Tim Sheldon With plans to expand to 100 hotels this year and add another 50 across nine new countries by 2017, Marriott International, Inc. has named a new President of its Caribbean & Latin America (CALA) region. Currently the company’s Global Chief Operations Officer, Tim Sheldon, named to the position, 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. 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: 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.