Airport Experience® News - ACDBE Issue 2026

San Antonio’s culture,” he says. “Together, we’ve curated offerings that resonate with local travelers and visitors alike.” Since that initial partnership, Cortez Hospitality has helped double the number of retail and food and beverage units at SAT through successive RFP wins. When it comes to working with other concessionaires, Cortez is content where she is. When you have found the right partner, she says, you stay. The Front Door Her family’s business has always lived in downtown San Antonio, at what Cortez describes as the front door to the city. “It’s where tourists come, or if you’re a local, it always feels like you’re coming home,” she says. That sense of arrival, of a place that should tell a story, is exactly what she wanted to bring into the terminal. “I wanted to bring this curation of the city into the airport, and Paradies was all ears to hear how we could do that together and pull together different themes of the city,” Cortez says. The portfolio reflects that vision. Merit Coffee, Smoke Shack, Feliz Modern, Whataburger and the Spurs Store are among the San Antonio brands now operating inside SAT. Several have grown their broader market presence as a direct result of the airport platform. The ripple effect is part of the point. The city of San Below: Cariño Cortez and her partners at Paradies Lagardère brought the first Whataburger to Terminal A at San Antonio International Airport, one of 16 concepts operated by the partners.

AT A GLANCE NAME OF COMPANY: Cortez Hospitality HEADQUARTERS: San Antonio, Texas OWNER(S): Cariño Cortez YEAR OF ENTRY INTO AIRPORTS: 2019 AIRPORTS: San Antonio International Airport (SAT)

CONCEPTS OPERATED: 16 concepts operated in partnership with Paradies Lagardère: Starbucks, Whataburger, Adina’s Market, Beercode, Smoke Shack, Spurs Store, [210] Exchange, B.O.S.S. Bagel, Merit Coffee, SIP Brew Bar & Market, Travel @ Ease (2), Univision, Feliz Modern, Military City USA. NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: Cariño Cortez is the sole employee of Cortez Hospitality; in her joint venture with Paradies Lagardère she employs more than 40 people. FUTURE PLANS: Cortez will bid on new RFPs at San Antonio’s new terminal C later this year. Cortez Hospitality’s longer-term goal is to expand to other airports throughout Texas.

says. “She is involved and engaged at every stage, from early market insights well before an RFP is released through the proposal process and the life of the business. She continuously seeks to improve performance, strengthen sense of place and enhance the overall passenger experience.” That engagement extends to the smaller businesses she brings into the airport. She works alongside those partners to make sure they are supported, evolving and positioned to last, a model that has given several local businesses a visibility they carried back out into the broader market. The Next Frontier The San Antonio Business Journal named Cortez to its 40 Under 40 list this year, then named her Woman of the Year, in recognition of her leadership elevating local food and retail brands at SAT in addition to her deep community involvement. In her acceptance speech, she acknowledged her family whose lessons and sacrifices built the foundation she stands on today. Expanding to other airports throughout Texas is a primary goal for the future of Cortez Hospitality, and the company expects to learn by end of 2026 whether it has been awarded concession space in the new SAT terminal. Fletcher anticipates scaled growth ahead, pointing to Cortez’s entrepreneurial mindset and commitment to excellence as the engine behind it. “Cariño has consistently demonstrated the ability to deliver best-in-class programs while staying true to the local community,” he says, “and we’re excited about what the future holds.” For Cortez, the ambition is inseparable from the obligation. More than 80 years of family history in San Antonio has a way of making that clear.

Antonio recognized that stewardship by granting Cortez Hospitality use of the “Military City, USA” trademark, a closely protected civic designation, to anchor a concept at SAT. City leaders showed up to the grand opening, which illustrates the institutional confidence Cortez has earned. Staying Curious Airport concessions is its own world. The vocabulary is different. The onboarding and HR processes look nothing like what Cortez grew up watching at Mi Tierra, and she has learned to embrace that gap. “The airport world is different than brick and mortar,” she says. “You have to keep asking questions.” She treats her own city like a research assignment, talking with other business owners constantly and showing up whenever a new hotel or restaurant opens. Fletcher has seen that curiosity translate directly into results. “What we value most is that Cariño is a fully active partner,” he

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AX NEWS JUNE 2026