Hyatt configures organisation to accelerate growth

Mark Hoplamazian, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, has announced that Hyatt will realign its corporate leadership team and operations to accelerate its differentiated strategy to care for the high-end traveller with distinctive experiences. The key changes, expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018, include the formation of a new commercial services portfolio at the Executive Committee level that will combine guest and customer engagement functions under a new Chief Commercial Officer position. Further, the company is also consolidating managed and franchised hotel operations and owner relations into one portfolio, reporting to Chuck Floyd, Global President of Operations. The legal and corporate services portfolio is also being realigned under new leadership.

“In order to achieve our growth potential and capitalise on opportunities that come from rapidly-emerging consumer, industry and competitive developments, we must be leaner and more agile,” says Hoplamazian. The organisational changes will allow Hyatt to better focus, prioritise, and co-ordinate its activities driving guest and customer engagement. The Chief Commercial Officer will oversee a portfolio that includes global sales functions, global marketing functions, the global contact centres, and information technology, and will report directly to Hoplamazian. Hyatt expects to complete the selection process in the second quarter.

As part of the realignment, two executives have decided to transition out of Hyatt later this year as the organisation evolves. Global Chief Marketing Officer Maryam Banikarim and Global Head of Capital Strategy, Franchising and Select Service Steve Haggerty will leave Hyatt in the coming months. Their positions will be eliminated upon their departure. Banikarim will continue to lead the marketing organisation through the end of April, and Haggerty will remain at Hyatt as a special advisor to the CEO through July, focused on executing important transactions, among other things.