Letter to the Editor,

The responsibility for managing Ojai Valley Inn & Spa goes well beyond the thousands of guests that we serve each year. It also means a critical obligation to our 700 employees, their families and in fact, the entire town of Ojai, California, as we are the largest employer.

Today we face issues unlike any that we have experienced in the past. The economy has softened, and like every other employer in our state, we have taken prudent and practical steps to ensure the viability of our organization for the long term. But it seems, that through some cruel twist of fate, we are being penalized unfairly for our high standards.

We have worked for many years to increase our service levels and product quality to be identified as a “luxury” product. Our Resort has been recognized by AAA (American Automobile Association) as worthy of their 5-diamond standard…one of roughly 100 properties out of 12,000 in North America to garner this distinction.

Yet, somehow, our status has a stigma attached to the luxury-lodging category. The sentiment appears to be that American corporations cannot be seen taking advantage of hotels of this type. Rather, that companies should somehow eschew high caliber products for more “sensible” or lesser properties that would, in effect, “lessen the abuse of shareholder money.”

To us, this message is somewhat illogical. Certainly the goal of all American industry should be to strive for the best in everything that we do. We seek to build the best airplanes, to design the most efficient power plants, and to field the finest athletes at world events. Then why would we make an exception in the lodging industry: Wouldn’t we want to promote the best service in the world?

Rejecting quality goes against the grain of our industry and our own principles. We find it unsatisfactory to reduce service quality. We find it embarrassing to the rest of the world that on our own home turf, there is a failure to recognize the strides that the American lodging industry has taken over the past decade. The “luxury” brands consistently lead in innovations, which have then been carried on throughout all lodging categories. This has resulted in the typical American hotel room and service level being significantly superior to the average in other countries, including the European Union.

We encourage those that are in need of this level of service and quality to speak out positively for the entire lodging industry, including the luxury segment. While it is true that luxury properties may have higher service levels, it also must be realized that higher service levels translate directly into more jobs per occupied room, not just at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, but also across our entire Nation.

Now, more than ever, it is time for Americans to meet, to travel and to recognize that we are all in this together.

Janis Clapoff

Managing Director
Ojai Valley Inn & Spa