UPDATE 1-Wyndham Worldwide hires former DineEquity exec as CFO

* Former CFO of DineEquity joins Wyndham Worldwide

* Franchising experience will help Conforti succeed -CEO

NEW YORK, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Wyndham Worldwide Corp (WYN.N) on Tuesday announced the appointment of a former DineEquity Inc (DIN.N) executive as its chief financial officer, effective immediately.

Thomas Conforti replaces former CFO Virginia Wilson, who said in June that she would leave the hotel operator in the third quarter to pursue other interests.

Conforti was previously the chief financial officer of restaurant operator DineEquity, where he was involved with the company's acquisition of Applebee's and helped franchise IHOP, Wyndham said in a statement.

"His proven track record as a public company CFO, his depth and breadth of management and financial experience, as well as his experience with a variety of business models including franchising, will allow Tom to have an immediate impact," said Wyndham Chief Executive Stephen Holmes in a statement.

Wyndham shares were up 2.1 percent, or 31 cents, to $15.05 in early afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Conforti joins Wyndham, operator of Ramada, Days Inn and Super 8 hotels, at a time of great turmoil for the global hospitality industry. In July, the company said its revenue per available room (RevPAR) at its hotels could fall as much as 14 percent this year, a worse drop than it previously forecasted. [ID:nN29245296] (Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; editing by Gunna Dickson)