Mark Hoplamazian, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation(NYSE: H), today announced that Hyatt will realign its corporate and regional operations to enhance organizational effectiveness and adaptability. The changes are designed to facilitate rapid innovation and further advance Hyatt toward its goal of becoming the preferred hospitality brand for associates, guests and hotel owners.

"Hyatt has made tremendous progress in the last few years"

The organizational evolution, expected to be completed by the end of September 2012, is designed to position Hyatt to adapt quickly and effectively to guest and hotel owner needs during the expansion and growth the Company anticipates across all of its brands in multiple markets over the next several years. "Hyatt has made tremendous progress in the last few years," Hoplamazian said. "Since going public in 2009, we have increased our global brand footprint in many of the world"s most important markets, have built a pipeline that includes more than 170 executed contracts for new hotels, expanded the engagement of our associates, improved guest satisfaction in each of our brands, and realized solid financial results. Looking ahead, we aim to be more adaptable by pushing more decision-making to those who interact directly with our guests and hotel owners, better aligning our development and operating activities in the field and ensuring that all of our critical functions are properly and efficiently resourced. I believe these organizational changes will further release our associates" natural talent and energy in ways that will continue to increase preference for our brands."

As part of the realignment, Hyatt will establish three operating regions that will be supported by a newly formed Global Operations Center. The heads of each of the regions and of the Global Operations Center will report to Hoplamazian. This change reflects the increasing importance of international markets to the company"s business and its growth plans. The scope of activities of the operating regions – Asia, the Americas (includes North America, the Caribbean, and Latin America), and Europe/Africa/Middle East (EAME) – is being expanded to include increased responsibility for and involvement in the Company"s development efforts. The operating regions will draw upon resources, standards, policies, best practices and tools provided by the Global Operations Center to support existing hotel needs and future growth. Each region will contain a full range of functional operational resources to support the hotel and area-based teams charged with creating distinctive guest experiences and managing Hyatt"s commercial needs.

The Global Operations Center will ensure operating efficiency in the roll-out of new innovations developed at the Company and will unify the Company"s operations. In addition, the Global Operations Center will oversee Hyatt"s information technology resources, worldwide sales organization and call centers and ensure that those resources are effectively supporting the Company"s needs.

A newly formed Real Estate and Capital Strategy group, reporting to Hoplamazian, will be responsible for implementing Hyatt"s overall capital strategy, managing its hotel asset base and providing support to Hyatt"s development professionals around the world. This group will bring a comprehensive approach to the Company"s efforts to recycle hotel real estate assets and to manage capital deployment in furtherance of its expansion plans. The Real Estate and Capital Strategy group will oversee all investments made by the Company in hotel properties on a global basis and pursue new investment models to allow third party developers to derive more value from their commitment to build Hyatt-branded hotels.

"We are relentlessly focused on three strategies to achieve our goal to be the most preferred brand for our associates, our guests and our hotel owners: generating meaningful career development opportunities for our associates and future leaders; creating compelling customer experiences through well-executed innovation; and growing the presence of our brands around the world – including growth through the use of our capital," said Hoplamazian. "I firmly believe that realigning our resources will allow us to execute faster and more effectively and will enable Hyatt to enhance its position as a powerful global brand and to deliver exceptional results."

Executive Appointments

As Hyatt"s new organizational structure is implemented, there will be senior management changes.

Harmit J. Singh, currently the Company"s Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer will continue to serve as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer until August 15, 2012, and will be an Executive Vice President of the Company from August 15, 2012 through December 31, 2012, at which time he will pursue other career opportunities. Singh led Hyatt"s finance function over the past four years and was an integral member of the team that managed the Company"s initial public offering in 2009. During the remainder of the year, he will participate in the transition of his responsibilities to his successor. "Harmit has been a key member of the executive team at Hyatt over the past four years. He has made important contributions to Hyatt and provided valued guidance in setting the direction for the Company during a very challenging industry cycle and through our initial public offering," said Hoplamazian. "I am grateful for Harmit"s support through the transition of his responsibilities. We have built a very strong team in Finance and I am confident that they will continue to provide great support and leadership as we move forward."

The Company has appointed Gebhard F. Rainer as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Hyatt effective August 15, 2012. Rainer currently serves as Managing Director, Europe/Africa/Middle East (EAME) and has been with Hyatt since 1988. He has held operating and finance positions at a number of hotels as well as in Hyatt"s corporate office during his career. Rainer will be based in Chicago. "Gebhard brings a wealth of knowledge in operations, development and finance to the CFO position and his global operating background will serve Hyatt well as we move forward," said Hoplamazian. "I have known Gebhard for many years, and I am confident that with his leadership he will make a significant contribution to Hyatt in his new role." Rainer"s successor in EAME will be named at a later date.

Chuck Floyd will lead the Global Operations Center, based in Chicago. Floyd has been with Hyatt for more than 30 years and currently serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer – North America.

Rakesh Sarna will lead the new Americas region. Sarna has been with Hyatt for more than 32 years and currently serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer – International.

Steve Haggerty will lead the new Real Estate and Capital Strategy group. Haggerty joined Hyatt in 2007 and currently serves as Executive Vice President, Global Head of Real Estate and Development.

In the new regional structure, the current Asia Pacific and Southwest Asia operating divisions will be a part of the Asia region under the oversight of Larry Tchou. Tchou will continue to lead the Asia Pacific area and remain based in Hong Kong. Peter Fulton will continue to lead the Southwest Asia area remaining based in Dubai. Tchou was one of the first employees of Hyatt in Asia and was instrumental in introducing Hyatt into mainland China over 27 years ago. Fulton has held numerous positions around the world during his 27 years with Hyatt.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company guided by its purpose – to care for people so they can be their best. As of September 30, 2023, the Company's portfolio included more than 1,300 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 76 countries across six continents. The Company's offering includes brands in the Timeless Collection, including Park Hyatt®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt®, Hyatt Vacation Club®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Studios, and UrCove; the Boundless Collection, including Miraval®, Alila®, Andaz®, Thompson Hotels®, Dream® Hotels, Hyatt Centric®, and Caption by Hyatt®; the Independent Collection, including The Unbound Collection by Hyatt®, Destination by Hyatt®, and JdV by Hyatt®; and the Inclusive Collection, including Impression by Secrets, Hyatt Ziva®, Hyatt Zilara®, Zoëtry® Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets® Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas®, Dreams® Resorts & Spas, Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts, Alua Hotels & Resorts®, and Sunscape® Resorts & Spas. Subsidiaries of the Company operate the World of Hyatt® loyalty program, ALG Vacations®, Mr & Mrs Smith™, Unlimited Vacation Club®, Amstar DMC destination management services, and Trisept Solutions® technology services. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "will," "would" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable when made, are inherently uncertain, and are subject to numerous assumptions and uncertainties, many of which are outside of Kiraku, Inc. or Hyatt's control, which could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements made in this press release are made only as of the date of their initial publication and neither party undertakes an obligation to publicly update any of these forward-looking statements as actual events unfold, except to the extent required by applicable law. If one or more forward-looking statements is updated, no inference should be drawn that any additional updates will be made with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

Farley Kern
Director of Brand Public Relations, North America
312.780.5506
Hyatt

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