In their roles, both senior executives will support the acceleration of the Group’s strategic growth strategy in North & Central America, further strengthening Accor’s presence in the region. Cary and Martinez will manage all aspects of development and work with various stakeholders, primarily developers, investors and owners, with a focus on identifying new business opportunities, leading the execution of agreements and subsequent transition to the operations teams, in their respective regions.
“With several years of experience in the hospitality industry, Ben and Nicolas bring a wealth of knowledge and key market expertise that will strengthen our team and drive continued expansion of our hotel portfolio during an important year of growth,” said Mark Purcell, Senior Vice President, Development, Accor North & Central America. “This year has presented interesting opportunities that extend beyond the notable developments and conversions we have seen in the past few years, setting the stage for sustained growth throughout 2021 and beyond. I am thrilled to welcome these two leaders to our development team to support our solid and consistent pace of development and fortify the group’s strategic expansion in North and Central America, particularly in the luxury and lifestyle segments, which are well poised for growth.”
Ben Cary
Ben Cary brings more than 20 years of hospitality experience with corporate, investment and property teams to Accor. An accomplished leader with a strong network of contacts and a demonstrated history of generating new business, Cary has steered companies through brand expansions and business transformations, and has negotiated and executed multiple agreements.
Cary has held various senior leadership positions in development, asset management and real estate at luxury hotel brands, including Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and Meininger Hotels. Most recently, Cary was senior vice president at Meininger America, where he led all facets of the company’s expansion in North America, including devising and implementing the growth strategy for the region and overseeing development of the first hotel in the United States. Prior to this role, Cary was director of development at Starwood Hotels & Resorts where he was presented with the company’s Deal of the Year award three times.
Cary holds a Bachelor of Science degree from The School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Nicolas Martinez has extensive experience in development and finance, spanning over a decade in the hospitality industry. A results-driven professional, Martinez led financial and growth strategies for real estate and hotel brands throughout Mexico.
Martinez holds a Master of Science in Finance from the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and is a graduate of the Industrial Engineering program with a concentration in Finance from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia.
Over the past two years, Accor has significantly augmented its portfolio in North & Central America, with the introduction of several new lifestyle and luxury brands, including SO/, MGallery Hotel Collection and 21c Museum Hotels, with confirmed plans to bring two additional prestigious brands to the region, including Raffles Hotels and Sofitel Legend by 2022. With 20 brands represented in North & Central America, mostly luxury and lifestyle, Accor is the second largest luxury operator and the fastest growing operator of lifestyle hotels in the United States.