Marriott names new Caribbean, Latin America leader

With plans to expand to 100 hotels this year and add another 50 across nine new countries by 2017, Marriott International has named Tim Sheldon as President of its Caribbean & Latin America (CALA) region.

Currently the company’s Global Chief Operations Officer, Sheldon will begin his new role in June.  The region’s previous President, Craig S. Smith, will be returning to Hong Kong to become President and Managing Director of the Marriott’s Asia-Pacific region, where he previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations officer.

Sheldon will capitalize on the company’s rapid regional expansion to drive operational excellence in partnership with the company’s owners and franchisees.

“We look forward to even more exciting growth in the Caribbean and Latin America,” said Arne Sorenson, Marriott International’s president and chief executive officer.

“Tim’s brand expertise and proven track record of success in building strong operating organizations will help leverage our rapid expansion in the region into increasingly strong performance.” Added Arne.

“I am excited to join the CALA team and look forward to growing the company’s strong portfolio of brands throughout the region,” said Sheldon.  “We see tremendous development opportunity in established and emerging markets and are aggressively promoting travel both to and within the Caribbean and Latin America.” “The region is very dynamic and I am committed to creating opportunities for our associates, ensure our hotels deliver exceptional guest experiences and that we provide maximum value to our owners and franchisees.”

Under Sheldon’s leadership as the global chief operations officer, the company successfully rolled out a new global guest satisfaction listening tool, GuestVoice, and launched mobile check-in and check-out, an industry first.

Previously, Sheldon was executive vice president for Global Brand Management and Lodging Operations where he was responsible for the oversight of nearly 500 hotels, and also has served as senior vice president and brand manager for the company’s Select-Service and Extended-Stay portfolio, leading Marriott’s entry into the moderate-tier extended-stay space.

Marriott International is now represented in the Caribbean & Latin America by 94 hotels in 24 countries and territories, offering more than 24,500 rooms and spanning nine lodging brands: