In Memoriam: Lou Estrella, 1944-2013 WATG mourns the loss of former a WATG partner.

IRVINE, CA October 20, 2013 – Lou Estrella, former senior vice president of WATG (Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo) has died at the age of 69. Lou’s wife and family announced his death Thursday afternoon, October 10. Estrella retired in the summer of 2010 after more than 30 years working with WATG. As a partner and architect, he was deeply involved in the success and international growth of the firm. He was instrumental in building the California office based in Irvine. “Lou leaves an incredible legacy, he helped to make the firm what it is today,“ said Mike Seyle, president and CEO at WATG. Estrella directed many high profile projects including the iconic Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in California; the 1,200-room Tapa Tower Hotel at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu; the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, California; and Disneyland Hotels in Hong Kong an Tokyo.
His mentorship, leadership, integrity, trust, loyalty, and genuine care and concern for all of those he touched will be deeply missed. Those who were privileged to know and work with Lou are grateful for the opportunity and for the wonderful memories.
Lou is survived by his wife Zeny, daughters, Hazelle and Rachel, son, Eric, grandchildren, Austin, Brandon, Kai, and Bailey, siblings, Pete, Luna, Tas, Venus, Thelma, and Linda.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday 2 November, 2pm-5pm at Mission Viejo Country Club, 26200 Country Club Drive, Mission Viejo, CA 92621.
About WATG Over the course of the last six decades WATG and affiliated design studio Wimberly Interiors have become the world’s leading design consultants for the hospitality, leisure and entertainment industries. With offices in Honolulu, Irvine, Istanbul, Los Angeles, New York, and Singapore, the full-service design firm is best known for creating internationally acclaimed destinations in 160 countries across six continents. WATG offers one-of-a-kind design services comprising planning, urban design, architecture, landscape, interior design and strategy for urban tourism and resort destinations. Many of WATG’s projects have become international landmarks, such as Atlantis in the Bahamas and Emirates Palace in UAE.
WATG’s projects are renowned not only for their design and sense of place but also for their bottom-line success. To view WATG’s portfolio of projects, visit https://www.watg.com/index.cfm/view/projects-by-region. For more information about WATG, visit www.watg.com. Follow @WATG and @Wimberly_Int on Twitter.