Gautam Bhandari has been appointed as Chief Development Officer for Asia Pacific excluding China at Marriott International APEC
Marriott International Inc. today announced the appointment of Gautam Bhandari as Chief Development Officer, Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC). He will assume the role on January 1, 2026. With over two decades of proven leadership across markets and disciplines, Gautam brings the vision and expertise to drive Marriott International's continued growth and development momentum across the APEC region.
In his new role, Gautam will be responsible for advancing Marriott's strategic growth plans in a region that spans more than 650 open hotels across 25 brands in 22 countries, with over 380 hotels in the development pipeline. He will lead a high-performing development team across APEC, covering key markets such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, New Zealand, Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a focus on new builds, conversions, franchising, branded residential, and strategic partnerships.
Gautam joined Marriott in 2007 as Area Director of Revenue and has held a range of leadership roles spanning revenue management, hotel operations, sales, marketing, and development. Since 2023 Gautam has served as Senior Vice President, Development and Operations, holding dual responsibilities in Development, while overseeing the operations of Marriott's Premium and Select brand hotels in Singapore and the Maldives. Under Gautam's leadership, the development team has achieved significant milestones, securing strategic agreements that are driving growth through new developments and conversions in key Southeast Asian markets.
Based out of Singapore, Gautam succeeds Shawn Hill, who will step into the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Global, for Marriott International in early 2026.