HELRA Board Member

Mark Wagner is a veteran hospitality executive, who started his career in 1996. Mark has extensive experience leading some of Hyatt’s largest and most complex convention hotels, including the Hyatt Regency Chicago and Hyatt Regency O’Hare. Mark’s leadership has driven multimillion-dollar revenue performance, major renovation oversight, strong union and municipal partnerships, and top-tier customer and employee satisfaction results. Mr. Wagner also served as a key corporate director, leading enterprise initiatives in, Rooms Operations, F&B and Catering, while aligning hotel strategy with major regional venues and stakeholders.
Previously, as Regional Vice President for Hyatt’s full-service franchise and Hyatt Centric brands, Mark tripled the franchise portfolio, opened and transitioned hotels across major cities, and helped launch the Hyatt Centric brand from concept through global rollout. Earlier roles for Mr. Wagner, included General Manager of Hyatt 48 Lex and Senior Operations Leadership at the Grand Hyatt New York and formed deep expertise in pre-opening, staffing, service culture, and large-scale rooms operations. Mark’s career reflects a consistent impact across brand growth, operational transformation, and high-performance hotel leadership.
Mark is an active contributor to the City of Chicago and its tourism programs. He is both a member and officer with, the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, the Illinois Restaurant Association, the Chicago Chamber of Commerce and Choose Chicago