DUBAI, UAE – Hyatt is pleased to announce the appointment of two General Managers for the Hyatt branded hotels at The Red Sea Development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both set to open by the end of 2025.

Jean-Francois Durand has been appointed General Manager of Grand Hyatt The Red Sea – a luxury property with 430 rooms, and the largest of 11 hotels set to open on the island, occupying a prime position within the innovative tourist destination.

Jean-Francois is a seasoned General Manager with over 30 years of experience with Hyatt. Throughout his illustrious career, he has held various positions at properties across several regions, garnering numerous awards and recognitions, particularly for his expertise in successfully opening hotels and resorts. He brings a wealth of expertise to the Kingdom, spanning sustainability, people's career development, creative food and beverage concept development, and unparalleled guest experiences’ initatives. After an extensive and impactful career in Russia, Jean Francois returned to the Middle East to lead the operations of Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla in Jordan in 2019 and most recently moved to Saudi Arabia to oversee the exciting launch of the upcoming, Grand Hyatt The Red Sea.

Juan Paolo Alfonso has taken on the role as General Manager of Miraval The Red Sea. This highly anticipated luxury wellness resort is set to mark the international launch of the Miraval brand outside the U.S. The resort will boast 180 rooms, suites, and luxury villas as well the island’s largest spa complemented by extensive fitness and wellness facilities. 

Juan Paolo is an accomplished General Manager, who is tasked with bringing Miraval’s life in balance ethos to the Kingdom.  He started his hospitality career in 2003, and progressed his way across various departments, including Front Office and Housekeeping, before advancing to leadership positions. His career spans iconic resorts in multiple destinations, including the US, Caribbean, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Oman. Juan Paolo has a proven track record of leading award-winning properties, most recently serving as General Manager of Alila Hinu Bay in Salalah, Oman. Prior to that, he was the helm of Alila Ubud in Bali, where he began his journey with Hyatt in 2019.

**The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates. 

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation 

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company guided by its purpose – to care for people so they can be their best. As of March 31, 2024, the Company's portfolio included more than 1,300 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 78 countries across six continents. The Company's offering includes brands in the Timeless Collection, including Park Hyatt®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt®, Hyatt Vacation Club®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Studios, and UrCove; the Boundless Collection, including  Miraval®, Alila®,  Andaz®, Thompson Hotels®, Dream® Hotels, Hyatt Centric®, and Caption by Hyatt®; the Independent Collection, including The Unbound Collection by Hyatt®, Destination by Hyatt®, and JdV by Hyatt®; and the Inclusive Collection, including Impression by Secrets, Hyatt Ziva®, Hyatt Zilara®, Zoëtry® Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets® Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas®, Dreams® Resorts & Spas, Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts, Alua Hotels & Resorts®, and Sunscape® Resorts & Spas. Subsidiaries of the Company operate the World of Hyatt® loyalty program, ALG Vacations®, Mr & Mrs Smith™, Unlimited Vacation Club®, Amstar DMC destination management services, and Trisept Solutions® technology services. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com. 

MEDIA CONTACTS: 
Chloe Duncan 
Hyatt – Middle East and Africa 
Chloe.duncan@hyatt.com 

Jumana Bataineh
Q Communications – Dubai, United Arab Emirates  
jumana.b@qcomms.ae