ANAHEIM, CA—Shovels went into dirt on Sept. 13 for the first new-build Westin hotel in Southern California in more than 25 years.
The 613-room Westin Anaheim Resort, across the street from the Disneyland Resort and adjacent the expansion of the Anaheim Convention Center, is coming out of the ground via Hong Kong-based Wincome Group, headquartered here.
The seven-story, $245 million project is sited on the former location of the Anabella Hotel, which Wincome owned for close to two decades.
According to Paul Sanford, asset manager for Wincome Group, the decision to insert a Westin into the robust and growing market was driven by the need for a luxury hotel in Anaheim.
“There are no non-Disney four-diamond hotels that aren’t on its campus,” said Sanford, noting the same applied to the area surrounding the convention center, which is set to open its two-level, 200,000-sq.-ft. expansion at the end of this month. “We’re a long-term player in the Anaheim market—we’ve been here almost 30 years—and we [decided]we would do the investment and bring that to the market now.”
The hotel will feature 101 suites as part of the guestroom mix, three restaurants, two bars, including a rooftop lounge from which guests can watch the Disneyland fireworks display each night, fitness center and a marketplace. Sanford said the 20,000 sq. ft. of retail space would include “local successful restaurants, unique breweries and dining experiences.”
Also, to meet what is expected to be expanded convention center business and additional corporate meetings and events, the hotel will feature 11 meeting rooms totaling 42,000 sq. ft. of space, including a 16,000-sq.-ft. grand ballroom. The space is aimed at higher-end groups that previously have had limited options in the area.
For more on this story, see the Sept. 21, 2017 issue of Hotel Business.