OUR TEAM

MADHI NAIR

President & CEO

Madhi has been pioneering sustainable growth for many companies in their infancy through assistance in making complex business decisions, increased work-ethic, and impeccable financial standards. Often regarded as the go-to person for complex operational takeovers and transitions driven by in-depth organizational comprehension and analysis. Madhi is on many boards, like Vice Chair for the brand Indigo, Owner Advisory board for IHG, YPO among others. In his free time he likes to get with friends for a round of golf.

VICKI CASTELLANOS

Vice President Of Operations

Vicki Castellanos; COO of Esperanto Developments is in charge of the company’s overall operational strategy. Leading with a portfolio of over 30 hotels that embodies all top brands including Hilton, IHG and Marriot Hotels. Vicki establishes strong owner relations and is responsible for developing and advancing the operational strategies that focus on increasing profitability while maintaining the company’s Core Values. Over the course of twenty-five plus years, Vicki’s contributions have continually proven a vital belief that satisfied and empowered employees, under the guidance of strong leadership, will consistently grow profit and ensure guest satisfaction scores that exceeding expectations.

PUNIT SHETH

Chief Financial Officer

Punit focuses on developing and growing assets under management whilst creating meaningful partnerships with various stakeholders. He oversees debt and equity capital sourcing, acquisition structuring, hotel development and redevelopment, finance management, cash management, and strategic assignments. He also plays an integral role in guiding investments and business development strategies. He excels in establishing accounting infrastructure and transparent financial reporting as well as integrating processes and systems upgrades. After 7 years of opening upscale brands like Westin and Sheraton with Starwood hotels in South Asia, Punit joined Esperanto Developments. Amongst his achievements are many accolades like GM of the Year 2014, Best Ramp up Hotel 2013 to name a few. He has also worked with Pyramid Hotel Group in Boston as Director of Finance managing multiple funds and its assets. Punit has an MBA Finance from Bryant University, RI and is a Six Sigma green belt. In his free time he likes to play tennis with his son.

TERESA ACOSTA

Corporate Controller

Teresa has been pivotal in the growth of Esperanto as one of the first team members. She has grown with Esperanto assuming many roles and now her main focus is to manage the hotel accounting for a cluster of hotels along with corporate cash management. Her expertise lies in tax audits, internal controls and in managing centralized accounting partners. Teresa in her 17 years of experience in accounting and working with global brands like IHG, Marriott and Levi’s, has done many hotel pre-openings and setup TABC Permits, Sales & Use and Occupancy tax permits, Bank accounts, Insurances, Mortgages, Merchant Services etc. Teresa has a large family and she loves to be with her 8 grandchildren!!!

ANA HEIRAS

Corporate Director of Accounting

With more than 15 years of hospitality industry experience, Ana maintains oversight of the accounting department, especially the integrity of all reporting, budgeting and cash management activities for the company and its properties. She has been instrumental in transitioning hotels, training General Managers and setting up compliant procedures. Before joining Esperanto Developments, she was at HMC for ten years as Accounting Manager. In her free time, she is managing her busy household, family events and two beautiful babies.

MAURO ROMERO

Vice President of Human Resources

Mauro began his career in the hospitality industry over twelve years ago. His responsibilities include all aspects of operations and the overall financial performance of each hotel. Prior to his role as VP of Human Resources, he was Regional Director of Operations. Mauro joined Esperanto Developments in 2013 as Director of Brands ensuring the entire portfolio accomplished Brand initiatives. His current portfolio consists of recognized brands such as Marriot, Hilton, IHG and Choice Hotels. His mission is to empower his team to achieve stellar results in all aspects of the Hospitality spectrum.

LUIS SANCHEZ

Regional Director of Operations

Luis began his career in the hospitality industry in Austin, Texas working as a Management Trainee at the Hyatt Regency Towne Lake, Texas over 25 years back. He completed his education at the University Of Houston and obtained a Bachelor Of Science degree. Prior to joining Esperanto Developments, Luis has worked with major hotel brands and has held senior leadership roles in the industry. With his over two decades of Hotel Operations experience, he joins Esperanto as the Regional Director of Operations supporting multiple hotel brands in the South East Texas region.

JOHN YZAGUIRRE

Regional Director of Operations

John Yzaguirre is a veteran hotelier with over 25 years of hospitality industry experience. Over the last few years, John’s role within Esperanto Developments has developed from Area General Manager/Above Property Support to Regional Director of Operations. He has been successfully providing multi-hotel brands leadership for several properties within the portfolio, representing over 900 rooms. His focus is a multi-pronged approach, with a strong emphasis on guest satisfaction, associate satisfaction and owner satisfaction. As the direct manager and mentor to a team of General Managers, John believes in a collaborative working environment to accomplish business goals and objectives in order to maximize occupancy, RevPAR and drive higher market share.

