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Appointment General Management

Winston Gong has been appointed as General Manager at Avani Kota Kinabalu

Minor Hotels, a global hospitality group with hotels, resorts and branded residences across 59 countries, has appointed Winston Gong as General Manager of Avani Kota Kinabalu, reinforcing the group's leadership as the hotel accelerates its commercial strategy and guest experience agenda ahead of the hotel's launch in Q2 2026.

AVANI
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Winston Gong

Winston brings extensive international hotel leadership experience across Australia, Asia and the Middle East, with a track record spanning hotel openings, operational turnarounds and performance-led commercial delivery. Throughout his career, he has been recognised for revenue and profit improvement, guest satisfaction gains and high-impact stakeholder management, with experience across both city and resort environments.

Most recently, Winston served as General Manager of Crowne Plaza Phu Quoc Starbay, where he drove year-on-year growth and market share performance while strengthening brand standards and owner alignment. He has also held senior leadership roles with Holiday Inn Sydney St Marys and Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley and has delivered multiple pre-opening and renovation projects across the region.

At Avani Kota Kinabalu, Winston will lead end-to-end operations for the 352-key hotel, including 22 suites, alongside a diversified food and beverage offering and meetings facilities. Integrated with The Logg development, the hotel is positioned to serve both leisure and corporate demand, with convenient access to retail and dining and straightforward airport connectivity.

Avani Kota Kinabalu features a Chinese restaurant with an adjoining Tea Room celebrating regional flavours, an all-day dining venue offering international cuisine, a lobby lounge and a SEEN Rooftop Bar, plus a rooftop infinity pool, 24-hour gym and four meeting rooms. Located in Luyang, the hotel is approximately 13 minutes from Kota Kinabalu International Airport, supporting both short break stays and longer itineraries.

General Management Asia Pacific Malaysia Kota Kinabalu
AVANI
Hotel Brand

Designed for today’s traveller, Avani offers stylish rooms, connected social spaces and both relaxed and on-the-go dining that is locally inspired. Balance is at the centre of everything Avani does, providing guests with the right measure of service, fun and privacy. Launched in 2011 and now with over 40 properties across five continents, Avani offers city hotels, tropical resorts and retreats in nature with a focus on smart design, upbeat...

Minor
Management CompanyBrand OwnerHotel Group

Minor Hotels is a global hospitality group operating over 550 hotels, resorts and residences in 56 countries, pursuing its vision of crafting a more passionate and interconnected world. As a hotel owner, operator and investor, Minor Hotels fulfils the needs and desires of today’s global travellers through its diverse portfolio of eight hotel brands – Anantara, Avani, Elewana Collection, NH, NH Collection, nhow, Oaks and Tivoli – and a...