Hyatt Hotels Corporation last week announced the appointment of Cristiano Gonçalves as Vice President, Development dedicated to leading Hyatt's expansion in South America. Gonçalves is responsible for leading a strategic expansion plan specific to South America while continuing to establish relationships with potential investors for new projects in markets that matter most to guests, customers and World of Hyatt members.
Gonçalves was appointed in February 2023 and reports to Camilo Bolaños, Hyatt's Senior Vice President, Development, Latin America and the Caribbean.
"As we work to thoughtfully expand our Latin America & Caribbean portfolio, Cristiano will be critical to the expansion of our brand footprint in the region, while driving long-term value through meaningful growth worldwide," said Bolaños. "With Cristiano's leadership, knowledge of the market and strong relationships, he will propel our growth strategy and emphasize the strength of our brands in competitive markets. We look forward to bringing new experiences to our guests, customers and World of Hyatt members, while providing new and existing ownership groups expanded opportunities to be part of Hyatt's transformative growth with world-class brands."
Gonçalves brings more than two decades of experience to Hyatt's development team, most recently overseeing the direct execution of several high-profile management and franchise agreements for InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to IHG, Cristiano served as Hilton Worldwide's Vice President of Development, South America, where he created and executed an aggressive growth and development strategy and signed several new hotel agreements to expand the brand's portfolio key cities across South America.