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                                                                   Exhibit 10.17
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                        ADDENDUM TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

      WHEREAS, Wyndham International, Inc. (the "Company") and Fred J. Kleisner
(the "Executive") are parties to that certain Executive Employment Agreement
effective as of March 27, 2000 (the "Employment Agreement"); and

      WHEREAS, the Company and the Executive wish to amend certain provisions of
the Employment Agreement as specified in this Addendum to Employment Agreement
(this "Addendum");

      NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby
acknowledged, the Company and the Executive hereby agree that effective July 13,
2001, the Employment Agreement is amended as hereinafter set forth.

      1. Certain Defined Terms. Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein
         ---------------------
shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Employment Agreement.

      2. Amendments to Subparagraph 8(d). The following sentence is hereby
         -------------------------------
inserted between the second and third sentences of the first paragraph of
subparagraph 8(d):

            Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, the Restricted
            Unit Award granted to Executive on April 12, 2001 shall not vest
            immediately upon such Date of Termination and shall instead vest in
            accordance with the terms of such Restricted Unit Award.

            The introductory phrase in the sentence of Subparagraph 8(d)
immediately preceding Subparagraph 8(d)(1) of the Employment Agreement is hereby
deleted and replaced with the following:

            In addition, subject to signing by Executive of the general release
            of claims in the form attached to the Addendum as Attachment A:

      3. Amendments to Subparagraph 8(g). The words "paragraph 18" in
         -------------------------------
subparagraph 8(g)(aa) of the Employment Agreement are hereby deleted and
replaced with "paragraph 17".

            The last paragraph of Subparagraph (8)(g) is hereby deleted in its
entirety and replaced with the following:

                  If Executive is entitled to a severance payment pursuant to
            subparagraph 8(d)(1), Executive may elect, by delivering written
            notice of such election to Employer prior to the tenth day following
            the Date of Termination, to have the payment of the Escrowed
            Severance Payment governed by a Severance Escrow Agreement in the
            form attached to the Addendum as Attachment B (the

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            "Severance Escrow Agreement"), whereupon the parties shall within
            fifteen days following the Date of Termination enter into such
            Severance Escrow Agreement.

      4. Amendment to Subparagraph 9(a). Subparagraph 9(a) is hereby deleted in
         ------------------------------
its entirety and replaced with the following:

                  (a) Within fifteen (15) days after the occurrence of the first
            event constituting a Change in Control (irrespective of whether
            Executive has knowledge of such event) that is not a Hostile
            Takeover (as hereinafter defined), Employer and Executive shall
            enter into an escrow agreement in the form attached to the Addendum
            as Attachment C (the "Parachute Escrow Agreement") and Employer
            shall place in the escrow provided thereby immediately negotiable
            funds in an amount equal to Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00)
            attributable to Subparagraph 9(c) (the "Put Payment"); provided,
            however, that if the first event constituting a Change in Control is
            a Hostile Takeover (as hereinafter defined), then within fifteen
            (15) days after the occurrence of such event, (i) the remaining
            portion of the "Parachute Amount" (as hereinafter defined), net of
            any Gross Up Payments (as hereinafter defined) paid or payable by
            Employer within fifteen (15) days after the occurrence of such
            event, shall also be funded by Employer in immediately negotiable
            funds into such escrow and (ii) the parties shall make such changes
            to the Parachute Escrow Agreement as shall be appropriate to provide
            for the timely payment to Executive of such additional funds held in
            the escrow in the event Executive becomes entitled thereto under the
            applicable provisions of this Agreement. The Escrow Arrangement
            shall be maintained until the earlier of (A) nineteen (19) months
            after the occurrence of the first event constituting a Change in
            Control or (B) the payment to Executive of all funds in the escrow
            to which he is entitled pursuant to this Agreement and the Parachute
            Escrow Agreement.

      5. Amendment to Subparagraph 9(b)(1). Clause (1) of Subparagraph 9(b) is
         ---------------------------------
hereby deleted in the entirety and replaced with the following:

            (1)   an amount equal to the sum of (i) the greater of $3,000,000 or
                  the Severance Amount or, if applicable, the Minimum Severance
                  Amount provided for in subparagraph 8(d)(1), and (ii) all
                  Gross Up Payments (excluding any Gross Up Payments previously
                  paid by Employer); and

      6. Amendment to Subparagraph 9(c). The following sentence is hereby added
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to the end of Subparagraph 9(c) of the Employment Agreement:

            Notwithstanding the first sentence of this Subparagraph 9(c), the
            Restricted Unit Award granted to Executive on April 12, 2001 shall
            not vest immediately upon the occurrence of the first event
            constituting a Change in Control and shall instead vest in
            accordance with the terms of such Restricted Unit Award.

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      7. Amendment to Subparagraph 9(d)(1). Subparagraph 9(d)(1) is hereby
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deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

                  (1) Excess Parachute Payment. If Executive incurs the tax (the
            "Excise Tax") imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code
            of 1986 (the "Code") on "excess parachute payments" within the
            meaning of Section 280G(b)(1) of the Code, Employer will pay to
            Executive, within 15 days of any payment (or event treated as a
            payment under such Section 4999) under this Agreement that gives
            rise to Excise Tax (an "Excise Taxable Payment"), an additional
            amount (a "Gross Up Payment") such that the net amount retained by
            Executive after any such payment under this subparagraph 9(d)(1),
            after deduction of any Excise Tax on such Excise Taxable Payment and
            any federal, state and local income tax (together with penalties and
            interest) as well as the Excise Tax upon the payment under this
            subparagraph 9(d)(1) (collectively, the "Deductions"), will be equal
            to the portion of the Parachute Amount (less all amounts payable
            pursuant to this subparagraph 9(d)(1) with respect to such portion)
            that was payable, and such that the net amount retained by Executive
            from all Excise Taxable Payment(s) after all Deductions will be
            equal to the Parachute Amount (less all amounts payable pursuant to
            this subparagraph 9(d)(1)).

