NEWTON, Massachusetts—Sonesta International Hotels Corporation (Sonesta) 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 Hoteles and the hiring of three leaders with hospitality experience 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 the markets.
“The demand we are seeing in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America encourages us to expand Sonesta’s footprint across these key markets,” said Brian Quinn, Sonesta chief development officer. “We look to build upon our long-standing presence in Latin America by renewing our significant relationship with GHL Hoteles 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 strong interest in both city and resort destinations, and to increase further 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 flagged the Sonesta Hotel El Olivar in Lima, Peru. The company, through its master licensee, has since added Sonesta Hotels in Colombia, Ecuador, and Chile as well as introduced Sonesta Posadas del Inca in Peru to leisure-focused destinations like Lake Titicaca, the Sacred Valley, and Cusco. Through its master franchise agreement with GHL Hoteles, based in Colombia, Sonesta has added hotels via ground-up development and conversions. As recently as April 2022, Sonesta, through its master franchisee GHL Hoteles, 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 in Sint Maarten—family-friendly Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, adults-only Sonesta Ocean Point Resort, and the Royal Sonesta San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Sonesta continues its commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean with the addition of three lodging development veterans:
- Marco Roca | Development Lead—South & Central America/Mexico/Caribbean.
- Adrian Francois | Franchise Development—Latin America.
- Jayson Clemons | RVP, Franchise Development Mexico & Caribbean.
