Hilton Head Island, SC (November 5, 2012) – The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa recently announced the addition of two new sales managers and the appoinment of a new Executive Chef.

Lauren House has been named Sales Manager, managing group sales in mid-west markets, from the Dakotas to Ohio, handling group sales needs for groups and meetings requiring 25 or more rooms.  Lauren was previously Leisure and Business Group Sales Manager for the Ritz-Carlton in Denver, Colorado.

Stephen Legg was recently appointed to Sales Manager, and handles sales and needs of all smaller groups requiring 20 rooms and under. Stephen previously traveled the world as a free-lance meeting planner and on-site liaison mainly for US-based insurance, pharmaceutical and the food service industries.  Stephen has handled group needs that have ranged from 25-11,000 people, taking place around the world from Tampa to Tahiti.

Lauren House	Stephen Legg	Edward Connors

Additionally The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa recently appointed Edward Connors as Executive Chef of the resort, overseeing the culinary team, food service for all restaurants, bars, catering and events.  Chef Connors was most recently Executive Chef for the Members Club of the PGA National Resort and Spa, a luxury resort located in Palm Beach, Florida.

A seasoned Chef, Connors brings more than 30 years of experience to the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa with luxury resort and cruise line fine dining experience, along with having studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.  Originally from North Bergen, New Jersey, Chef Connors now calls Hilton Head Island home.

“Being able to share my passion and love for creating comfort food in an elegant setting with locally sourced produce, meats and the freshest seafood – caught right here on beautiful Hilton Head Island is truly inspiring to me. I’ve always been able to source the freshest ingredients from around the world, from PEI mussels to lobster from Rockland – but now I have local resources available that will raise the bar even higher.  We have partnered with several local fishermen for dock-side fish and shrimp catches, and sourced purveyors representing several local farms for fresh chickens and eggs, and some outstanding, locally hand-made sausages.  It’s allowing me to take the farm-to-table and local, sustainable foods concept to an entirely different level – all for an extraordinary guest dining experience in our restaurants and catered events.”

According to Director of Operations, Jeffery Waddell, “Chef Connors has already demonstrated the unique ability to draw on his culinary expertise and creatively integrate the best of the Lowcountry and the freshest ingredients along with the Westin brand, nutritious and healthy SuperFoodsRX©  into several delicious new menu items. His attention to detail and past talents leading culinary teams and branding restaurants at luxury resorts will prove invaluable to the new restaurant concepts coming soon to the resort.”

The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa is currently undergoing a $30 million renovation which includes new restaurant dining concepts and refreshing all five restaurant and bars throughout the resort.  Preliminary plans include a new outdoor poolside/beach bar and grill, grab and go healthy foods in a new Café Ingredients and more.

About The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa
Located within Port Royal Plantation, The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa is an AAA Four Diamond Award-winning resort overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with 412 guest rooms and suites. The resort offers a variety of dining options, outdoor swimming pools, a 9-treatment room Heavenly Spa by Westin with full service salon, WestinWORKOUT®, a health club, running and walking trails, beach and water sports. Guests also have access to the Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club, featuring three spectacular 18-hole golf courses: The Barony, Planter’s Row and Robber’s Row, designed by George W. Cobb, Willard C. Byrd and Pete Dye, respectively. The Port Royal Racquet club features 14 tennis Har-Tru clay and Nova hard courts. The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa also offers over 30,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space that consist of 15 meeting rooms, including a 13,200 square-foot Grand Ballroom, an Oceanfront Pavilion and two Executive Boardrooms,www.westinhiltonheadisland.com