Hyatt names Stephen Ho group president, Asia Pacific
Stephen Ho will become Hyatt’s group president, Asia Pacific on 1 January 2027, bringing more than four decades of hospitality experience to the role.
Sarah Shaw
2 min read
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has named Stephen Ho as its next group president, Asia Pacific, effective 1 January 2027. He will take over from David Udell, who retires from the regional leadership role at the end of December.
Ho currently serves as president, Greater China and growth, Asia Pacific. The appointment, announced on 2 November, moves an existing regional leader into the group presidency after more than eight years with Hyatt.
Stephen Ho’s career across Asia Pacific
Ho joined Hyatt in April 2018 as president, Greater China, global operations. His initial responsibilities included hotel growth and operations, talent development and owner relations, alongside work on the group’s approach to outbound Chinese travellers.
Before Hyatt, he was chief executive officer for Greater China at Marriott International, overseeing hotels operating and under development in the region. He previously led Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Asia Pacific from 2012 to 2016.
His hospitality career began in 1981 and has taken him across markets including Brunei, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangladesh, New Zealand and mainland China. Hyatt credits him with more than 40 years of industry leadership experience.
That background brings together hotel operations, development and the management of large regional businesses. For Ho, the new appointment extends a career already shaped by senior roles at several of hospitality’s largest international groups.
A planned leadership handover
Udell, who has led Hyatt’s Asia Pacific business since 2014, will leave his current position on 31 December 2026. He will remain with the company as a senior adviser, with a focus on developing future hospitality leaders and supporting Hyatt’s luxury ambitions.
Hyatt has yet to name a successor to Ho’s current role and says it will announce that appointment later.
From a people and leadership perspective, the structure provides continuity at the top while keeping the outgoing regional president involved in leadership development. The next appointment to Ho’s existing position will complete another part of that transition.
Sources: Hyatt’s leadership announcement, 2 November 2026; Hyatt’s Stephen Ho appointment announcement, 14 March 2018.
