Hospitality operator Hotel Equities has expanded its Caribbean & Latin America in-market operating platform. Since appointing Juan Corvinos president of the CALA region, the portfolio has grown to include five open hotels and twelve additional projects underway across multiple markets. Projects include Amaris Grace Bay, an LXR Hotel in Turks and Caicos with exciting announcements to come in Riviera Maya, Curacao, Mexico City, Trinidad, Tobago, Dominica, Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica. The portfolio is supported by a dedicated regional team based throughout the market. This week, executives will be attending the 2026 International Tourism Fair, FITUR.
“Our focus from the outset was to build a platform designed for long-term success in this region,” Corvinos said in a statement. “By investing early in local talent, in-market infrastructure, and strong owner partnerships, we have been able to scale with discipline while delivering the responsiveness and insight that owners expect from a locally led operator.”
Recent Openings and Upcoming Developments
Hotel Equities opened its first CALA property, the Hampton by Hilton St. Thomas, in Charlotte Amalie U.S. Virgin Islands, in August. The company’s expanding CALA portfolio reflects a growing mix of resort and lifestyle properties across key leisure destinations. Most recently, Hotel Equities assumed management of Donoma Las Terrenas Beach Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection, which opened this past November in the Dominican Republic. Other noteworthy portfolio additions include Terra Nova Best Western Premier Collection in Kingston, Jamaica and Casas del XVI in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Looking ahead; the Claritas Resort Jacó, a 63-room oceanfront resort in Jacó, Costa Rica, will join the WorldHotels Elite portfolio on March 2.
Strengthening CALA Leadership and Infrastructure
To support this continued growth, Hotel Equities has made several in-market appointments, including Rodrigo Cuello based in Cancun and Mariana Gonzalez based in Ciudad de Mexico, strengthening the platform’s human resources, shared services, and operational finance capabilities.
“Our people are central to how we operate in this region,” Corvinos said. “Having experienced leaders on the ground allows us to move decisively and support owners with the level of attention and insight these markets require.”
Rodrigo Cuello is senior director of people and talent where he leads recruitment, training, employee relations, compensation and benefits and organizational initiatives in market. He has hired hiring both senior executives and large-scale hospitality teams with Hyatt and Hilton, with a particular focus on hotel openings and rebrandings, supported by deep multicultural expertise throughout Latin America and a background in psychology.
Mariana Gonzalez, director of shared services and finance, most recently oversaw shared services operations for Hilton. Her experience spans focused-service hotels to large-scale luxury and all-inclusive portfolios.
HE's CALA leadership team includes Chief Development Officer Michael Register, Vice President of Operations Marilia Pergola, Vice President of Finance Martin Larralde, Senior Director of IT Systems and Openings Maria Del Pilar Garcia and Senior Director of Sales Margie Aristy Mai.