Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has promoted Shilpan Patel to executive vice president of North America Franchise Operations and Gustavo Viescas to the president of LATAMC, effective immediately. With nearly 45 combined years, the two veterans boast extensive experience helping Wyndham franchisees and owners worldwide achieve success.
"A Wyndham core tenet is promoting from within thanks to our exceptional bench of leadership talent," said Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. "Both Shilpan in North America and Gustavo in Latin America, are focused on delivering for our owners – existing and new – and I'm confident the relationships they've built over the years will continue to flourish as they take on these expanded roles."
As vice president, Shilpan now oversees Franchise Operations, Brand Operations, Franchise Services and Managed Operations with a team across North America. Throughout his nearly 20 years at Wyndham, he has held various finance, operations and franchise service leadership roles. Most recently, he helmed the company's contract administration and relicensing efforts while achieving industry-leading economy retention rates across its brands. With a degree from Penn State University under his belt, Shilpan began his career as an auditor at Deloitte & Touche and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Based in Buenos Aires, Gustavo spearheads the day-to-day management and success of Wyndham's LATAMC region, comprising approximately 250 hotels in nearly 30 countries. Gustavo has played an instrumental role in the region's growth, including launching two new brands (Alltra and Registry Collection) and finalising industry-leading deals with prominent strategic development partners like Playa Hotels & Resorts and Palladium Hotel Group. Over his past 25 years with Wyndham, he has held multiple roles leading the finance, administration, reporting, planning and operations for RCI and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Gustavo graduated from the University of Buenos Aires and has a Master's degree in Finance from UADE, Buenos Aires.
