-added business analysis, including real time usage and vendor reporting, and the ability to reserve inventory at the time of order placement. Our National Pricing system provides SYSCO's multi-unit customers with pricing consistency on a wide range of foodservice-related products."

Wyndham International, Inc. is one of the world's largest hospitality and lodging companies. Through its proprietary brands and management services division, the company offers primarily upscale and luxury hotel and resort accommodations in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe. Headquartered in Dallas, Wyndham International owns, leases, manages and franchises more than 300 hotels totaling more than 70,000 rooms. For more information, visit www.wyndhamintl.com.