Sergio Bocci is the general manager of Hilton Anaheim, a full-service contemporary Anaheim hotel and Disneyland Resort Good Neighbor property. With more than 1,500 rooms, Hilton Anaheim is the largest hotel in Southern California. Learn about Sergio Bocci…
Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina
First job: Busser at the Royal Inn Hotel Café
Favorite ways to spend your free time in CA: Fishing, camping, beach going and photography, all with my family, of course!
Your biggest accomplishment and why: My biggest accomplishment has been becoming a general manager for Hilton Worldwide. My parents came to this country for a better life and to provide better opportunities for our family, so achieving my career goal honors their efforts and their memory.
The biggest obstacle you overcame: When I was a child, there were no language-development programs. As a first grader, I only spoke Spanish in an all English grade school. It was difficult for me to participate while I was learning a new language. However, it taught me fortitude and perseverance that has lasted my entire life.
Someone who inspires you and why: My father, born in WW2 Italy, migrated to Argentina with his family at the end of the war. He grew up in the dictatorship era of the Peronista Party in Argentina. When I was 3 years old, my parents saw that the future in Argentina was dime and sold everything they owned to migrate to the US to start over. My father worked three jobs for several years to get a head start; however, he always looked to improve and find new opportunities. He worked as a factory worker in a wire mill, 20 years later he was the plant manager with only a sixth-grade education. To me, that is the definition of success, fortitude and perseverance.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: My biggest piece of advice would be: don’t be afraid to start at an entry-level position, learn all that you can and do the best that you can in whatever position you acquire. Keep an eye out for the next opportunity, advocate for yourself and ask your managers and department heads for help. Let them know that you are looking to grow and learn. If your employers do not help you succeed, find employers that do. Always look to grow and improve and never give up.
Favorite quote: “We don’t have to be superstars or win championships… All we have to do is learn to rise to every occasion, give our best effort, and make those around us better as we do it.” –Coach John Wooden
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: I started my career with Hilton as a bellperson in 1985.
What makes someone fabulous: I believe a fabulous person needs to be true to who they are. They need to work to make everyone around them better by having a positive attitude, and they should help others without expecting anything in return.