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The Westin Verasa Napa: Not just a business, but a Pillar of the Napa Community

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The Westin Verasa Napa, located in the Oxbow District of downtown Napa, California, has proven time and again that it is much more than a hotel by demonstrating its passionate commitment to the local community. The company as a whole, as well as its individual employees, dedicate their time to improving the lives and culture of the area throughout the year.

Since opening in 2008, The Westin Verasa Napa has established itself as a pillar of the Napa community, showcasing a high standard of hospitality and devotion to the surrounding residents. When the city has been affected by earthquakes or fires, the hotel has jumped into action acting as a home base and support system for not just the public but police and firefighters as well. During the North Bay fires in 2017, The Westin Verasa Napa provided shelter for more than 60 evacuee families in addition to first responders, and was even the birthplace and first home for a newborn displaced by the tragedy.


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The property has played host to numerous local events and exhibitions — including the Napa Valley Film Festival, Brian Culbertson’s Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, BottleRock Napa Valley, Napa Truffle Festival, Live in the Vineyard and ARTwalk. The property sponsors a number of events throughout the year to benefit the community, including Bottle Rock, Live in the Vineyard, Festival Napa Valley, Napa Valley Film Festival, Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, the Safeway Open, and the Napa Truffle Festival. The property’s signature restaurant, the Michelin-starred La Toque led by Chef Ken Frank, provides support for dozens of local charities each year including Napa Valley Food Bank, South Napa Shelter, Boys & Girls Club Napa, and more.

The Westin Verasa Napa’s employees also donate their own time to important local causes. This year, staff members manned an energizer station during the bike event for Tourism Gives Back, participated in Oxbow River Clean-Ups, and passed out snacks and gifted plants at the city’s Earth Day celebration. Please find images of the Westin staff at past volunteering events here.

Over the past decade, The Westin Verasa Napa has been a significant leader in the development of both the Oxbow District and Downtown Napa, as well as in the growth of popular neighboring destinations, such as the Oxbow Public Market, the Napa Valley Wine Train, and the new Oxbow Commons Park. 

We hope you will consider The Westin Verasa Napa and its commitment to the local community for a spotlight feature or any coverage that might be a fit. I’m happy to coordinate an interview with General Manager Don Shindle if interested. Thanks for considering!

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About The Westin Verasa Napa

Ideally located in downtown Napa, The Westin Verasa Napa features 180 rooms and the full suite of Westin signature amenities and services designed to inspire wellbeing.  The Westin Verasa Napa is positioned on the bank of the Napa River and across the street from the Napa Valley Wine Train.  Additionally, The Westin Verasa Napa is adjacent to the Oxbow Public Market, a short stroll from the heart of Napa’s vibrant downtown retail and dining district, blocks from the famed Silverado Trail, and within walking distance of 15 of the Valley’s tasting rooms.

All guest rooms and suites feature a modern, residential design accented by a soothing, neutral color palate, sleek custom furnishings and signature Westin amenities such as the Heavenly BedÒ featuring lush sheets, down cushioning and a patented pillow-top mattress that cradles and contours to the body for complete comfort.  Another industry first, the Heavenly BathÒ, creates an invigorating spa-like experience, enhanced by the brand’s Heavenly Shower®, Heavenly® Robe and exclusive White Tea Aloe bath amenities.  In-room, high-speed Internet access and an ergonomic work space offer traveler’s convenience and productivity in a tranquil setting.  www.westinnapa.com

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South East Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit returns to Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok

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The South East Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit returns for its third edition in May and will again feature top executives from both hotel owning groups and management companies and a range of cutting-edge topics.

