Hyatt names Gonçalves to lead South American development

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has appointed Cristiano Gonçalves as VP, development, dedicated to leading the company’s expansion in South America. Building on Hyatt’s growth in the Latin America & Caribbean region over the last several years—growing to more than 80 hotels today—Gonçalves is responsible for leading a strategic expansion plan specific to South America while continuing to establish relationships with potential investors for new projects.

Gonçalves reports to Camilo Bolaños, Hyatt’s SVP, 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 management and franchise agreements for IHG in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to IHG, Cristiano served as Hilton’s VP, development, South America, where he signed several new hotel agreements to expand the brand’s portfolio in key cities across South America.

Hyatt has more than doubled the number of luxury rooms; tripled the number of resorts; and quadrupled the number of lifestyle rooms in the region over the last five years.