Accor has appointed Ben Cary VP of development, Eastern United States, and Nicolas Martinez VP of development, Mexico, Central America and Caribbean.
In their roles, both senior executives will support the acceleration of the group’s growth strategy in North and Central America, further strengthening Accor’s presence in the region. Cary and Martinez will manage all aspects of development and work with various stakeholders, primarily developers, investors and owners, with a focus on identifying new business opportunities, leading the execution of agreements and subsequent transition to the operations teams, in their respective regions.
“With several years of experience in the hospitality industry, Ben and Nicolas bring a wealth of knowledge and key market expertise that will strengthen our team and drive continued expansion of our hotel portfolio during an important year of growth,” said Mark Purcell, SVP, development, Accor North & Central America. “This year has presented interesting opportunities that extend beyond the notable developments and conversions we have seen in the past few years, setting the stage for sustained growth throughout 2021 and beyond. I am thrilled to welcome these two leaders to our development team to support our solid and consistent pace of development and fortify the group’s strategic expansion in North and Central America, particularly in the luxury and lifestyle segments, which are well poised for growth.”
Ben Cary
Cary brings more than 20 years of hospitality experience with corporate, investment and property teams to Accor. He has steered companies through brand expansions and business transformations, and has negotiated and executed multiple agreements.
Cary has held various senior leadership positions in development, asset management and real estate at luxury hotel brands, including Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Meininger Hotels. Most recently, Cary was SVP at Meininger America, where he led all facets of the company’s expansion in North America, including devising and implementing the growth strategy for the region and overseeing development of the first hotel in the United States. Before this role, Cary was director of development at Starwood.
Cary holds a Bachelor of Science degree from The School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Nicolas Martinez
Martinez has experience in development and finance, spanning over a decade in the hospitality industry. He led financial and growth strategies for real estate and hotel brands throughout Mexico.
In his most recent role as Hilton’s director of development for Mexico, Martinez spearheaded development plans and directly managed the relationships with hotel owners and investors for the company countrywide. Before this role, Martinez held a series of management positions at Hilton Worldwide throughout his career, including director of finance and office manager at the Hilton Worldwide corporate office in Mexico, where he was responsible for the establishment and growth of the area finance division. He has also worked with JLL Mexico Hotels and Hospitality Group, leading the asset management division for their hotels, focusing on improving operating performance.
Martinez holds a Master of Science in Finance from the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and is a graduate of the industrial engineering program with a concentration in finance from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia.
Over the past two years, Accor has augmented its portfolio in North and Central America with the introduction of several new lifestyle and luxury brands, including SO/, MGallery Hotel Collection and 21c Museum Hotels, with confirmed plans to bring two additional brands to the region, Raffles Hotels and Sofitel Legend by 2022. The company has 20 brands represented in North and Central America, mostly in the luxury and lifestyle segments.