Hyatt Hotels Corporation has appointed Maria Zarraluqui as Senior Vice President, Global Hyatt Inclusive Collection Growth and Owner Relations, effective 1 March 2026. In this newly created position, she will oversee asset-light growth strategies, resort development and repositioning, and the cultivation of strategic relationships to support the expansion of Hyatt’s all-inclusive portfolio.
Zarraluqui brings more than 25 years of experience in hospitality development to the role. She will report directly to Javier Águila, who assumed the position of President, Inclusive Collection at Hyatt in March 2025. Her appointment signals Hyatt’s commitment to accelerating growth within its all-inclusive segment, which has become a cornerstone of the company’s expansion strategy.
Throughout her career, Zarraluqui has demonstrated exceptional expertise in global hotel development. At Meliá Hotels International, where she served as Vice President of Global Development, she led expansion efforts across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, China and the Americas. Her tenure saw the execution of more than 350 hotel deals, joint ventures and strategic alliances with international partners.
Zarraluqui joined Meliá’s legal department in 1999 before transitioning to the development team as Development Director in 2008. She was promoted to Global Development Vice President in 2011, a position she held until her departure. During her leadership, Meliá signed more than 100 deals worldwide in just three years, establishing the company as a dominant player in leisure hospitality across emerging markets including Albania, where Meliá became the largest hotel operator with 21 properties and 3,200 keys.
Beyond her corporate role, Zarraluqui has established herself as an influential voice in the industry. She serves as a real estate professor at IE Business School in Madrid and is a co-founder and vice chairman of Women in Hospitality, an organisation dedicated to advancing women’s visibility and leadership in the sector. She holds a law degree from the University of Navarra, a master’s degree in legal consultancy for enterprises from Deusto University, and graduated top of her class in the 2008–2009 Executive Tourist MBA programme at IE Business School.
Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection currently encompasses more than 150 resorts and 55,000 rooms across Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. The portfolio includes 11 brands spanning luxury wellness retreats to family-friendly destinations, among them Secrets Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts and the recently added Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts.
The company has achieved significant momentum in its all-inclusive segment following transformative transactions in 2025. Hyatt completed the acquisition of Playa Hotels & Resorts and subsequently sold the real estate portfolio to Tortuga Resorts for approximately $2 billion, resulting in a fully asset-light transaction that aligned with the company’s strategic model. Hyatt secured 50-year management agreements for 13 properties as part of the arrangement.
Recent openings within the Inclusive Collection include Secrets Playa Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Dreams Playa Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Secrets St. Lucia Resort & Spa and Secrets Baby Beach Aruba. Looking ahead, Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana and Secrets Macao Beach Punta Cana are scheduled to open in 2026, with the portfolio pursuing growth opportunities in emerging all-inclusive markets including Saudi Arabia, Southeast Asia and North Africa.
Hyatt enters 2026 with a record development pipeline of approximately 148,000 rooms globally, reflecting a seven per cent year-over-year increase. The company recorded its highest number of US room signings in five years, with total signings up 30 per cent compared to the previous year.
