Dominican hotelier Simon Suarez has been appointed Chief Development Representative ? Latin America for Hilton Hotels Corporation. Suarez is a former president of the Caribbean Hotels Association (2002). He will be responsible for identifying multi-unit franchisees in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Tom Keltner, chief executive officer for the Americas and global brands for Hilton Hotels Corporation made the announcement. ?Simon?s proven business acumen and knowledge of the region will enable Hilton to expand the presence of our full-service and focused-service brands in this fast-growing region of the world,? he pointed when making the announcement.
In a Hilton press release, the corporation highlights Simon Suarez?s 32-year tenure in the tourism industry. It describes how he has emerged as one of the leaders for the Caribbean region and has been at the forefront of developing the Dominican Republic?s tourism product from the beginning of his professional career in 1974. Since 2000 Suarez has served as executive vice president of Coral Hotels and Resorts, a hotel management and development company with four upscale all-inclusive leisure hotels, a Hilton-branded luxury business hotel in Santo Domingo and one golf property in the Dominican Republic. Suarez holds a Bachelor?s degree in Economics from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, as well as a Master?s degree in Economics from The American University in Washington, D.C.