MIAMI, FL – June 2017: Marriott International Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) has enhanced its development teams in the region, and added three executives in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina in these strategic markets. To date, the CALA region has more than 100 properties in its development pipeline.
“With the heightened interest in our brand portfolio from the regional investment community, we took the opportunity to strengthen our team and local presence, to better serve our owners and franchisees in CALA” said Laurent de Kousemaeker, Chief Development Officer for Marriott International Caribbean and Latin America. “The acquisition of Starwood allowed us to select and attract the best talent in the industry”
MEXICO Pablo Andrade has been appointed Director of Development in Mexico. With an existing portfolio of 73 hotels, this is Marriott’s largest market in the region and currently, represents 35% of the CALA region’s pipeline with 40 properties in development. This includes the recent signing of a St. Regis property in Los Cabos slated to open in 2020, along with other properties such as the Ritz-Carlton Mexico City – Avenida Reforma, scheduled to open in late 2018.
Pablo is a Mexico City native with a strong background in development, acquisitions, asset management and brand selection. He was formerly with Walton Street Capital, where he led the company’s hotel division in their Mexico office, as well as GE Real Estate in their Lending and Equity divisions, where he was an underwriter and an asset manager respectively. He has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from ITESM and an MBA from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Now, a key player within Marriott’s development team, he joins local department leaders Alonso Burgos and Uriel Burak to further boost growth in this key market.
ARGENTINA The Southern Cone, which is comprised of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia, is another region identified to present strategic opportunity for Marriott, with the new local foothold acquired through the recent Starwood acquisition. Currently, Marriott International operates 12 hotels in Argentina under the Sheraton, The Luxury Collection and Tribute Portfolio brands. In addition to the Recoleta Grand, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, which is slated to open in 2019, Marriott recently announced its expansion of the Sheraton Hotels’ brand in Argentina with a new-build Sheraton Greenville Polo Resort in Buenos Aires, destined to become the tenth Sheraton property in the country.
Chilean-born Hugo Desenzani has been appointed Vice President of Development for Southern South America. Prior to working with Marriott, Hugo was Chief Business Development Officer at Atton Hotels, a Latin American business hotel company with eleven properties throughout the region. Prior to this, he held several operational positions with Starwood hotel properties across the United States. A results-driven hotel executive with a proven track record of accomplishments, Hugo studied hotel management in Les Roches, Switzerland, earned a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism from Endicott College in Massachusetts, followed by a master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University. Hugo is based in Santiago, where he’s responsible for new unit growth for all of Marriott’s brands in Southern South America.
BRAZIL With Marriott’s third largest presence in the Americas, Brazil continues to be a market of strong growth for the region. Currently there are 18 properties in Marriott’s Brazil portfolio, four of which were opened in 2016. This includes a Courtyard and Residence Inn in Rio de Janeiro, and two AC Hotels, also in Rio. This year, Marriott prepares to introduce the Fairfield Inn brand to the Brazil market with the opening of Fairfield Inn by Marriott Curitiba Afonso Pena Airport. This is one of three additional Fairfield Inn hotels in the pipeline.
Andre Matielo has been appointed as the new Director of South America in Marriott’s São Paulo office, where he’s responsible for growth and development in Brazil. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from Laureate University in partnership with University Anhembi-Morumbi in São Paulo, Andre honed his skills in the hospitality and tourism industry as an associate at JLL Hotels and Hospitality, where he played key roles in projects that include the Hotel Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, and both the AC by Marriott and Fairfield Inn properties in Florianopolis.
