“Life is a journey, not a destination,” said Hideo Amemiya, a thirty-year Disneyland Resort cast member, and one of its most distinguished and beloved senior leaders.
Hideo joined The Walt Disney Company in 1971 at the Polynesian Village at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. With a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, Hideo successfully integrated the Disney service philosophies with practical hotel management. “When Walt Disney World opened, the Magic Kingdom Park and its operational standards were modeled after the original Disneyland in California,” Hideo recalled. “However, it took some time for true Disney philosophy to become integrated into a hotel operation.”
Hideo was director of resort operations at Walt Disney World Resort prior to joining the opening team for Tokyo Disneyland. “I assisted Disney and the Oriental Land Company, owner and operator of Tokyo Disneyland, during the negotiations to ensure that there was a clear understanding on both sides. I also assisted Walt Disney Imagineering in discussions with our artists and designers for a clearer understanding of the Japanese culture so that the portrayals of the culture could be properly produced.”
Hideo held several executive positions at Tokyo Disneyland, before coming to Anaheim where he was vice president and general manager of the Disneyland Resort hotels. In 2000, he was promoted to senior vice president of Disneyland Resort hotels and was responsible for the overall operations and the 7,000 cast members at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, the Disneyland Hotel, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel.
Hideo was a man of wit, energy and vision whose enthusiasm for Disney projects never flagged. His zeal was contagious; he never had trouble getting people on board with his projects. An active community member, Hideo was involved with many business and civic organizations, serving on the board of directors of the Anaheim Visitor and Convention Bureau and the Anaheim Hotel-Motel Association.
Hideo passed away in February 2001. That same year, he was honored with a window on Main Street, U.S.A., above Disney Showcase in Town Square. His window aptly reads: Happiest Dreams on Earth, International School of Hospitality, Hideo Amemiya, Headmaster, “We put people first”
In 2005, Hideo was named a Disney Legend for his many contributions to The Walt Disney Company.
For more about the windows on Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland Resort, click the links below:
Comments
Bravo Hideo!
Comments are closed.