Chávez Morán graduated from the University of Guadalajara with a degree in civil engineering in 1973; at the time, when he was just 21 years old, he was the youngest student in the history of the university to obtain an engineering degree. He, began his career as a civil engineer building vacation homes in Mazatlán. In 1974, Chávez Morán opened his first hotel, Paraiso Mazatlán, after realizing there was a greater opportunity to create beautiful and lasting vacation experiences by offering private club memberships. For over 45 years, Chávez Morán and his team chose resort locations carefully, pursuing the best beachfront real estate, rich in scenery and natural beauty.

Now, the company owns and operates more than 30 upscale resorts across Mexico’s coasts in picturesque destinations such as Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Peñasco, and Mazatlán. It’s from his vision and leadership that Grupo Vidanta has grown into one of Latin America’s most revered employers. The company has been recognized as one of the best places to work in Mexico since 2011 by the Great Place to Work® Institute, ranking them among the top 10 Great Places to Work in the country. In addition to growing an innovative, responsible tourism business, Grupo Vidanta also developed Mexico’s first privately built and owned international airport—Mar de Cortés International Airport, in Puerto Peñasco.

Although removed from daily operations, Chávez Morán continues to bring luxury vacation dreams to life, forging groundbreaking partnerships between Grupo Vidanta and some of the world’s leading innovators of tourism, sports, and entertainment. Vidanta Golf is the largest golf operator in Mexico, and in collaboration with legends of the game, now offers two Jack Nicklaus courses and a Greg Norman course. In 2014, Grupo Vidanta premiered Cirque du Soleil JOYÀ, Cirque du Soleil’s first resident show operating outside the United States and their first production to offer an extraordinary culinary experience to complement the spectacular theatrics. Housed in the custom-designed Cirque du Soleil Theater at Riviera Maya, this first-of-its-kind intimate yet immersive fusion of dining and performance brings a new dimension of cultural and culinary entertainment to Mexico.

Recently, Grupo Vidanta opened several new concepts at Vidanta Los Cabos with global lifestyle entertainment leader Hakkasan Group. On the horizon for Grupo Vidanta are more partnerships with top global innovators, including ongoing collaborations with Hakkasan Group and Cirque du Soleil. The company is also currently in the process of developing The Parks, a series of brand-new, large-scale immersive entertainment experiences at Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta. Grupo Vidanta is currently building its most luxurious vacation accommodations yet with The Estates and preparing for the launch of its forthcoming cruise line, Vidanta Cruises.

Chavéz Morán remains passionate about philanthropy and blazing new trails in the hospitality industry through innovation. He founded two non-profit organizations: the Vidanta Foundation, which aims on spreading democratic values throughout Latin America through grants, and the Delia Morán Vidanta Foundation, which offers extracurricular educational opportunities to low-income children in the Riviera Nayarit region of Mexico. He has been honored for his leadership with such recognitions as being named to Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's business advisory council in 2018; being named Entrepreneur of the Year by Mexico's Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services, and Tourism (CONCANACO Servytur) in 2016; being given the Distinguished Leadership Award for the Americas by the Inter-American Dialogue in 2015; and receiving the Lifetime Achievement in Entrepreneurship Award by the Mexican Government in 2016.