THE INTERVIEW : MARK HARMON
directory , we have that as well . Our brand of hospitality is about making everyone feel at home . My favorite moment is when I arrive at one of our resorts and the general manager greets me by saying , “ Welcome home .” H : What about green ? MH : Our guests are committed to the environment . One good point to make is that our guests are living responsibly in their own lives . When it comes to green , we take the initiative , and guests can participate . It ’ s about emphasizing systems and practices that mirror the habits and preferences of guests who drive hybrid cars , use drought-tolerant plants . We don ’ t try to impose green on the design but on the way we operate as a company . We use super-efficient lighting , low- VOC paints and eco-friendly material where possible . Much of the transport on the properties is by bicycle or tricycle . H : What ’ s your personal philosophy of eco-friendliness ? MH : Our goal is to be engaged every day in making our way of doing business important to the protection of the environment . Our Planet Auberge programs engage every employee in that process , as well as making a difference to the communities we live in through volunteering for a variety of social causes .
I grew up watching my father develop the highest-quality resorts in California and Hawaii , while my mother has dedicated much of her life to protecting the environment . My mother has been active in so many causes all her life from the Sierra Club to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to the Great Old Broads for Wilderness . So , I always had the sense growing up and as a businessman that the right kind of development should be respectful of the planet .
H : How are you balancing that with the bottom line ?
MH : The guest experience does not need to be over-thetop expensive to be special . We have resorts in some of
“ A lot of what guests expect has to do with a sense of space and quality of material . We ’ ve thrown out the idea of marble , fine linen , etc . as luxury . We see luxury as creating an engaging , fun experience .” – Mark Harmon the most extraordinary natural settings in the world . Yet going beyond these beautiful places we find that the passionate dedication of our staff to making each moment of the guests ’ stay come alive with personalized touches makes a truly lasting impact . Many of those moments that our staff create are the small but very important touches that are not expensive , yet take creativity and dedication to find out what we can do to make each guest ’ s stay truly memorable .