Outrigger Resorts & Hotels has announced that Jason Zvatora, Vice President of Commercial Strategy Asia Pacific, has been named one of the 2025 HSMAI Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in hospitality sales, marketing, revenue optimisation and distribution.
The prestigious recognition, presented by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), honours outstanding professionals for their innovation, leadership and measurable impact on the hospitality industry. Zvatora will be celebrated at the 23rd annual awards reception in New York City on 18 February 2026, held in conjunction with the HSMAI Adrian Awards Celebration.
In 2025, Zvatora led a transformational commercial integration across Outrigger’s Asia Pacific region, unifying revenue management, marketing, distribution, digital and operations into a single performance ecosystem. His work strengthened data discipline, market agility and team capability whilst guiding diverse markets through varying conditions – from redefining revenue strategy in a softening Maldives luxury segment to elevating commercial excellence and cross-functional collaboration in Thailand.
Under his leadership, Outrigger achieved its strongest top-line performance to date, with record market share, multiple properties surpassing 100 RGI, double-digit direct booking growth and regional outperformance in ADR and RevPAR.
“Jason’s strategic acumen and dedication to excellence have elevated our market position across the Asia Pacific region,” said Sean Dee, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Outrigger Hospitality Group. “He leads with integrity and a genuine commitment to developing his teams and properties across Fiji, the Maldives, Mauritius and Thailand. This recognition from HSMAI is well-earned and we are proud to celebrate his leadership and achievements.”
Zvatora brings close to 20 years of operational and commercial leadership experience to his role. He rejoined Outrigger in July 2022 after a tenure as Chief Operating Officer at Next Story Group, where he spearheaded hotel operations, sales, marketing and commercial strategy whilst driving guest experience through highly differentiated brands. His earlier career at Outrigger included serving as Corporate Director of Revenue Management and Distribution for the APAC region and Regional Director of Revenue and Distribution for Australia and Fiji.
Before his association with Outrigger, Zvatora held leadership positions including Executive Assistant Manager at Stamford Plaza Adelaide and hotel operations roles at Hamilton Island, where he oversaw Reef View Hotel, Palm Bungalows and Palm Terraces. He also gained experience in food and beverage, events and conventions management. Zvatora holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Southern Cross University.
The recognition continues Outrigger’s established history of HSMAI excellence. Previous honourees of the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds include Monica Salter in 2019, Brent Shiratori in 2022 and Keri Brown in 2024. Sean Dee was honoured as HSMAI Marketing Professional of the Year in 2022, whilst Jenna Villalobos received the Corporate Revenue Optimization Professional of the Year award in 2021.
The 2025 Top 25 honourees were judged by a panel of senior industry executives based on creativity and innovation, cutting-edge sales or marketing campaigns, triumph in challenging situations and efforts that resulted in dramatic gains over the past 18 months.
Founded in 1927, HSMAI is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners and serves as the industry’s leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals and their partners with tools, insights and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing and optimise revenue.
Outrigger Hospitality Group currently manages 38 properties with more than 7,000 rooms across Hawaii, Fiji, Thailand, Mauritius and the Maldives. For more than 70 years, the company has expanded from its Hawaiian origins to premier beach resort destinations worldwide, with each property blending seamlessly with its unique locale to offer guests authentic cultural experiences.
