Agnelo A Fernandes

I have been described is a strategist with soul — a hospitality visionary who turns experiences into emotions and brands into legacies. With more than three decades of global leadership, I have built a reputation for transforming independent resorts, wellness destinations, outdoor hospitality assets including ranches, and camps into purpose-driven, culturally vibrant businesses.
I have built my career at the intersection of strategy, creativity, and human connection. From Canyon Ranch and Sonesta to CoralTree Hospitality and Terranea, Agnelo has led teams through reinvention and growth, bringing clarity to complexity and elevating both performance and people along the way. He believes leadership is personal, integrity is non-negotiable, and the speed and spirit of the leader sets the rhythm for the entire team.
Agnelo’s superpower is adaptability and that he has leveraged it to enhance the culture at Cote Hospitality — building it, elevating it, and protecting it. He hires with intention, mentors with heart, and leads with a blend of financial discipline and human-centered design. A storyteller at heart, he’s as comfortable in a boardroom as he is on stage with a guitar in LA, still chasing harmony in every sense of the word.
He’s a connector, a problem whisperer, and a believer that hospitality at its best leaves people feeling more seen, grounded, and inspired. For Agnelo, success isn’t just measured in EBITDA — it’s measured in the teams he builds, the memories he shapes, and the lives he touches along the way.