Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced a new Global Franchise and Owner Relations organization to help owners and operators improve guest relations and experience.

The organization will create a key stakeholder group with the goal of expanding Hyatt’s franchise portfolio and increasing property performance.

The new group will be led by evp of Global Franchising and Development Jim Chu, a Hyatt veteran, who will oversee the global strategy for owner/operator relations and development.

“At Hyatt, we feel strongly that the best way to operate is with a diverse portfolio of owned, managed and franchised properties,” said Jim Chu. “As a fellow owner, we have a critical understanding for what our owners and operators are experiencing – in both the good times and the challenging times – which enables us to collaborate with a heightened sense of empathy and focus.”

There will also be a Hyatt franchise operations team to focus on financial performance, which will be led by svp of Franchise Operations Paul Daly.

“Hyatt is experiencing tremendous growth illustrated by our industry-leading net rooms growth and the recent milestone of our 500th Hyatt House/Hyatt Place property in operation,” Daly said. “We are growing at a fast rate and we see a tremendous opportunity at this moment in time to create a dedicated team laser-focused on cultivating closer relationships and providing franchise owners and operators with support and enhanced tools designed to maximize performance.”

Across their 20 brands, Hyatt Hotels’ portfolio currently includes 975 hotels and resorts across 69 countries.