Christian Glauser Benz Named Head of Development Americas for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group announced the appointment of Christian Glauser Benz as their new Head of Development for the Americas region. Based in Miami, Christian will play a pivotal role in leading the development and investment initiatives for the Americas region, focusing on the important US, Canada, Latin America and Caribbean markets for the group.

Christian Glauser Benz joins Mandarin Oriental from the Hyatt Corporation where he served as Vice President of development for the Americas region focusing on the Luxury and Lifestyle segments. Prior to that, he played a strategic role in the growth of Dream Hotel Group's luxury and lifestyle brands where he played an instrumental role in growing the company's brand portfolio across the US, Caribbean, and LATAM regions.

Christian has also served as Vice President for JLL's Hospitality Group, a real estate advisory and brokerage firm, overseeing hotel investments and advisory for hotel developers, brands and operators in the Western US and Hawaii regions. His extensive experience in development and real estate started with his profound passion for design and architecture with various leadership roles at global firms such as Oppenheim, Callison, and Frank Gehry.

Christian Glauser Benz's appointment aligns seamlessly with Mandarin Oriental's ambitious goals for the Americas region, reinforcing the company's commitment to key strategic gateway and leisure markets with a particular emphasis to the West Coast and the Mountain West luxury resort destinations as well as other key leisure and urban markets within the Caribbean and Latin America.

Francesco Cefalú, Chief Development Officer of Mandarin Oriental, expressed his enthusiasm about the appointment, stating:

"I am thrilled to welcome Christian Glauser Benz to the Mandarin Oriental family. Christian's international background and languages combined with his in-depth knowledge of the Americas market and sense of luxury, is a perfect fit for our group. I look forward to supporting him throughout our development efforts in the region."