Westin assembles new management team
What do a Phillies fan, a former gymnast and an artist have in common? They are all new top managers at the The Westin Monache Resort in Mammoth.
Meet Patrick Dougherty, Jeff Guillory and Jeremy Graham, The Westin’s new General Manager, Director of Sales and Marketing, and Executive Chef, respectively.
During a recent meet and greet/menu tasting, the team got to know the local media, and the media got to know Chef Jeremy’s delicious food.
Presentation is one of Graham’s top priorities, bringing color and beauty to each dish.
“The first thing you eat with is your eyes,” he explained. Each of the six dishes put before us was truly a piece of art to stimulate that sense of sight (and they didn’t disappoint the taste buds, either).
From a Maryland Jumbo Lump Crab Cake to the Green Tea and Mint Crème Brulee that landed him the job, and everything in between, the food was delicious.
Graham is a graduate of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, and brings to The Westin Monache a cooking style that includes classical French techniques combined with an eclectic fusion of European and Asian cuisine to showcase the natural flavors and vibrant colors of food. Chef Jeremy believes in an all-natural approach, with simplicity being the key to bringing out the true beauty of food, a press release from The Westin said.
The crème brulee mentioned above is tea-infused and dairy free … that’s right, crème brulee without dairy. Graham mastered it the night before his interview and bagged the job (Note: the green tea has been changed to Chai tea on the official menu to give the dessert a more seasonal flair).
“All chefs are artists,” said Guillory, as we grazed our way through the tasting.
A child gymnast, Guillory brings his own set of talents to the table. “My best events were High Bar, Parallel bars, and Floor,” the New Orleans native said “I placed 6th in Southeast regionals in Mobile, Alabama in High Bar a very, very long time ago….”
Luckily for the sales and marketing industry, Guillory retired from gymnastics at the ripe old age of 13.
Prior to joining The Westin Monache, Guillory played an instrumental role at other prestigious properties such as the Millennium Biltmore in Los Angeles, where he led a team that set a room sales record of $22.6 million in 2008. At the InterContinental Miami, his team produced $26 million in yearly sales in 2005. As the Corporate Director of Sales and Marketing for the Regal Hotel/Richfield Hospitality organization, he supported operations, trained management, and assisted with sales and marketing for 11 properties simultaneously.
Most recently, he was a strategic marketing and sales consultant for Russell & Russell Consulting, where he was acting Director of Sales and Marketing on the pre-opening team for Delano Marrakech, a 71-room luxury hotel in Morocco, opened September 2012. He also was instrumental in positioning the newly opened W Hollywood Hotel and Residences at the infamous corner of Hollywood and Vine as the premier luxury hotel for the weekend leisure and high-end groups.
Overseeing it all is new GM, Patrick Dougherty, a veteran Starwood Executive and Philadelphia native.
“I was born and raised in Philadelphia,” the Phillies fan explained. “I spent the first 37 years of my life there. My wife is from there. My family still lives there.”
Dougherty has 13 years of experience with Starwood Hotels and Resorts. An executive with strong experience in accounting, operations, and sales, Dougherty has played a senior departmental or property leadership role in finance and operations of some of Starwood’s premier properties, including most recently as Director of Operations at The Westin Los Angeles Airport.
According to The Westin, “Dougherty is looking forward to introducing his wife and four children to Mammoth’s abundance of outdoor recreation. In his spare time, he enjoys golf, tai chi, surfing, and karate.”
Stop by The Westin Monache and Whitebark Restaurant to meet the new team or sample items from Chef Jeremy’s newly designed menu. Lunch service resumes on Oct. 13.
