The Westin Alumni Association (WAA) was established in 1991, and is dedicated only to maintaining an accurate database of former Westin colleagues who meet a membership criteria as mentioned under "eligibility". There is no cost attendant with membership, however, goodwill contributions are welcome and help to defray costs for maintaining the web site and member database.
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Volunteer WAA Officers & Board
Current Officers
President: Ray Sylvester
Treasurer: Michael Horrocks
At Large Board Members
Bill Dougherty (U.S.)
Andrew Jones (Asia)
Bill Moyer (U.S.)
Silvio Berron (Mexico & Central America)
Nancy Peel (U.S.)
Dick Whaley (U.S.)
Past Board Members
Sue Brush
Pat Carey: Past President (FD) (D)
Charles D. Comstock: Past President (FD) (D)
Larry Dustin, Past Past President (FD)
William D. Ellis: Immediate Past Treasurer (FD)
Wm. H. (Bill) Ellis: Founding Director (Deceased)
Denis Forristal
Christine Gildow
Doug Hales
J. Wm. (Bill) Keithan: Past President (FD) (D)
C.R. (Bob) Lindquist: (FD) (D)
Dan McClaskey (FD)
Chris Marker
Jorg Neuenhaus (Mexico & Central America)
Russ Nickel: Past President
Cherie Ohlson
Ron Spellecy
(FD) Founding Director
(D) Deceased
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October-November TBD
Service Express (established 1993 and remains in practice within the Westin brand today)
Presenters: Hanne Dittler, Bill Dougherty, Chuck Brown, Roger Young
September 19, 2023
Renaissance Center Impact on Detroit
Presenters:Larry Alexander, Gus Newbury, Michael O'Callaghan, Larry Stephan, Ted Urban, Dick Whaley
July 11, 2023
Computerization Crown Center & Peachtree Plaza
Presenter: Larry Dustin
April 19, 2023
Hospitality Industry Archives
The Westin Collection
Presenter: Dr. Mark Young, Archivest / Historian
Notice will appear on Westin Alumi Facebook page
Registration is required.
Thank you for visiting the Westin Alumni Association (WAA) website! From its founding in 1991 the sole purpose of the WAA was to provide means for former Westin associates to stay in touch, i.e., friends keeping in touch with friends. That remains our purpose to this day. With the purchase by Starwood in 1998 the company, Westin Hotels & Resorts, founded in 1930, ceased to exist, thus the association focuses on the years that Western Hotels operated as a company, namely 1930-1998. Until May of 2018 membership was restricted to those who had worked in the corporate, regional sales, and affiliate offices such as Westin Service & Supply, which was later named FORMA. Within hotels membership was restricted to General Managers, Executive Assistant Managers and Division Heads. Then, with the concurrence of the WAA board in March 2018, potential membership was expanded to include those who had worked in any capacity for the company for 5 or more years. The group selected five years as a time period that would allow an associate to learn the history of the company and to understand its culture and values.
Over the years various groups of alums dispersed around the globe have arranged to meet for lunch, dinner or even for a weekend. Events have taken place in Tokyo, Oslo, Denver, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Johannesburg, Vancouver, Ottawa, Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., Bellevue (2006) and Las Vegas (2016 & 2019). The latter three were weekend events that drew hundreds of members from around the globe.
We hope that you will enjoy the history, photos, stories and trips down memory lane as you view the website content.
Western Hotels, later Western International Hotels, Westin Hotels, and Westin Hotels & Resorts was an innovative and storied company populated with outstanding people!
Yes, people did make the difference!
Sincerely,
Ray Sylvester
President
Westin Years 1965-1998
April 27, 2023:
Bayshore Hotel alums gathered for lunch at the hotel.
September 2023
Brent Rumsey, Mary Orlando, Chuck Brown at AC Hotel Chicago where Mary is GM
June 22, 2023
Ex Camino Real/Westin friends from the WAA Chapter Mexico City, getting together for breakfast
Take a look at some of the past Front magazine covers. Jay Aven saved 59 Front magazines and has contributed them to the Westin Collection.
The magazines from 1947-1977 are now available on the University of Houston server, here