Bill Sheehan, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Sonesta International Hotels Corporation has announced the appointment of Carlos Flores as the company’s President and CEO, effective January 20, 2015. In his new role, Carlos will oversee the day-to-day operation of Sonesta, direct the senior leadership team and liaise with property owners.
Carlos joined the company as Executive Vice President in February 2012 and has since led the company’s effort to convert new hotels to Sonesta, increasing the Sonesta U.S. hotel presence in 2012 from three hotels to 25 hotels. A top priority for Carlos will be continuing to refine Sonesta’s expression of genuine hospitality as the brand pursues sustained growth and a larger global footprint.
“Carlos has been instrumental in building Sonesta after its January 2012 acquisition,” said Bill Sheehan, who will remain in his position as Chairman until his retirement from Sonesta at the end of February 2015. “Drawing on his organizational skills and his background in high growth businesses, he skillfully led the development of the Sonesta management organization and critical supporting functions as the company expanded capabilities across sales, marketing and revenue management.”
As President and CEO, Carlos will also enhance the development of training, service, amenities and commitment to the communities that Sonesta hotels operate in that are so important to the Sonesta Culture of Caring approach to hospitality. Sonesta has been thoughtfully adding new properties and destinations to its portfolio in the past three years and investing in reimagining and renovating both full service and extended stay hotels both domestically and internationally. Carlos has helped to ensure effective integration of these new destination offerings and to ensure emphasis on core Sonesta features like its Food as Art and Liquid Art programs, as well as incorporating local culture and inspiration into each property while maintaining a high standard of guest experience.
Carlos brings over 20 years of experience in senior management to lead Sonesta, where he has overseen sales, marketing, communications and revenue management for the last three years. Prior to joining Sonesta, Carlos was Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Reit Management & Research LLC. Previously he held senior management positions in the hospitality, technology, media and retail industries.
“A commitment to providing passionate and authentic hospitality is at the heart of everything we aim to do at Sonesta – from corporate leadership to individual hotel staff,” said Carlos, “I look forward to continuing to help our company grow while keeping these core principles in place.”
The Sonesta Collection is a growing, global hospitality brand with 55 properties in eight countries. There is no typical Sonesta; rather it is a portfolio of diverse and distinctive properties as individual as its guests covering a full range of services from independence to full-service indulgence.
