Nov. 22, 2005--A recent acquisition by Cendant Corp. has the company's Aberdeen call center working to make room for additional staff.

In October, Cendant completed its acquisition of the Dallas-based Wyndham hotel chain, which included worldwide franchise agreements and management contracts.

Mary Job, director of customer service at the Aberdeen call center, said the acquisition means 21 new jobs in the Hub City.

The call center takes reservations and customer service calls for all of Cendant's hotels, including Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada and a number of other brands.

Additionally, the center handles group services and trip rewards for all of Cendant's hotels.

Job said Cendant is moving Wyndham's customer service department from Dallas to Aberdeen, which accounts for the 21 new positions in her center.

She said those jobs have been filled by new hires and internal transfers.

"With the additional positions, we needed more space," Job said.

So Cendant is working to add desk and office space in its existing building at 1910 Eighth Ave. N.E.

Job said that work is on schedule.

"We should be able to help our first Wyndham customers on Dec. 5," she said.

The new positions bring to 312 the total employees Cendant now has in Aberdeen.

"We're excited any time we can bring growth to Aberdeen," Job said.

Job also said Cendant may move the Wyndham sales group business to Aberdeen in January.

That is still up in the air right now, she said, but it's a possibility.

According to a release, Cendant Corp. announced the acquisition of the management and franchise business of the Wyndham hotel chain from an affiliate of The Blackstone Group for $101 million in cash.

The acquisition includes 82 franchise agreements, 27 management contracts and the worldwide rights to the Wyndham brand for hotel and timeshare development.

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