👤 Person

Julienne Smith

💼 Chief Development Officer, Americas
2 stories · First covered Mar 26, 2026 · Latest 5d ago
Related: IHG 2 Franchise Development 2 Hyatt 2 Americas 2 Southeast 1 secondary markets 1 Select-Service Hotels 1 Tertiary Markets 1 Hotel Development Pipeline 1 Hyatt Place 1 Hyatt Select 1 Hyatt Studios 1
Works at Hyatt
Works at IHG
Julienne Smith Coverage
Hyatt Poached IHG's Top Dealmaker. That's Not a Hire. That's a Declaration.
Development Primary
5d ago

Hyatt Poached IHG's Top Dealmaker. That's Not a Hire. That's a Declaration.

Julienne Smith spent six years building IHG's Americas development pipeline before returning to Hyatt with a mandate to scale Essentials brands into secondary markets. If you're an independent owner in a tertiary market who thought the big flags weren't coming for you, this is the wake-up call you didn't want.

EV
Elena Voss 3 min read · 5d ago
Hyatt Just Put a Former IHG Exec in Charge of Americas Growth. That's the Tell.
Brands Primary
6d ago

Hyatt Just Put a Former IHG Exec in Charge of Americas Growth. That's the Tell.

Julienne Smith spent six years building IHG's Americas development pipeline before Hyatt brought her back to run theirs. When a company hires someone who knows exactly how the other side's playbook works, the owners being pitched should pay very close attention to what's about to change.

EV
Elena Voss 4 min read · 6d ago