SEAHIS focuses heavily on the issues facing hotel property investors. What topics are top-of-mind at the moment? Simon Allison, Chairman of hotel owners’ alliance HOFTEL which organizes the Summit notes:

The market in South-East Asia is generally booming, but investors in hospitality properties still face numerous challenges. These include:

• The need to pay numerous fees and taxes, to the online travel agents, to the brands and to the governments which between them can take almost half of what a guest pays the hotel

• The challenge of the sharing economy and of new forms of accommodation

• Oversupply as new properties get built

• The one-sided contracts which some hotel brands impose on them

• The dangers of relying too heavily on a single inbound market, like China – as the fall-off in demand in Phuket after the boat disaster showed last year

• Acquisitions of boutique brands by the majors – can these make money for their buyers and for the owners of the properties they manage

The last point is very much a relevant topic at the moment given the vast sums recently paid by Intercontinental for a stake in Six Senses, by Hyatt for Two Roads and by GIC for a stake in CitizenM.

These issues will be addressed at SEAHIS by many of the region’s most senior hotel and travel executives including Suchad Chiaranussati, CEO of SC Capital; Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor International; Thomas Willms, CEO of Deutsche Hospitality; Brian Williams, Deputy Chairman of Swire Hotels; Aron Harilela, CEO of Harilela Hotels; Stephan Vanden Auweele, Chief Hospitality Officer of Asset World Corporation (TCC); Piyaporn Phanachet, CEO of U City; Andrew Langdon, SVP Development Asia, Accor; Mike Orgill, Director, Public Policy, Airbnb and Jake Stein, Senior Director, Owner Relations at Expedia.

“Last year almost 50% of all attendees were from groups which own or develop hospitality real estate, said Simon Allison, CEO of HOFTEL. “They want exciting and sometimes controversial content and we aim to deliver that. Our speakers are senior and so are most of the audience, so it’s a highly informed debate.”

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St. Kitts shines in US Roadshow 2019

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A signature activity in US, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority conducted its 2nd annual Destination St. Kitts & Nevis US Roadshow 2019 from Monday, March 25 to Friday, March 29. The week-long series of 6 events were held in New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Houston, Farmer’s Branch (Texas) and Dallas in order to grow visitor arrivals from these gateway markets and supporting flow markets. These events were designed to educate travel agents, tour operators, MICE buyers, wedding and honeymoon planners, media and experiential lifestyle consumers about everything the destination has to offer both business and leisure travelers.

“This year’s US Roadshow was a resounding success with record numbers of attendees for each event,” said the Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism for St. Kitts & Nevis. “Having attracted the sheer number of travel agents, MICE buyers, media and more who sell or publicize business and/or leisure travel demonstrates that there is growing interest and demand in these gateway markets for the tourism product that St. Kitts & Nevis has to offer.”

The first event was a brunch held at The Castle Hotel & Spa in Tarrytown, New York, an affluent suburb north of New York City on Monday, March 25. The second event was a dinner held at the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, New Jersey, an upscale neighborhood in the northern part of the state, also on March 25. On Tuesday, March 26, the third event was a dinner held at the Westin Buckhead, located in an affluent suburb just north of Atlanta. The fourth event was a luncheon held on Wednesday, March 27, at the Hess Club in Houston. A cocktail reception held on Thursday, March 27 at the Brookhaven Country Club in Farmer’s Branch, an affluent suburb of Dallas, Texas, was the fifth event in the Roadshow, while the sixth and final event was a luncheon held at III Forks Restaurant in Dallas.

All events supported St. Kitts’ non-stop flights and attracted a total of 300 attendees combined, all of whom were travel agents, MICE buyers, tour operators, wedding and honeymoon planners, media or experiential lifestyle consumers. Attendees were top travel professionals representing some of the most respected organizations in the business, including Maritz Travel, Cox Enterprises, Pro Travel International, Meetings Plus, Valerie Wilson Travel, Houston Style Magazine, Frosch, Questex LLC, Travel Impressions, and Westchester magazine.

“Developing lasting relationships with top travel professionals in our key gateway markets is a key component of our overall marketing strategy for the destination and our Roadshow provides us with the opportunity to connect with these individuals face-to-face,” added Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “In order to continue growing arrivals, we need to maintain and expand our base of sellers to help fill our non-stop flights as we continue to build out new and increased airlift from the US.”

