Sonesta announces expansion plans in Latin America and the Caribbean

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation (Sonesta) today announced several key developments to support future expansion in Latin America and the Caribbean, including the renewal of its ongoing master franchise relationship with GHL Hotels and the hiring of three experienced lodging development leaders. experience in hospitality in these regions. These developments are expected to provide Sonesta with the infrastructure to expand beyond its Sonesta Hotels & Resorts and Sonesta Posadas del Inca brands and introduce seven new brands: Sonesta Select, Sonesta ES Suites, Sonesta Simply Suites, The Royal Sonesta, The James, Red Lion Hotel/Red Lion Inn & Suites and Signature Inn -- to markets.

"The demand we are seeing in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America encourages us to expand Sonesta's footprint in these key markets," said Brian Quinn, director of development for Sonesta. "We look to build on our longstanding presence in Latin America by renewing our important relationship with GHL Hotels and by hiring regional lodging development leaders to expand the Sonesta and Red Lion brands. We are excited to pursue our first opportunities in Mexico." , where there is great interest in both city and resort destinations, and to further increase our presence in the Caribbean beyond Sint Maarten and Puerto Rico."

Sonesta first established a presence in the Latin American region in 1998 when it opened the Sonesta Hotel El Olivar in Lima, Peru. Since then, the company, through its master licensee, has added Sonesta Hotels in Colombia, Ecuador, and Chile, as well as introduced Sonesta Posadas del Inca in Peru to leisure-focused destinations such as Lake Titicaca, the Sacred Valley, and Cusco. Through its master franchise agreement with Colombia-based GHL Hotels, Sonesta has added hotels through conversions and ground-up developments. Most recently, in April 2022, Sonesta, through its master franchisee GHL Hotels, introduced Sonesta Hotel Cali, a 180+ room hotel, marking the 14th property in Latin America and the 8th property in Colombia. In the Caribbean, Sonesta has two resorts on Sint Maarten: the family-friendly Sonesta Maho Beach Resort (2004) and the adults-only Sonesta Ocean Point Resort (2014), and the Royal Sonesta San Juan in Puerto Rico (2020).

Sonesta continues its commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean with the addition of three lodging development veterans:

• Rock Frame | Development Leader – South and Central America / Mexico / Caribbean: Mr. Roca is a senior executive leader with more than 30 years of global experience in real estate, hospitality, casinos and restaurants. He has been responsible for the core development of three major brands in the mid, high-end and high-end segments and has held executive leadership roles and real estate operations with leading gaming and lodging real estate companies. Throughout his career, he has been involved in closing more than 1,500 transactions equating to approximately $50 billion in development expansion.
   
• Adrian Francois | Franchise Development – ​​Latin America: Based in Brazil, Mr. Francois will be responsible for the development of Sonesta Hotels in Latin America. Before joining Sonesta, he held senior development positions in Latin America with various hosting companies. Previously, Mr. Francois was Executive Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Development for CMNet.
   
• Jayson Clemons | RVP, Mexico and Caribbean Franchise Development: Mr. Clemons joins Sonesta after a long career in hospitality in operations, management, sales and marketing and development. Most recently, Mr. Clemons worked as an independent hotel consultant on various projects for various clients in Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.