INTERVIEW: KATHY VAN NESS
The new look Golden Door has attracted a younger clientele – busy executives who want to take care of themselves
Making money isn’t the only top concern... Conway has made a profound pledge to give 100 per cent of Golden Door’s profi ts to charity
things you also learn in retailing is that you don’t see the upstage luxury brands doing that. Even in the painful times and the worst crashes financially Prada and Louis Vuitton do not go on sale. You don’t denigrate your brand and I immediately took ‘discounting’ out of our vocabulary.”
Fair share Of course, with a billionaire owner who has an interest in philanthropy, making money isn’t the only top concern. To this end, Conway has made a profound pledge to see 100 per cent of Golden Door’s profits given to charities. “It’s not a charitable trust where you save money on taxes” Van Ness is quick to point out. “It’s a business and we pay our taxes, we want to be involved with our community and pay our fair share. Instead, she says that she and Joanne
wanted to follow in the footsteps of Newman’s Own, the organic food company owned by actor Paul Newman which was one of the first businesses in the USA to donate all of its earnings to charity.
36
spabusiness.com issue 2 2015 ©CYBERTREK 2015 The Golden Door Foundation has
already funded a trip for its land expert Jeff Dawson to set up sustainable gardening practices for the Global Health Committee’s Zahara Center in Ethiopia. The centre, backed by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, helps children with HIV/ AIDS and TB. The foundation has also contributed US$75,000 (€68,970, £50,600) to keep a local centre which helps victims of child abuse and sex assault open. These charities, and others, have been chosen because they share Golden Door’s mission to transform peoples lives Van Ness says.
A lot of fab Over the past two years, US$15m (€14m, £10m) has been spent on completely renovating the Golden Door property. The 40 bungalow villas, as well as
the bathhouse spa and lounge, exercise studios, lobby and dining room have been modernised while retaining the peaceful, Oriental feel that Golden Door is famous for. “It’s Zen, quiet, simplistic, chic and a lot of fab,” says Van Ness who had a
Favourites
BOOK: Thrive by Adrianne Huffi ngton
SEASON: Winter. I love the fl uff y fl akes
SPA (NOT GOLDEN DOOR): Impossible to say, I’m completely biased to this magical place
TREATMENT: I love scalp massages and scrubs. Relaxation and brand new skin – hmmmm nice!
ADVICE: Stay focused and do things you love and life will evolve
WHO YOU ADMIRE: Today it’s [TV journalist] Diane Sawyer, her style of interviewing inspires me as I build out our Friday evening speaker sessions at Golden Door. She’s a fascinating talent. Tomorrow, who knows?
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108