In addition to being treated to a meal and lively conversation with representatives from St. Kitts, the individuals played games, listened to presentations and won a variety of prizes from hotel stays to bottles of St. Kitts’ own Brinley Gold Shipwreck rum that were provided by participating local island tourism stakeholders. In addition, attending travel agents were offered a special $150 incentive for booking clients’ air only on the non-stop flights to St. Kitts or air in combination with a hotel reservation at participating destination hotels, all offering special Summer Sunsation rates, between now and May 17, 2019 for clients’ travel through August 17, 2019 when they log their productivity on St. Kitts’ website or via the Destination Specialist program with Travel Agent University. As a result, many attendees are now adding St. Kitts & Nevis as a featured destination they will sell to their clients.

The delegation from St. Kitts inclded: the Hon. Lindsay F. P. Grant, Minister of Tourism for St. Kitts & Nevis; Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; Ambassador Jonel Powell, Chairman of the Artist Selection Committee for the St. Kitts Music Festival; Annie Sinzinger, US Marketing Manager for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; Denise Zimber, Christina Mucha and Shayna White, Marketing Consultants for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; Tom Jaronski, Golf Consultant for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; and Candice Kimmel, CEO and Founder of Adams Unlimited, PR & Marketing Agency in North America for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.

A number of tourism stakeholders from St. Kitts & Nevis were also part of the delegation, including: Troy Hendrickson, Carib Journey Masters; Tawanna Wigley, Sales Representative, Ocean Terrace Inn; Richard Berridge, General Manager, Kayanjet; Jaana Kuntonen, Sunlinc; Christine Marshall, Sales Manager, Park Hyatt St. Kitts; Sylvia Martinez, Director of Sales and Marketing, St. Kitts Marriott; Tim Thuell, Nisbet Plantation; Cyndi Miller-Aird, President, Miller + Aird Destination Marketing for Belle Mont Farm; Jamar Wilkins, Travel Industry Sales Manager, Four Seasons Resort Nevis; and Darren Thompson, General Manager, Royal St. Kitts.

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New GM appointed at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu

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Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu announced the appointment of Mr. Kanit Sangmookda as the new General Manager responsible for all areas in the Malaysian hotel including product development, financial performance, brand compliance, and guest satisfaction.

Born in Thailand, Mr. Kanit holds a master’s degree in International Business Management majoring in Management and Economics from Wollongong University in Australia. He brings with him more than 19 years of experience, working in leading international chain hotels including Marriott International, Minor Hotel Group and former Starwood Hotels and Resorts. His first taste of the hospitality industry was as a Reservation Agent in JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok. Through continuous learning and self-development, he has proven himself to be proficient and competent with his appointment as the Director of Revenue Management at Bangkok Marriott Resorts & Spa and The Westin Kuala Lumpur, as well as the Regional Director of Revenue Management for Starwood Hotels & Resorts – Southeast Asia.

Mr. Kanit is no stranger to the hospitality industry in Sabah where he served as the General Manager of Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan for almost three years. Prior to his appointment at Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu, Mr. Kanit was the General Manager for Le Méridien Jakarta where he spearheaded the renovation of the hotel rooms and their lobby lounge as well as the migration to Marriott International after the acquisition of Starwood.

Passionate, articulate and personable, Mr. Kanit is a creative leader who believes the success of an organization comes from a competent and innovative team. He drives his team to efficiently achieve their business goal by mentoring them to fulfill their full potential both professionally and personally.

Besides the dedicated contribution to the internal companies, his team and hotel owner, Mr. Kanit is also passionate in serving the tourism and hospitality industry in almost every market he presented as he believes in giving back to community and pay it forward to the next generation. Back in Thailand, he spent his weekend being part time lecturer at Hotel Management Faculty of Assumption University. During his time in Sandakan, he was part of the pioneer Executive Committee team of Sandakan Tourism Association (STAN) which established in 2015. While at the same time, he also represented Sandakan hotels as Executive Committee in Malaysia Hotels Association (MAH) – Sabah/Labuan chapter as well. When he moved to Jakarta, Indonesia; he also joined Jakarta Hotel Association as Executive Committee which he spearheaded Education and CSR sector and driven multiple activities for the organization.

