Four Seasons marks anniversary
By John Loesing newstip@theacorn.com

The Four Seasons Hotel marked its first anniversary in Westlake Village with a Nov. 30 luncheon and media briefing that included words of cautious optimism about the future of the city's newest hospitality gem from Dole Chairman and CEO David Murdock.

Dole and its subsidiary Westlake Wellbeing Properties LLC joined healthcare giant WellPoint Inc. of Indianapolis in opening the 270-room luxury hotel and spa last year. It is managed by Four Seasons.

A final post-construction punch list was completed last week, officials for the hotel said.

Recognizing the recent trend to develop additional business synergy between the hospitality and healthcare industries, the hotel invites corporate travelers and wellheeled members of the community to stay in firstclass accommodations and, while they're there, to tap into myriad medical, fitness and nutritional programs.

With its comprehensive spa with 28 treatment rooms, a stateoftheart television studio that recently powered up and has begun making commercial and educational programs, and surrounded by 9 acres of lush, landscaped gardens, the Four Seasons Hotel leaves no pumice stone unturned.

It's a front row ticket, but it comes at a price.

The hotel opened its doors just as the real estate market and economy in general began to slow, leaving some critics to wonder if the $325 rooms and pricey eucalyptus sea salt exfoliation treatments might be too much for the residents of this west Los Angeles County suburb to absorb.

"I was advised not to open here, but I always go against the tide," said Murdock, a Lake Sherwood resident who also owns a pair of Four Seasons hotels on the island of Lana'i in Hawaii. "I think Westlake Village should have a facility like this here."

Visitors come away impressed by the lavish European decor and multitude of amenities that the hotel complex has to offer, and the marriage between the hotel and the adjacent health center appears to be catching on, although not as fast as Murdock, the 84yearold mastermind behind the project and a fitness guru himself, would like.

The hotel's occupancy rate is only about 55 percent, Murdock said.

"We need to get our business community more involved in our hotel," he said. "They've felt we're a little too expensive for them."

The health and lifestyle center recently dropped the name California Wellbeing Institute and is now called the California Health and Longevity Institute. The hotel is in negotiations with the city to provide easier access for traffic on Dole Drive near the entrance to the facility.

"One of our concerns was the wall (fronting the complex), but I think the landscaping has come in and it's doing okay," said Ray Taylor, Westlake Village city manager.

"The community has embraced it and they're getting to know what it entails," Taylor said.

One positive sign, said hotel general manager Thomas Gurtner, is that 70 percent of the spa's business is local. But strategy calls for customers to be enticed not only from the immediate area, but also from the East Coast and overseas.

Gurtner calls it "selling our way to prosperity."

"It's not exactly a well-known destination, but it's been surprisingly successful," he said.

Some residents stay in the hotel for a full month while they receive their health tune-up, Gurtner said. "The two pieces fit together."

The institute's health and medical packages range from a oneday physical, lifestyle and dietary consultation costing $750, to a fullyear, complete "transformation" package that runs about $4,950. A one-year fitness center membership is $2,000.

"With holistic treatments in our expansive spa, memorable dining experiences and picturesque gardens, we are creating a oneofakind destination," Gurtner said.

The facility also has become a popular site for weddings, business meetings and conferences.

Mayor Philippa Klessig and City Councilmember Susan McSweeney attended the anniversary event on behalf of the city, which receives about $1 million in tax revenue annually from the hotel and health center. The operation employs more than 600 people.

"When you're only one year old, you're not very powerful, Murdock said. "But we're growing."