New Leaders at The Westin Anaheim Resort Charged with Elevating the Luxury Experience in Anaheim
The Westin Anaheim Resort Announces New Key Leadership Appointments
ANAHEIM, Calif. – (February 7, 2022) – Having just opened last year in June 2021, The Westin Anaheim Resort is already gearing up for incredible growth this year with new leadership appointments on their executive team that will take this new build, 618-room, AAA Four-Diamond hotel to greater heights in 2022. Located directly across from Disneyland® Resort, The Westin Anaheim Resort offers a relaxing haven of wellness and renewal while being steps away from the theme park and some of Southern California’s most popular attractions, including Angel Stadium of Anaheim, the Honda Center and the Anaheim Convention Center.
“Tapping into their collective luxury service experience, these new leadership executives are focused on elevating the guest experience in Anaheim to exceed Four-Diamonds and above,” said Paul Sanford, Asset Manager and CEO of Wincome Hospitality, the management company for The Westin Anaheim Resort. “This way, affluent guests don’t have to stay at the beach resorts and drive in everyday to visit Disneyland®. They can easily stay at our luxury hotel, enjoy the park in the morning, come back to the hotel to nap in the afternoon and return to the park later in the day to enjoy more rides and the nightly fireworks.”
Nicholas Price | General Manager
Leading the hotel as General Manager, Nicholas Price brings over 16 years of hospitality experience to the helm of The Westin Anaheim Resort with responsibilities overseeing the day-to-day hotel operations, from sales and marketing, revenue management, and guest experiences, to programming, service, and food and beverage. Previous to The Westin Anaheim Resort, he was the General Manager at Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel in Costa Mesa, California, where he effectively led a team of over 192 employees to win several awards including, 2017 & 2018 Marriott Hotel of the Year, 2013-2021 Trip Advisor Hall of Fame/Certificate of Excellence, 2012-2021 AAA Four-Diamond hotel award, and The Knot “Best of Weddings” in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Price says he is “focused on instilling a culture of excellence where associates take pride in anticipating guest needs and providing genuine hospitality that exceeds guests’ expectations.”
Kenneth Williams | Executive Chef
American Culinary Federation Certified Executive Chef with over 27 years of hospitality experience, Kenneth Williams left his position as Executive Chef of Agua Caliente Casino Resort (a Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond property in Rancho Mirage, California) to lead the culinary operations for The Westin Anaheim Resort. His responsibilities include elevating the hotel’s culinary mission, executing flawless delivery of all culinary operations, and accelerating the development of personnel. Lofty goals but achievable given his illustrious culinary background includes graduating from the Culinary Institute of America and working at the Four Seasons in both Newport Beach and Beverly Hills, California, to opening the iconic Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, to leading theme park culinary operations at Universal Studios Hollywood, California, to executing a charity dinner for the Palm Springs Life Magazine at the James Beard House in New York City in 2019. “I believe the most flavorful cuisine is made simply with the best, highest quality products, as well as presented with the utmost care,” says Williams. “I consider it a part of my job to inspire and educate our culinary staff to produce delicious dining experiences on a consistent basis.”
Gema Maleki | Controller
An accounting veteran with over 20 years of hospitality experience in various independent and branded hotels, Gema Maleki joins The Westin Anaheim Resort executive team as Controller. She previously held the Controller position at Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel in Costa Mesa, California, where she partnered with General Manager Nicholas Price to win the many awards that hotel has accumulated (see award notes from above). Her responsibilities include financial management control and ensuring the hotel’s compliance on all regulatory licenses and permits, leases and taxes. Maleki says she especially excels “in data analysis to assist other departmental leaders in development of improvement action plans. I love helping others!”
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About The Westin Anaheim Resort
Newly opened in June 2021, the AAA Four-Diamond hotel is a relaxing haven of wellness and renewal while being steps away from some of Southern California’s biggest and most popular attractions including Disneyland® Resort, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, the Honda Center and the Anaheim Convention Center. Featuring a modern design inspired by Anaheim’s historic orange grove roots, The Westin Anaheim Resort features 618 stylish guestrooms including 121 suites, a signature 2,860 square foot WestinWORKOUT Fitness Studio, a resort-style pool, and seven signature restaurants and bars, including Anaheim’s only exclusive rooftop bar overlooking Disneyland® Resort. The hotel will also feature 23 meeting rooms totaling 47,542 square feet of customizable and high-tech meeting space including a 16,120-square-foot grand ballroom. For more information, visit The Westin Anaheim Resort website or follow the hotel on Instagram.
About Westin Hotels & Resorts
Westin Hotels & Resorts, hospitality’s global leader in wellness for more than a decade, empowers guests to transcend the rigors of travel while on the road through the brand’s Six Pillars of Well-being: Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well, and Play Well. At more than 220 hotels and resorts in nearly 40 countries and territories guests can experience wellness offerings that include the brand’s iconic and award-winning Heavenly Bed, a game-changing gear lending program, TRX fitness equipment in the signature WestinWORKOUT™ Fitness Studios, delicious and nutritious menu offerings, and more. Stay connected to Westin on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Westin is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy™, the global travel program from Marriott International. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including free nights and Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit MarriottBonvoy.marriott.com.