As the new General Manager, Mr. Kanit looks forward to bringing new ideas and initiatives to revive the existing Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu to a new level. “With a different pair of eyes and my experiences, some things are better when seen from a new perspective,” he said.

When not on hotel grounds, Mr. Kanit is a family man who enjoys music, sports and fitness activities as well as photography.

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New Executive Chef at Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa Malaysia

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Guests dining at The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa’s signature Eat Well menu, as well as its array of local and international cuisine, are in for a healthier, heightened culinary experience with the appointment of Glen Roberts as the 5-star resort’s Executive Chef.

Glen’s primary emphasis will be on overseeing and enhancing the Eat Well program at The Westin Langkawi, which provides guests with nutritious dishes sourced responsibly and created thoughtfully. The program, offered at Westin Hotels & Resorts worldwide, focuses on accommodating individual dietary preferences and needs without compromising on flavour, taste or satisfaction.

“The Eat Well program is a unique initiative based on the belief that feeling good starts with the right nourishment,” said Glen. “It’s an honour to be part of a stellar team that operates on a wellness-first philosophy, and I’m eager to acquire local insights and exchange knowledge on how best to provide guests a thoughtful, nutritious yet appealing culinary experience.”

Alongside his team from The Westin Langkawi, the widely-travelled food connoisseur will also be in charge of elevating culinary offerings at the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC), the island’s leading and largest centre of its kind.

Glen arrives in Langkawi after a stint at the 5-star Emerald Palace Kempinski Dubai, where he was part of the pre-opening team. Prior to his spell in the United Arab Emirates, he spent two years, from 2016, as the Executive Chef at the Shangri-La in Surabaya. His culinary adventures, however, began almost 5,000 kilometres and 40 years ago in Australia.

He began his love affair with food in Australia in the mid-1980s before honing his culinary skills in London and New Zealand. Glen returned to Brisbane and progressed to become second in charge to the Executive Chef of the Hyatt Regency Coolum in Queensland, overseeing 10 food outlets and multi-banquet facilities. He later moved to the Park Hyatt in Canberra, where his tenure as Senior Executive Sous Chef saw him attending to HRH Queen Elizabeth and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex during their visit there in 2002.

Seeking new horizons, Glen was part of the team that launched the Grand Hyatt Dubai. He then set his sights on the Sheraton Grand Laguna Phuket in Thailand, where he celebrated his first stint as Executive Chef in 2003. Two years later, he found himself in East Malaysia at the Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort. Whilst there one of the many highlights was to be the key driver behind the production of the “Taste of Borneo” cookbook, which focused on the preparation of 5-star cuisine using local products from Sabah.

In 2010, Glen was an integral part of the team behind the successful renovation and reopening of the Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Resort in Singapore. He continued to spearhead the resort until 2013, when he moved to the Shangri-La Fijian Resort and Spa as their Executive Chef.

Longing to once again step back into Southeast Asia, he made his way to Thailand’s InterContinental Hua Hin Resort in 2015. Glen was involved in developing and opening the resort’s Roof Top bar and BluPort Wing, which features 40 guest rooms, an all-day dining restaurant, meeting rooms and ballroom.

“Food is my passion, and I’ve also missed this lovely region,” laughs Glen. “By combining the two, I hope to tantalize guests at The Westin Langkawi with some of the healthiest, tastiest cuisine in Southeast Asia while maintaining our international-class standards of service, quality and hospitality.”

Centrally located on 104 acres of lush, Langkawi tropical gardens bordered by the Andaman Sea, The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa comprises 221 spacious, fully-appointed rooms and suites. The resort also features 20 ultra-luxury Ocean View Pool villas complete with personal pools as well as the award-winning Heavenly Spa by Westin, the only Heavenly Spa in Malaysia.

For more information on The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, visit

www.westinlangkawi.com or follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

 

 

 

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