June 7, 2010 - Maxime de La Grange Sury�s career with InterContinental Hotels over the last decade includes positions at hotels in Costa Rica, Houston, Atlanta, Boston and San Francisco. As food and beverage director at the InterContinental Chicago, the seasoned industry veteran oversees operations for the restaurants and bars on property, as well as banquet services�a job he relishes. �I enjoy the innovation side of this position � creating menus and discovering new food concepts � and then finding a way to be profitable and control expenses,� he says, adding with a laugh, �and, of course, being French, food and wine are very important.�

De La Grange Sury�s interest in the hospitality industry has its roots in his childhood, sparked by his family�s travels during the summer. �I always knew I wanted to work in hotels,� he says. �I loved the grandeur of the environment� and the feeling of an atmosphere rich in memories.� Taking his childhood fascination to heart, de La Grange Sury enrolled at the École des Arts Cullinaires et de L�Hotellerie in Ecully, France, where he took an intensive course in gastronomic French cuisine and service, and earned a bachelor of science degree in hospitality and tourism management from the Glion Management Centre in Glion, Switzerland.

After internships at hotels in London, as well as in Martinique, de La Grange Sury landed a position as food and beverage operations assistant with InterContinental Hotels in San Jose, Costa Rica, in 2000. Moving to the United States in 2001, he briefly worked for the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, TX, before joining the opening team of Picho restaurant at the InterContinental Houston in 2002 as manager. In 2003, he transitioned into the role of banquet manager for the hotel. It was during this time that he met his wife, who had been helping organize a group event at the property. Only three months after meeting his future wife, de La Grange Sury was offered a position on the team opening the InterContinental Buckhead in Atlanta and the couple moved east. As restaurant and bar manager for the on-property Au Pied de Cochon and XO Bar, he oversaw 50 employees for the concepts, which generated over $4 million in sales annually.

In 2006, he moved to the Northeast to open the InterContinental Boston as assistant food and beverage director before moving to San Francisco in 2007, where he became food and beverage director of the InterContinental Mark Hopkins, where he oversaw 120 employees and managed the hotel�s $11.5 million food and beverage operation, including the Nob Hill Restaurant and the renowned Top of the Mark.

In April 2010, de La Grange Sury relocated to Chicago for his latest position�one he says is both challenging and exciting. �Each part of the hotel offers a different experience�whether it�s the wine, chocolate, and cheese at ENO or the banquet menus for larger groups or creating  new menu items in the restaurant, Zest. I�ve learned that the more you experience do in different places, the more original innovative you become, so I look forward to making our guests� stay at the InterContinental Chicago unique and memorable. 

Still acclimating to the Windy City, de La Grange Sury looks forward to exploring it more thoroughly and trying out its many restaurants. In addition, he�s also anticipating a chance to try out his golf swing at a local course. �Golf is also one of my passions,� he says. �Food and wine, and then golf.