Olathe, KS: The leadership of Santa Marta, the premier senior living community in Johnson County, recognizes much of residents’ lives within the community revolves around hospitality.
It’s that type of forward thinking that led the Santa Marta board of directors to invest in Chester “Chet” Surmaczewicz as the community’s new executive director. Surmaczewicz brings extensive high-end hospitality management experience to the community, located in Olathe.
Surmaczewicz says having unique experiences is something residents should get used to as part of his goal to offer an enhanced one-of-a-kind lifestyle at Santa Marta. For example, an ice-carving demonstration given by Surmaczewicz on the grounds of the community drew quite a crowd.
“This community is a perfect fit for me with my background in creating a signature experience,” said Surmaczewicz. “Santa Marta is a phenomenal community, not just architecturally, but because of the quality of services and amenities it provides, and its warm, welcoming environment. My job is to help enhance the life experiences of our residents and to treat them in the same manner
as you would at a five-star or five-diamond hotel or resort.”
Surmaczewicz most recently served as the general manager at both the Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista and the Embassy Suites Orlando Downtown in Orlando, Fla. His more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality and hotel industries includes several years with the Procaccanti Corporation, holding the positions of general manager at the Waterford Marriott Hotel in Oklahoma City, Okla., and
hotel manager at the InterContinental Kansas City on the Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. Prior to that, Surmaczewicz served as the director of food and beverage at the Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra, Fla. He also has extensive experience as a chef and started his career at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago in Chicago, Ill.
Surmaczewicz received an associate of science degree in culinary arts from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.
Because the entire Tuscan-inspired campus was just completed last year, Surmaczewicz says it rivals many of the fantastic settings in which he has previously worked. He would like to offer residents the opportunity to experience such activities as an interactive cooking class, with the end
goal of creating a Santa Marta
cookbook, as well as wine-tasting events.
“We hear many of our residents already saying that living at Santa Marta is like being on a cruise ship, because they have so many wonderful things at their fingertips here,” said Surmaczewicz. “My philosophy is that we should be ‘ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.’”
Santa Marta, located at 13800 W. 116th Street in
Olathe
,
Kan.
, across from St. Thomas Aquinas High School, is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in
Kansas
. The community’s 45-acre campus provides adults age 62-plus with a unique lifestyle experience and a variety of residential options, including 138 spacious apartment homes and The Villas at
Santa Marta
, 24 Tuscan-inspired private homes located in an exclusive setting on the grounds of
Santa Marta
. Residents enjoy a full range of services and amenities, such as maintenance-free living, restaurant-style dining, heated underground parking, a chapel, library, arts and crafts studio, and a fitness and aquatic center.
The Plaza Health Services at Santa Marta provides three levels of care, including 32 assisted living apartments, 16 memory support suites and 32 skilled nursing suites. The Plaza’s services are available both as part of the full continuum of care for Santa Marta’s residents, and also for residents of the community-at-large on a private-pay basis. More information about Santa Marta
is available by calling (913) 906-0990 or by visiting www.SantaMartaRetirement.com.
The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is composed of 21 counties in northeastern Kansas, covering more than 12,500 square miles. The Archdiocese serves more than 180,000 Catholics through its agencies, departments, parishes, schools and institutions.
