Paul Hortobagyi, CHA
General Manager
Le Merigot a JW Marriott Beach Hotel and Spa
Paul Hortobagyi, a charismatic veteran of the hospitality industry, leads an expert staff and sets the tone for a warm, welcoming ambiance at Le Merigot a JW Marriott Beach Hotel & Spa in Santa Monica, California. With more than 14 years in Santa Monica under his belt, his tenure is considered a major accomplishment in an industry where change is the norm. Hortobagyi was also invited by the most prestigious Cornell University to give a lecture on hospitality in 2009.
Backstory
Prior to securing the coveted assignment of general manager for Santa Monica’s last city-approved beachfront property, Hortobagyi successfully managed the Georgian Hotel for more than eight years. While at the Georgian, his accomplishments included Manager of the Year for Small Properties from the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
Hortobagyi also has been with Southwest Hospitality (flagships include the original Hilton Hotel/La Posada in Albuquerque) where he was considered a “turnaround” specialist. He spent 90 days at a property to access its needs and implement management directives and soft and hard goods strategies to bring a hotel or restaurant back in the black. It wasn’t long before great results would be seen. His focus on the food and beverage operation at The Georgian secured a 2002 Best Service Award from the American Film Market and was perhaps the most impressive in the hotel’s long history.
Prior to Southwest Hospitality, clients for whom he served as an independent consultant tapped Hortobagyi’s F&B expertise. His signature coffeehouse concept, including development of recipes and menus, to design, service and staffing, was in demand by a variety of hospitality entities. Similarly, while employed at R&R Hospitality whose “Pea Soup Andersen’s” dot the landscape along the historic Route 101 and elsewhere, he functioned as food and beverage director implementing creative and successful operational tactics, innovative menus and service standards. The knowledge of restaurants comes from personal experience, as well as from the many high-profile posts he’s held. In the late 80s he owned a delicatessen and a New York-style bistro offering casual fare in Orange County, Calif.
Hortobagyi also has worked in Florida as a regional F&B manager for a diversified chain that counted Specialty Restaurants and aviation-themed venues on the roster. While the picturesque locales of Clearwater, Sarasota, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach were a draw, it was the humidity that pushed him to the perfect climate of another Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, Calif.
Originally from Budapest, Hungary, Hortobagyi trained at the revered Hospitality Industry Institute in Budapest receiving a degree in Hotel Management, as well as, a Masters in Culinary Arts. After graduation and because of stringent Iron Curtain regulations which were still in effect at that time he agreed to join the family business. The Great Junior Hortobágyis a well-known teeterboard acrobatic ensemble of performers since 1925; was his ticket out of Hungary at a difficult time.
The family traveled all over Europe prior to coming to Florida as a headlining act with Ringling Brothers on their 100 year anniversary. Little did he know this would lead to his reverting back to the hospitality industry in which he trained a permanent residence in the United States, and eventually, a wife. Paul was a Teeterboard Acrobat and met his wife from Prague, a Trapeze Artist, while on the circuit. When the communist government ordered them back to their respective countries in 1978, the two would stay in the land of opportunity and find new and rewarding careers.