Sol Meliá, the 15th-largest hotel chain in the world and the leading Spanish hotel and resort company, has launched a comprehensive brand assurance evaluation  program across its global portfolio of hotel and resort brands.  To execute the program, Sol Meliá has partnered with LRA Worldwide, Inc., a leading firm in the design and development of performance measurement and quality assurance programs for the hospitality and lodging industries.

The brand assurance program is a crucial part of Sol Meliá’s “brand equity” strategy for all of its various brands.  The process began with a series of brand “boot camps” facilitated by LRA to help further define each brand and how that offering is delivered at the property level.  The evaluation program is designed to measure the effectiveness of the implementation process and delivery of a “branded” guest experience at each property.

“It is crucial to the continuing growth of our company that we consistently deliver what we promise across more than 28 countries and 300 properties,” explained André Gerondeau, Executive Vice President, Hotels for Sol Meliá. “LRA brings the right blend of hotel operational experience, brand sensibility and data collection expertise as our partner in this program.”

Each of Sol Meliá’s hotel and resort brands – including Gran Meliá, Meliá, ME, Innside, Tryp, Sol and Paradisus – has a customized evaluation protocol designed to measure its specific brand attributes.  In addition, there are a set of common standards that are measured across all brands.  All of the data is available at the corporate and property level via LRA’s proprietary online quality management reporting tool, TouchPoint Manager ™.   All reporting is available in both English and Spanish.

“Sol Meliá understands that the strength of a brand is in consistently delivering value and quality,” said John Roberto, LRA’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Quality Assurance. “Once we helped Sol Meliá define their brands, our charge was to distill those brand elements into measurable line items to ensure consistent execution.”

LRA provides a variety of branding, standards development and performance measurement services to seven of the top ten hotel companies in the world.  In all, LRA’s Quality Assurance practice conducts nearly 13,000 site visits and evaluations each year, either as a stand-alone offering or as an integrated part of an overall Customer Experience Management project.  In addition to its work with other lodging clients such as Hyatt Hotels Corporation, IHG, Sofitel Luxury Hotels, Grupo Posadas, Pestana Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Worldwide, LRA works with industry leaders in Sports, Conference Centers, Timeshare, Gaming, Homebuilding, Retail and Travel.

The brand assurance program was officially launched in June at the Gran Meliá Colon in Seville, Spain.  Since then, LRA has conducted an additional 190 evaluations, with a full complement of evaluations scheduled for 2010.

About Sol Meliá
Sol Meliá was founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and is the world’s leading resort hotel chain, as well as Spain’s leading hotel chain in both the business and leisure markets. It currently provides more than 300 hotels in 28 countries on 4 continents under its brands: Gran Meliá, Meliá, ME, Innside, Tryp, Sol, Paradisus and Sol Meliá Vacation Club. www.solmelia.com

Sol Meliá is the hotel company with the greatest number of properties in the exclusive club of “The Leading Hotels of the World” (seven hotels). In 2006, the “Corporate Reputation Institute” of New York ranked the company amongst the corporations with the best reputation in the world, the leading hotel company and the second highest ranked company in the travel industry. Sol Meliá is the only travel company included in the exclusive “Footse4Good Ibex” Spanish stock market index, and is the third ranked company in Spain amongst companies which generate the greatest degree of confidence and in the top three hotel chains for reputation.

The company currently employs more than 34,000 people worldwide with staff from over 80 different countries.

About LRA Worldwide, Inc:
LRA Worldwide is a leading research and consulting company in the emerging discipline of Customer Experience Management (CEM). We work with our clients to help them design and deliver consistently exceptional customer experiences in order to drive customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy, and company growth and profitability.

In LRA’s 25-year history, we have grown from a provider of customized quality assurance evaluation programs for the hospitality industry, to a leading CEM consulting company offering a variety of client solutions. The evolution has been driven by our clients asking us one question – “How do we get better?” In response, we have built a range of performance measurement, research, training and consulting solutions to help them do so. Today, we are a growing company operating in more than 120 countries throughout the world, helping clients such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the National Basketball Association, the PGA TOUR, InterContinental Hotels Group, Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Ritz-Carlton Clubs deliver exceptional customer experiences. Every touch. Every time. For more information, visit us at www.LRAworldwide.com.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced the appointment of John Burlingame to the newly created position of global head – residential development. In this role, Burlingame is responsible for residential components of development transactions worldwide and reports to Steve Haggerty, global head of real estate and development.

“We are delighted to have John in this role,” said Haggerty. “John’s leadership and experience will be valuable in Hyatt’s drive to become the preferred brand for developers and guests around the world.”

Most recently, Burlingame served as executive vice president of Hyatt Vacation Ownership, Inc., which he played a key role in founding. Burlingame joined Hyatt in 1982 and during his tenure with the company has held positions in development, market planning and research, and was also responsible for pursuing new development opportunities for Hyatt. Burlingame graduated with a bachelor’s degree in hotel administration from Cornell University and also holds a Master of Business Administration in finance from University of Chicago.

Hyatt has appointed Ed Crovo senior vice president, HVOI, replacing Burlingame. Crovo is responsible for timeshare and fractional operations in North America. In addition, he provides oversight and consistency for the branded residential portion of mixed-use projects. Crovo reports to Chuck Floyd, chief operating officer, North America operations, Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

Prior to joining HVOI, Crovo spent over 28 years with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in a variety of capacities, including positions as general manager at Hyatt Regency Maui, Hyatt Regency Waikiki, Hyatt Regency Waikoloa, Hyatt Regency Hilton Head, Hyatt Regency Miami and the Hyatt Des Moines. Crovo has also held various management positions in numerous hotels within the Hyatt system. Crovo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a concentration in hotel and restaurant administration from Florida State University.

