CHLA Lodging News Nov/Dec 2019

10 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com HOTELIER PROFILE Shangwen Chiu Kennedy Co-owner, Inn at Moonlight Beach (Encinitas, CA) "While I was growing up, my parents owned and operated hotels in Taiwan. I never wanted to do what they did, and instead went far away to study landscape, architecture, and urban design in the U.S. at Cornell and Harvard. Over my twenty years of practice in the field of building places, I became increasingly interested in creating environments and communities that support well-being such as co-living houses and intergenerational housing. I had no idea that this would lead me back to owning and operating a hotel. The purpose of our inn is unique. It is an environment created to foster the joy of connection one has with nature, with others, and with oneself. At the same time, it pushes the envelope on how a building performs and elevates how hospitality could be done. I am passionate about creating communities and building environments that nurture well-being. This project just happens to be a hotel, and it provides us an opportunity to connect and share our lifestyle with the local and global community. The inn also brings the world to us, during a period of life I choose to stay close to home with our young children and don’t get to travel as often." –Shangwen THE INN AT MOONLIGHT BEACH RECENTLY BECAME THE FIRST LODGING ESTABLISHMENT IN THE WORLD TO ACHIEVE WELL CERTIFICATION—AND AT THE PLATINUM LEVEL NO LESS. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR A BUILDING TO BE WELL CERTIFIED AT THE PLATINUM LEVEL AND WHAT IS INVOLVED IN ACHIEVING THIS IMPRESSIVE ACCOMPLISHMENT? More and more people are becoming conscious of the importance of eating clean foods, having an active lifestyle, managing stress and cultivating peace of mind. People value connecting to something bigger than themselves. In turn, travel habits are becoming less about indulgence and escape, and more about connection and nurturing self. The notion of the ‘Conscious Destination’ is new to the lexicon and is something we are proud to provide. The WELL Certification reflects this shift in values. As you may know, it is a performance- based certification system that marries best practices in design and construction with evidence-based scientific research. The Inn at Moonlight Beach earned the distinction based on seven categories of building performance and 100+ features—air, water, light,