Guests at The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, the island’s premier luxury resort can look forward to enhanced dining experiences with the appointment of food & beverage director, Derek Charles Gomez, a well-travelled industry veteran who’s left his mark in hotels in Malaysia, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.
In his new capacity, Derek will oversee The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa’s standout dining establishments comprising their signature Seasonal Tastes restaurant, the Mediterranean-themed Tide, poolside bar Splash, the open air Anjung Damai, popular outdoor terrace bar Breeze Lounge and Float, an exclusive open-air venue on the resort’s private jetty.
Derek’s portfolio will also include overseeing the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC), where he intends to propel the conferencing experience at the island’s largest centre of its kind, to the next level with bespoke offerings in the MICE segment.
“The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa is among the best in Langkawi, if not Malaysia, and I’m honoured to be a part of this premier establishment,” said Derek, who will be making his second round of duty on the island after serving as the manager at the Four Seasons Langkawi from 2006-09.
Armed with a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Catering Management from the University of Toulouse in France, Derek was previously the F&B director with the InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72. He managed four establishments including a high-end, two-level steakhouse, banquet hall and speakeasy within the brand’s flagship Indochina premises.
Prior to Hanoi, Derek was the F&B director for the InterContinental Saigon, in charge of three restaurants, a bar, lounge and a banquet hall. A fondness for the country also saw him make his rounds at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, where he helped oversee the hotel’s dining operations (including Vietnam’s first Michelin-starred restaurant) as their assistant F&B director.
“My years in Vietnam taught me that despite the differences in culture, people and environment, hotel guests still expect only the best in service and offerings wherever they stay,” he said. “I look to deliver on this and more while ensuring resort guests continue to enjoy the high standards they’ve come to expect from an international hospitality brand.”
Derek’s 15-year career has also seen him at the Four Seasons in Riyadh as an outlet manager and a Restaurants & Bar director at the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur, where he created and maintained an inventory system for the hotel’s bars and wine cellar.
To cap off his achievements, Derek is a sommelier certified by the internationally-renowned Court of Master Sommeliers and a wine specialist acknowledged by the Society of Wine Educators.
Centrally located on 104 acres of lush, Langkawi tropical gardens bordered by the Andaman Sea, The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa features 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.
