HOST OF HOSPITALITY
When Dale Montieth retired and
moved to California, he was satis-
fied with where he was living but
was soon eager to get back to work,
so he came out of retirement to
become a butler at The St. Regis
Monarch Beach. “I wasn’t happy
being retired and, luckily, I got to go
back to work for such a wonderful
property,” Montieth says. “It’s great
to go into work every day and make
people happy a nd see that wonderful
view and walk around the gorgeous
property … you can’t be unhappy
being at Monarch Beach Resort.”
As a butler, Montieth worked as a
private concierge for guests staying in
the resort’s suites. When he worked
the morning shift, he would deliver
guests their morning coffee as well
as juices and pastries, literally on a
silver platter, even before showing
them to their rooms. Montieth says
he liked to get to know his guests,
and still does, to help them plan
their visits based on the activities
they were interested in, and he would
help make any reservations for the
guests. He would also help unpack
and repack guests’ luggage so they
could spend as much time as possible
enjoying their vacation.
“We provided a priceless gift to our
guests; we provided the gift of time,”
Montieth explains while reminiscing.
Dale Montieth works at his favorite spot on the property, AVEO Table + Bar.
“It was just wonderful to be able to do
simple things like that for the guests.”
Though the butler program has
since been reimagined (and all of the
services are still available), Montieth
now works as a host at AVEO Table
+ Bar, after he transferred to the food
and beverage department. His current
position has allowed him to bring his
career full circle, as he worked in the
restaurant industry for 30 years prior
to his retirement.
Montieth says that he loves his
current position so much that AVEO
Table + Bar is his favorite spot at the
resort, which he attributes to the
t
STORY TIME
Some of the sweetest moments in life are completely unexpected,
which is something that Dale Montieth, a host at AVEO Table + Bar
and former on-property butler, has learned throughout his career
in the hospitality business. One night, when he was still a butler,
a guest made one last late-night request for French-pressed,
decaffeinated coffee. When he arrived at the suite, an elderly
woman, who was at least in her 90s, opened the door. He took
the coffee inside and chatted with the elderly woman before
asking if he could assist her with anything else. She told him “no,”
and then proceeded to give him a $100 tip. “She said, ‘You know,
I want you to have this because I’m going to outlive my money
and I want someone who is as kind as you to enjoy spending
my money,’ ” Montieth recalls. “This lady almost made me cry
because she was so sweet in the way that she offered it. … Other
times, you get a handshake and someone slips you a gratuity,
and you’re grateful for it, but it’s not acknowledged at all. But this
lady was so sweet and so open that I just was overcome.”
restaurant having “the best view of
anywhere on [the] property.” When
he was a butler and wasn’t graced with
that seaside scenery every day, he says
he often ate lunch outside, just to
catch a glimpse of it. When dining at
the restaurant, his favorite dish is on
the breakfast menu: the avocado toast
with goat cheese, tomatoes, micro-
greens, two eggs or prosciutto and a
drizzle of roasted garlic olive oil.
When he’s not at work, Montieth
loves to travel, with one of his most
memorable trips being to Namibia,
in southwest Africa, where he flew
on a six-seater plane and witnessed
what the pilot deemed “a National
Geographic special.” The aerial tour
consisted of glorious sand dunes; the
Skeleton Coast, a part of the desert
full of old shipwrecks; what appeared
to be a black sand beach, that was
actually covered in seals; and a flock
of flamingos that flew underneath his
plane. In total, he has traveled to all
50 states and 68 foreign countries.
But, no matter how far he goes,
there is one thing that always brings
him home: the dedicated team at
Monarch Beach Resort. “I think that
those of us who have been at the resort
for a long time just take pride in our
jobs and are trying to keep up the
standards that we had at The St. Regis
resort … and I think we’re actually
doing it, and that makes me very happy
and very proud,” Montieth says.
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