CATEGORY
Chief Marketing Officer
RECIPIENT
Ana Morillo, Palladium Hotel Group
By TATIANA VALENZUELA
W e often end up in places we hadn’ t imagined ourselves in because we chose to follow great leaders. Or, at least, that’ s what happened to Ana Morillo, Palladium Hotel Group’ s chief marketing officer.
Long before stepping into hospitality, Morillo started as a consultant at Simon- Kucher & Partners, where she worked on projects in construction, media, automotive— you name it.
After six years there, she took a job with Spain’ s NH Hotel Group as global director of pricing. She then moved into commercial strategy and eventually dove into the strategic transformation of projects across the company. Those roles allowed her to apply what she’ d learned— constantly looking for opportunities in marketing, commercial strategy, organizational structure and business development, then building plans, leading teams and implementing change.
Morillo believes consulting taught her how to simplify complex problems, identify opportunities and recognize where value could be created, as well as understanding an array of businesses from the outside.“ Many people believe you need to specialize immediately, but what’ s most important is understanding how a business works at its core,” she said.“ Once you understand that, you can apply those principles to any industry.”
Dominican Fiesta Hotel Santo Domingo, part of Palladium Hotel Group.
Who says you can’ t go home again? Nine years at NH went by, and Morillo felt it was time for a refresh. She went back to where she started, returning to Simon-Kucher to work with many of the world’ s leading hotel companies. The experience, she said, allowed her to learn from different organizations, share knowledge across the industry and confirmed what she loved most about hospitality: being close to the product, understanding guests, designing new concepts, redefining brand strategies and working on transformational projects.
“ That can really only happen within a company,” she said. She got her wish when she met the CEO of Palladium Hotel Group, Jesús Sobrino, who promptly coaxed her to join the company, which operates more than 40 hotels and over 13,000 rooms in eight countries.
GREAT VISION, GREAT EXPECTATIONS Morillo says the people who have inspired her most all shared three crucial characteristics: they created a compelling
60 hotelsmag. com September 2026