Spa Executive |Issue 5 | April 2019

Montage’s
Patrick H
The need for more diversity in
Patrick Huey is the Corporate Spa Director
for Montage Resorts International. He is
responsible for the brand visions for seven
current and eight opening spas for Spa
Montage and Spa Pendry.
Mr. Huey has over 20 years of experience in
the hospitality and spa industries. He has
served as Group Director of Spas - Asia for
MSpa at Minor Hotels International;
Corporate Director of Spa, Fitness and Tennis
for Sandals Resorts International; and
Corporate Spa Director for Viceroy Hotel
Group.
Mr. Huey boasts an eclectic and impressive
array of skills, and holds a Master of Fine Arts
from Yale University in Acting, and a Bachelor
of Arts from Vanderbilt University in
Creative/Nonfiction Writing, English Literature
and Theatre. He also serves on the
International SPA Association’s (ISPA) Board
of Directors.
Spa Executive spoke with Patrick Huey
about the need for more diversity in spa, and
about his ideas for solving the industry’s
infamous staffing problem.
Can you tell us a bit about your
career history and how you came
to be where you are today?
When I graduated from university, I moved to
New York City to pursue an acting career. To
support myself, I got a job as a bellman at the
Royalton Hotel, which was part of a group of
hotels that included Paramount and
Morgans. These were owned and operated
by Ian Schrager, of Studio 54 fame. For five
years, I worked for Ian Schrager’s Hotels in
several capacities – Maitre d’, Assistant
Restaurant Manager, Night Auditor, Front
Desk. When I moved to Los Angeles to
continue acting, I wound up working as a
receptionist at the Westin Century Plaza
Hotel, which at that time was complexed with
the St. Regis Hotel. This was the beginning of
my spa career.
In 2008, I was appointed the opening Spa
Director for the Viceroy Miami at Icon Brickell.
Liz Clayton, the Corporate Spa Director for
Viceroy at this time – had recommended me
for the position. She and I met when I worked
at the Westin Century Plaza and she was the
Spa Director for the St. Regis Hotel. When
she left Viceroy in 2009, I filled the Corporate
Spa Director position, and for the last 10
years, I have been working at the corporate
level.
You said in an interview that spa
needs more diversity, particularly
in leadership. Can you please tell
us a bit more about that?
A few years ago, the ballet world was faced
with the question of where were its Black
Swans, and this generated much
conversation in the dance and art worlds in
New York. We are in a similar situation in the
spa industry, where we have made great
strides in educating the public about the
importance of what we do, but we have not
been able to have the ranks of our leaders
reflect the changing demographics of our
world.
These issues of diversity challenge most
industries, because the answers to gender,
racial, ethnic, and religious diversity are not
prescriptive. They are quite complex. We can
start by creating dialogue and raising
awareness.
07 | Spa Executive Spotlight