Hyatt names Stephen Ho to lead Asia Pacific, as David Udell steps back to an advisory role

Hyatt Hotels Corporation said Stephen Ho will become Group President, Asia Pacific, effective 1 January 2027, taking charge of the whole region as David Udell -- who has run Asia Pacific as Group President since 2014 -- retires from the post and moves into a senior-advisor role, according to the company's 2 November announcement.

Ho currently holds the narrower title of President, Greater China & Growth, Asia Pacific, a post he has held since joining Hyatt in 2018. Before Hyatt, he was President, Asia Pacific, at Starwood Hotels & Resorts and chief executive of Marriott International's Greater China business, and Hyatt credits him with more than 40 years in hospitality. The company said a successor to Ho's current Greater China role will be named at a later date.

Udell joined Hyatt in Singapore in 1982 as a corporate management trainee, held food-and-beverage leadership roles across Asia, and became Park Hyatt Tokyo's first general manager before later running Grand Hyatt Hong Kong and taking on regional and global operations roles, the company said. He steps down on 31 December and continues at Hyatt as senior advisor, where Hyatt said he will focus on developing future hospitality leaders and supporting the company's luxury ambitions. "I am honoured to lead Hyatt's Asia Pacific team, following David, who has set such a strong foundation for the region," Ho said in the announcement.

For Hyatt's Japan business, the change is one of regional leadership: Japan sits inside the region Ho will lead from January, and the person who has led it since 2014 steps aside. Hyatt's Japan portfolio includes Park Hyatt Tokyo -- the hotel Udell once ran as its first general manager -- Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono, Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills and Hyatt Centric Sapporo, according to Hyatt's own hotel listings.

Udell's advisory brief points specifically at Hyatt's luxury ambitions, while Ho's stated background is Greater China, where he has been Hyatt's senior executive since 2018. The announcement does not say whether anything changes in how Hyatt's Japan hotels are run, and it names no Japan-specific plans.