DUBAI, UAE – Stephen Ansell is Hyatt’s new Managing Director in its fast-expanding Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. In his role, Stephen will oversee the MEA regional portfolio, currently comprising 38 hotels, more than 9,000 rooms, and eight brands spanning the luxurious Park Hyatt brand to the stunning Alila Hotels & Resorts and more. He will also pay a key role in expanding Hyatt’s presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ensuring the brands offerings continue to meet the evolving needs of guests and partners.

Stephen joined Hyatt in 1996 as Director of F&B at Hyatt Regency Riyadh and has since held General Manager positions at several Hyatt hotels including Hyatt Regency Bishkek and Hyatt Regency Kyiv, where he was central to the hotels’ opening. At Park Hyatt Moscow, he spent nine successful years before being appointed as Area Vice President of Russia and Eastern Europe in 2014. He holds a degree in Hotel and Catering Management from the University of Portsmouth.

With nearly three decades of experience within the hospitality industry, Stephen brings with him a wealth of expertise and an impressive track record of hotel management to the role. Most recently, he held a dual role as Area Vice President for Central Europe where he was responsible for Hyatt’s operations in the region. This is in addition to serving as the General Manager at Park Hyatt Zurich, where he oversaw the running of the luxury Swiss hotel, applying his passion and expertise of the hotel industry at the property level.

Hyatt is dedicated to expanding its brand footprint in new and desired destinations. In KSA, the group is gearing up for the opening of Grand Hyatt The Red Sea and Miraval The Red Sea late 2025. Hyatt also entered into management agreements with Knowledge Economic City (KEC) earlier this year, for two new Hyatt-branded hotels, Hyatt House Madinah KEC and Hyatt Centric Madinah KEC, adding a combined 576 keys to Hyatt’s pipeline.

**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