Hyatt recently opened its 500th global property under the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House franchise brands.

A new Global Franchise and Owner Relations division has been created by Hyatt Hotels Corporation to expand the level of care afforded to hotel owners, operators and franchise holders and further enhance the guest experience.

The new division will be headed by Hyatt Executive Vice President of Global Franchising and Development, Jim Chu, a company veteran who has been with Hyatt for 15 years. Dedicated resources for Franchise operators tasked with driving strong financial performance will be headed up by Senior Vice President Franchise Operations, Paul Daly, who will report to Chu.

Improving Hyatt’s guest and customer personalisation strategy will be a central role of the new division. Chu and Daly will put together a cross-functional team covering commercial services, performance, operations, learning and development. Franchisees will be helped to push for revenue growth and operational excellence through more coordinated and hands-on assistance.

L-R Jim Chu and Paul Daly, Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

Chu said the team at Hyatt felt strongly that the best operational model was a diverse portfolio of owned, managed and franchised properties.

“As a fellow owner, we have a critical understanding for what our owners and operators are experiencing – in both the good times and the challenging times – which enables us to collaborate with a heightened sense of empathy and focus,” he said.

“We are growing at a fast rate and we see a tremendous opportunity at this moment in time to create a dedicated team laser-focused on cultivating closer relationships and providing franchise owners and operators with support and enhanced tools designed to maximise performance,” Daly added.