JASON GUTHRIE

Corporate Regional Director of Sales

Jason Guthrie joined Esperanto Developments in 2022 as Corporate Regional Director of Sales-IHG Hotels. Based out of Galveston, Texas he comes in with 12 years of Regional Sales experience; having worked for IHG in a sales support capacity. Jason’s experience and expertise includes a honed in approach to consultative sales strategies and training support. Helping on property sellers achieve goals, build viable partnerships with customers, and instilling a passion for hospitality, are a few of his high points. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and spending the weekends hanging out on the beach. He prides himself as a “Sales Culturalist” and believes a powerful sales culture is the gateway to success.

LINDA SNOW

Corporate Administrative Assistant

Linda Snow has been with Esperanto Developments since 2009. During her tenure she’s worked a variety of positions to include: Area manager, general manager and front desk supervisor. She comes with over 30 years of Hospitality experience. Linda recently took a position working in the Human Resource Department as a HR coordinator. She works in tandem with the General Managers ensuring policies, recruitment and payroll are executed. An active co-chair of Esperanto Cares committee, she works diligently to work hand in hand with our community partners. On her days off Linda enjoys gardening and exercising and spending time with her husband, Johnny.

ELIZABETH BROOKS

Revenue Manager

Elizabeth began her career in hospitality over 20 years ago while in college and never left the industry. Originally from Rapid City, SD she became enchanted with the tourist-based aspect of the industry and connecting with her guests that came from all over the globe to experience the Black Hills. Elizabeth became a Texas transplant in 2005 where she landed at a Holiday Inn Express in Abilene, TX. She was the General Manager of that property for fourteen years. Her passion for the constantly evolving hospitality technology did not go unnoticed and she was tasked with becoming Esperanto’s first in-house Revenue manager in 2019. Her goal is to create an environment where associates have a better understanding of how rates and marketing work, and to not be afraid to ask questions. In her free time, she can be found traversing the country with her camera and her dogs.

LUCY HERREN

Corporate Regional Director of Sales

Lucy Herren joined Esperanto Developments in 2021 as Corporate Regional Director of Sales, and is based in El Paso, Texas. She prides herself on providing excellent customer relations, dedication, contract negotiations, and precise attention to detail. She can collectively leverage her knowledge, utilize a consultative approach, and achieve the key success factors to make a positive impact within the industry. Lucy does not hesitate to go above and beyond to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Lucy’s career background includes over 20 successful years of hotel and sales experience. She has worked with clients from across the globe in both domestic and international sales, and she has a keen interest and strong background in the Latin America market. She embraces the creation of innovative strategies and a team-oriented leadership philosophy in diverse and challenging markets. Lucy is dedicated to excellence and integrity and understands the importance of building and maintaining productive relationships. Additionally, Lucy is committed to philanthropic efforts, which is demonstrated through her volunteer work as a Regional Council Member for Make-A-Wish El Paso and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children (CASA).

CIELO MILLAN

Task Force Manager

Cielo joins the Esperanto corporate team as Task Force Manager. Her role is to develop quick and accurate assessments for the overall ‘health’ of an assigned hotel & developing strategies that are focused on optimizing operations. These include hiring, on-boarding General Managers, training, budgeting, guest satisfaction, associate satisfaction and owner satisfaction, revenue management, and timely reporting. She has studied Business Management and International Business in Cali, Colombia at the San Buenaventura University. Over the last seven years she has worked with Marriott & Hilton brands, looking over Full service, Extended Stay, Select service hotels.

NEYRA HERNANDEZ

Staff Accountant

Neyra began her career with Esperanto Developments in 2015 at one of the busiest Full-Service hotels in the El Paso Airport area. Her various roles at the hotel ranged from Guest Services to Housekeeping Supervisor and eventually transitioned into an Accounting Manager since the last 3 years. With her great dedication and efforts, in 2021 she joined our core team now supporting over 8 hotels on the Finance side as a Staff Accountant. In her free time, Neyra enjoys gatherings with her family and friends as well as watching movies. Her aspiration is to continue growing her career in the Finance realm as her love for the hotel industry continues to flourish.

BENJAMIN DE LA ROSA

Corporate Controller

With 8 years of experience in the hospitality industry & having worked in various roles for brands like IHG, Wyndham, Starwood, Marriott & Hilton, Benjamin has extensive knowledge of accounting procedures. At Esperanto Developments, Benjamin is responsible for the day to day and month end profit and loss statement activities of several hotels within the portfolio, as well as assisting the team during property transitions. He works closely with the properties to assure all their accounting needs are handled in a timely manner. His expertise lies in Budgets/Forecasting, Property Transitions, Cash Management, SOP compliance, Internal Audits and Tax Audits. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics with an Actuarial Science Concentration from the University of Texas El Paso. Prior to joining Esperanto Developments, he was at HMC for five years as a Staff Accountant and Property Controller. In his free time, he likes to go shopping and play tennis.

EMILY SANCHEZ

Staff Accountant

Emily is one of the newest members of our accounting team and is currently responsible for the properties overall accounting and financial management requirements. She works closely with the General Managers to meet strategic goals of the organization. She is on the path to obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting from the University of Phoenix. Bringing in over 6 years of experience in medical billing and accounting, Emily offers a helping hand to our human resources team as well. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family.