Hyatt Hotels Corp. has appointed Maria Zarraluqui as SVP, Global Hyatt Inclusive Collection growth and owner relations, effective March 1.
In the newly created role, Zarraluqui will focus on asset-light growth strategies, resort development and repositioning and building strategic owner and partner relationships to support the long-term expansion of Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection. She will report to Javier Águila, president, Inclusive Collection, Hyatt, who assumed his global role in March.
Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection currently spans more than 150 resorts and 55,000 rooms across Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, with plans to expand further in these regions and beyond.
“Maria brings a proven track record of growing all-inclusive portfolios and a strong industry reputation that will further propel our development efforts,” Águila said in a statement. “As we continue to build on the industry-leading expansion achieved in recent years, her leadership will be central to delivering outsized results for our owners.”
Zarraluqui most recently served as VP of global development at Meliá Hotels International. She brings more than 25 years of hospitality experience and has executed more than 350 hotel deals across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, China and the Americas.
Her background includes joint ventures and strategic alliances with major international partners. She is also an active board advisor, a global industry speaker and a real estate professor at IE Business School in Madrid.
Chicago, Ill.-based Hyatt recently completed transactions related to its acquisition of Playa Hotels & Resorts following the sale of Playa’s real estate portfolio to Tortuga Resorts, resulting in a fully asset-light structure for the all-inclusive business.