Marriott International has appointed Gautam Bhandari as chief development officer for Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC), effective January 1, 2026.
Bhandari, who joined Marriott in 2007, brings over two decades of leadership experience across revenue management, operations, sales, marketing, and development. He currently serves as senior vice president, development and operations, overseeing Marriott’s Premium and Select brands in Singapore and the Maldives.
In his new role, he will drive Marriott’s growth strategy across APEC, which includes more than 650 open hotels in 22 countries and over 380 in the pipeline. His responsibilities cover development across key markets such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Maldives, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Based in Singapore, Bhandari succeeds Shawn Hill, who will assume the role of executive vice president and chief development officer, global, for Marriott International in early 2026.