About Hyatt Vacation Club
Hyatt Vacation Club provides members with vacation ownership opportunities in regionally inspired and designed residential-style properties with the quality of the Hyatt brand. Members have the flexibility of usage, exchange and rental. Hyatt Vacation Club members can choose to occupy their home resort, exchange their time among 15 Hyatt Vacation and Residence Clubs, trade their week for Gold Passport points and travel within the Hyatt system, or exchange their time at properties participating within Interval International, a third party company with over 2,200 resorts in their exchange network worldwide.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of members of the Hyatt family in 45 countries strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The company’s subsidiaries manage, franchise, own and develop hotels and resorts under the Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz™, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place® and Hyatt Summerfield Suites™ brand names and have locations under development on five continents. Hyatt Vacation Ownership, Inc., a Hyatt Hotels Corporation subsidiary, develops and operates vacation ownership properties under
the Hyatt Vacation Club® brand. As of June 30, 2009, the company’s worldwide portfolio consisted of 413 properties. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

Hyatt Regency Curaçao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina, soon to be Curaçao’s newest luxury resort, is taking reservations for stays from January 2010 and beyond. Located at Santa Barbara Plantation, a 1,500-acre luxury resort community, the beachfront resort will feature 350 luxuriously appointed rooms, uninterrupted water views on three sides, white sand beaches, a Hyatt Pure™ spa, a full-service marina, extensive meeting space and the island’s only Pete Dye-designed 18-hole championship resort golf course.

“Every detail has been carefully considered in building the Hyatt Regency Curaçao,” said General Manager Diego Concha. “We want the hotel to reflect Curaçao’s rich and historic culture, as well as the ambiance and charm of the island. We have made a special effort to preserve the natural surroundings and bring local elements into the resort wherever possible, from building materials and décor to landscaping. Our goal is to provide a spectacular experience for our guests while extending Hyatt’s authentic hospitality.”

All 350 guestrooms, ranging from doubles, kings and junior suites to VIP, executive and presidential suites, feature natural sandstone flooring, a Hyatt Grand Bed, flat screen plasma television, deluxe bath amenities and scenic views of either Spanish Water Bay or the Caribbean Sea. A private enclave of three beach bungalows also will be available.

With something special for every traveler, Hyatt Regency Curaçao will offer the active vacationer options that include teeing off at the Old Quarry, an 18-hole, Pete Dye designed, championship golf course, getting fit at the 24-hour StayFit@Hyatt fitness center, playing tennis or volleyball at one of the many courts, cycling, jogging or exploring the incredible dive locations around the island.

Guests will enjoy three different restaurants, all of which will feature dishes inspired from indigenous ingredients and techniques. Medi, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, will specialize in Mediterranean cuisine and have an exhibition kitchen. Swim, the pool bar and grill will offer traditional bar fare with a Pan Latino influence that will nourish pool patrons day and night. The golf clubhouse features Shor, a specialty seafood restaurant featuring the freshest ingredients presented in a contemporary way.

For those looking to indulge and relax, the resort will have a 4,500 square foot full-service Hyatt Pure spa comprising of four treatment rooms that can accommodate both indoor and outdoor services. Other resort amenities include Camp Hyatt for children ages 3 -12, multiple outdoor pools with lounge area, and most importantly, Hyatt Regency’s high level of guest services. For meetings, weddings and special events, the Hyatt Regency Curaçao will offer over 18,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and banquet space.

Curaçao, located in the southwestern Caribbean, boasts an eclectic mix of history and culture. With a Dutch influence and European flair, the island is known for its sophistication, eco-tourism and pristine diving conditions. In addition to offering sun, sand, sea and diving, Curaçao also provides many cultural, historical and ecological points of interest that appeal to the upscale visitor.

Introductory rates, through March 2010, start at $359 per night. Reservations can be made by visiting www.curacao.hyatt.com or by calling 800.55.HYATT.

Hyatt Regency Curaçao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina
Scheduled to open in January 2010, the 350-room Hyatt Regency Curaçao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina is located at Santa Barbara Plantation, a 1,500-acre luxury resort community taking shape along a natural harbor known as Spanish Water, 25 minutes from Curaçao’s capital city of Willemstad. The full-service luxury hotel will feature uninterrupted water views on three sides, white sand beaches, a 4,500 square foot Hyatt Pure spa, separate 24-hour Hyatt Stay Fit fitness center, Camp Hyatt, multiple outdoor pools, poolside grill, lounge, dive and water sport facility, an 18-hole Pete Dye designed championship golf course and 18,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space. Reservations are now being accepted for Hyatt Regency Curaçao, Golf Resort, Spa and Marina at 1-800-55-HYATT or at curacao.hyatt.com.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation: Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of members of the Hyatt family in 45 countries strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The company’s subsidiaries manage, franchise, own and develop hotels and resorts under the Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz™, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place® and Hyatt Summerfield Suites™ brand names and have locations under development on five continents. Hyatt Vacation Ownership, Inc., a Hyatt Hotels Corporation subsidiary, develops and operates vacation ownership properties under the Hyatt Vacation Club® and Hyatt Residence Club® brands. As of June 30, 2009, the company’s worldwide portfolio consisted of 413 properties. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.