MEMBER PROFILE
transportations for those who live
around Tecate.
To ensure that staff members live the
life they preach, Rancho La Puerta
launched its own employee wellness
program in 2010. Through this program,
employees have access to on-site
medical professionals like doctors,
psychologists, nutritionists as well as
fitness trainers. “We have about 98
percent participation for most of our
assessment tests. Since we launched, we
have a combined fat loss of about 2,000
pounds. Our waists have shrunk close to
500 inches. So if you look at 440
employees, we are getting skinnier, and
physically more fit,” he says.
Arjona also recognizes that staff wellbeing should be viewed holistically,
which is why the spa doesn’t simply
offer programs that only benefit the
body. Mental health, he says, is just as
important. “Financial management is
one of the many things that can put
stress on one’s mental health,” he says.
To help staff members struggling financially, there is a program offered in
which Rancho La Puerta accountants
and psychologists can help set up a plan
so staff members can put their finances
in order as well as deal with the mental
stress.
Guests First
Given its more than 75-year history, one
may say Rancho La Puerta has a lot of
experience in the art of drawing guests
back in. When it was founded in 1940
by Edmond and Deborah Szekely, the
idea of providing a wellness-focused
destination for guests was way ahead of
its time that it drew several naysayers
and critics. Today, Rancho La Puerta is
one of the most respected spa destina-
Awe-inspiring boulders are part of Rancho La Puerta's unique landscape.
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December 2016
tions in the world and it is known for its
best-in-class customer service.
“Our strength is our Mexican culture.
It’s a culture that protects guests with a
sense of warmth,” Arjona says. “The
challenge that I see is not that we don’t
have the right people, but that we need
to provide these people with the proper
training to meet our guests’ expectations.”
To do this, Arjona says they invest in
training. To remove any language barrier,
for instance, Rancho La Puerta offers
regular English classes to staff members.
“A teacher comes to the Ranch weekly
to teach them how to speak English. It is
my belief that when you don’t speak the
language properly, there is a fear to
express yourself, so we need to remove
that fear,” he says.
In order to better serve guests, they
put themselves in their guests’ mindset.