Seattle, Washington, United States, January 2026 – Hugo Moreno has taken on a new leadership role as Chief People Officer at Columbia Hospitality, strengthening the organization’s people and culture leadership as it continues to scale its national hospitality footprint.
With a strong background in human resources leadership and organizational development, Moreno brings more than two decades of experience across hospitality, food service, and lifestyle brands, with a career rooted in building high-performance, people-centric cultures.
In his current appointment, Hugo Moreno has been elevated to Chief People Officer at Columbia Hospitality, following his impactful tenure as Senior Vice President, People & Culture, where he played a pivotal role in shaping workforce strategy, leadership development, employee engagement, and culture transformation across the company’s growing portfolio of hospitality brands.
Earlier at Columbia Hospitality, Moreno served in multiple senior people leadership roles including Vice President and Senior Director of People & Culture, where he led HR operations, benefits, employee relations, and organizational integration across more than 45 hospitality properties employing over 2,500 team members. His leadership was instrumental in property transitions, acquisitions, and multi-location people strategy execution.
Prior to Columbia Hospitality, Moreno was Director of Human Resources at MOD Pizza, where he oversaw HR strategy, people analytics, benefits, compensation, HRIS, and executive leadership coaching across a workforce exceeding 6,000 employees in over 400 locations across the US and UK.
Earlier in his career, he held progressive HR leadership roles at Two Roads Hospitality, Levy Restaurants, Sage Hospitality Group, Arizona Grand Resort, Troon Golf, and The Arizona Republic, building deep expertise in employee relations, learning & development, large-scale workforce engagement, and hospitality HR operations.
About Columbia Hospitality
Columbia Hospitality is a values-first hospitality management and consulting organization known for transforming hospitality visions into exceptional guest experiences. The company operates as a national leader in hospitality operations, consulting, and experiential brand development, serving distinctive venues and lifestyle destinations across the United States. Its culture is rooted in enthusiasm, respect, entrepreneurial spirit, and people-first leadership.
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