Sawyers brings more than 25 years of hospitality experience to the position, working with multiple properties across the country. He began his work with Starwood Hotels and Resorts in 1985 at The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, Calif. He then went on to hold various leadership roles with Nikko Hotels and two independent hotel companies in Sacramento, Calif. After moving to Hilton Hotels, Sawyers was named general manager of the Hilton New Orleans Riverside in 2005.
Most recently, he served as a complex general manager for the Hilton New Orleans Riverside and Doubletree by Hilton New Orleans.
Sawyers earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. He has served as president of the Greater New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Association, chairman of the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau and treasurer of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Sawyers will oversee 2,265 rooms, 329,000 square feet of meeting space and 1,800 cast members in his new role at the Epcot Resort Area hotel.