BETHESDA, MD—Marriott International, Inc. has named Tim Sheldon as president of its Caribbean & Latin America (CALA) region. Currently the company’s global COO, Sheldon will begin his new role in June, where he will head up the company’s effort to expand to 100 hotels this year and add an additional 50 across nine new countries by 2017.
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 EVP and COO.
“We look forward to even more exciting growth in the Caribbean and Latin America,” said Arne Sorenson, Marriott International’s president and CEO. “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.”
“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 COO, the company rolled out a new global guest satisfaction listening tool, GuestVoice, and launched mobile check-in and check-out, an industry first, according to Marriott. Previously, he was EVP for global brand management and lodging operations, where he was responsible for the oversight of nearly 500 hotels, and also has served as SVP 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 and Latin America by 94 hotels in 24 countries and territories, offering more than 24,500 rooms and spanning nine lodging brands: The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts in the luxury tier; Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International’s signature brand; Renaissance Hotels and the Autograph Collection in the lifestyle category; Courtyard by Marriott and Fairfield Inn in the moderately priced tier; and Marriott Executive Apartments and Residence Inn by Marriott in the extended-stay category. In addition, Marriott Vacation Club International, Marriott’s timeshare ownership division, offers three resorts in two countries.