Ingo Schweder, CEO of GOCO Hospitality, has confirmed to
Spa Business that the Glen Ivy hot springs resort in California has closed in support of the coronavirus shut-down.
The closure is initially for a two-week period.
Glen Ivy has undertaken to pay all staff during the shutdown, an unusual move in the US, where this is not mandatory.
Schweder said: "In these times of crisis, panic and increased anxieties, we extended an additional two weeks' salary and are keeping all our people on our company health plan, in order to ensure they can concentrate on more important matters relating to their families and also so they can organise their home life and not have to worry about their healthcare and income."
Schweder also expressed his commitment to contributing to the welfare of the Glen Ivy team and the local community during this period by sharing harvests from the resort's 18-acre orchards, saying: "I made the decision to give away the entire recent harvest of the avocados and oranges we had just brought in from our 18-acre Glen Ivy organic farm, because our team's immune systems need good oil = avocados and vitamin C = oranges.
"We further shared all perishable food from the resort with our team members," he said.
"We know how tough it is for some people to get access to food at this time and we wanted to spread the good and share where we had more than we needed."
Schweder said the crisis over the coronavirus will present us all with challenges, but that it also gives us "A chance to realign, to demonstrate underlying values in true action and not empty words, by simply doing what is right.
"We are just looking after the wellbeing of our team," he explained, "just as they do a tremendous job looking after our guests."
Schweder's GOCO Hospitality acquired the 160-year-old Glen Ivy Hot Springs Resort in the Temescal Valley of Southern California in early 2016.
The iconic hot springs resort has been in operation since 1860 and at the time of the purchase, attracted 160,000 annual visitors, with this having grown in the four years since to around 220,000 in 2019.
The resort features 19 pools and whirlpools – including historic mineral baths – 40 treatment rooms, interactive thermal mud-bathing facilities, 65 acres of botanical gardens, two restaurants, an outdoor classroom area and a labyrinth for self-reflection.
As part of the 2016 purchase, GOCO also acquired an adjacent 65-acre plot next to the 20-acre hot springs and spa, where it plans to develop GOCO Retreat Temescal Valley, a world-class wellness resort community with a comprehensive wellness centre, medi-spa and residential units.
The development has experienced some delays due to planning constraints.
GOCO has other spas in operation at GOCO Spa Ajman and GOCO Spa Daios Cove, while two further resorts are planning – the GOCO Retreat Temescal Valley and GOCO Retreat Ubud in Bali.