      8. Amendments to Subparagraphs 9(d)(2) and 9(d)(4). In each instance in
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which the term "the Gross Up Payment" appears in each of Subparagraphs 9(d)(2)
and 9(d)(4), the term is hereby amended to read "any Gross Up Payment".

      9. Amendment to Paragraph 17. Paragraph 17 of the Employment Agreement is
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hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

            17. Mediation and/or Arbitration; Other Disputes.
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                  (a) General Procedures. In the event of any dispute or
            controversy arising under or in connection with the terms of this
            Agreement, the parties shall first promptly try in good faith to
            settle such dispute or controversy by mediation under the Commercial
            Mediation Rules of the American Arbitration Association ("AAA")
            before resorting to arbitration, provided, however, that if the
            dispute or controversy concerns whether Executive is entitled to a
            severance payment or to other benefits provided in subparagraph 8(d)
            of this Agreement, the amount of severance, or the amount of other
            benefits to which the Executive is entitled under subparagraph 8(d)
            of this Agreement, the expedited procedures in subparagraph 17(b)
            will apply. In the event such dispute or controversy remains
            unresolved in whole or in part for a period of thirty (30) days
            after it is submitted to mediation, the parties will settle any
            remaining dispute or controversy exclusively by arbitration in
            Dallas, Texas in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of
            the AAA then in effect. The Commercial Mediation and Arbitration
            Rules were selected at the request of Executive. The parties hereto
            agree that any dispute relating to the terms of this Agreement or
            the performance by the parties


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            of their respective obligations under the terms of this Agreement
            shall not in any event be subject to the AAA's National Rules for
            the Resolution of Employment Disputes. Judgment may be entered on
            the arbitrator's award in any court having jurisdiction. All
            administration fees and arbitration fees shall be paid solely by
            Employer. Each party agrees to pay its own legal fees and expenses
            incurred in connection with mediation and/or arbitration.

                        Notwithstanding the above, Employer shall be entitled to
            seek a restraining order or injunction in any court of competent
            jurisdiction to prevent any continuation of any violation of
            paragraph 5 or 6 hereof. Should a dispute occur concerning
            Executive's mental or physical capacity as described in
            subparagraphs 7(b) or 8(b), a doctor selected by Executive and a
            doctor selected by Employer shall be entitled to examine Executive.
            If the opinion of Employer's doctor and Executive's doctor conflict,
            Employer's doctor and Executive's doctor shall together agree upon a
            third doctor, whose opinion shall be binding.

                        Any amount to which Executive is entitled under this
            Agreement (including any disputed amount) which is not paid when due
            shall bear interest from the date due until paid at a rate equal to
            the lesser of eighteen percent (18%) per annum or the maximum lawful
            rate.

                  (b) Expedited Procedures. The following expedited procedures
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            apply in the event of any dispute or controversy concerning whether
            Executive is entitled to a severance payment or to other benefits
            provided in subparagraph 8(d) of this Agreement, the amount of
            severance, or the amount of other benefits to which Executive is
            entitled under subparagraph 8(d) of this Agreement, and are intended
            to supplement the general procedures detailed above. The parties
            shall first promptly try in good faith to settle such dispute or
            controversy by expedited mediation under the Commercial Mediation
            Rules of the AAA, as modified by this Agreement, before resorting to
            arbitration. In the event that such dispute or controversy remains
            unresolved in whole or in part for a period of fifteen (15) days
            after either party files a request for expedited mediation with the
            AAA, the parties will settle any remaining dispute or controversy
            exclusively by expedited arbitration in Dallas, Texas in accordance
            with the Expedited Procedures of the Commercial Arbitration Rules of
            the AAA then in effect, as modified by this Agreement. The parties
            agree that the arbitration hearing will be held sixty (60) days
            after the filing of a demand for expedited arbitration. The parties
            further agree that the following deadlines shall apply: (1) a party
            has fifteen (15) days following the conclusion of the mediation
            period to file an arbitration demand; (2) the opposing party then
            has seven (7) days to file an answering statement; (3) thereafter,
            the parties have thirty-five (35) days to conduct discovery, and (4)
            the parties have seven (7) days following the close of discovery to
            exchange copies of all exhibits that they intend to submit at the
            hearing. During the first five (5) days of the discovery period, and
            prior to either party starting discovery, the parties must agree
            upon the type of discovery that will be conducted and upon a
            discovery schedule. Any dispute regarding the type of discovery or
            the discovery


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            schedule must be resolved by the arbitrator during a discovery
            conference conducted in person or on the telephone within the first
            five (5) days of the discovery period. The parties agree that the
            arbitrator shall have fifteen (15) days after the arbitration
            hearing to issue an award. The award shall be written and reasoned,
            if requested by one of the parties.

      10. Counterparts. This Addendum may be executed in several counterparts,
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each of which shall be deemed an original but all of which together will
constitute one and the same instrument.

      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Addendum
effective as of the date set forth above.

                       WYNDHAM INTERNATIONAL, INC.

                       By:/s/ Theodore Teng
                          ----------------------------------------------------
                            Theodore Teng
                            President and Chief Operating Officer

                          /s/ Fred J. Kleisner
                          ----------------------------------------------------
                            Fred J. Kleisner, Executive


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