What book are you currently reading?
To be honest, I read the Economist and Business Week every week, together with travel magazines, and then I read the International Herald Tribune and Financial Times every day, and consequently these days I don’t have much time to read a book.

What was the last movie you saw, and would you recommend it?
Capote was the last movie I saw and I would thoroughly recommend it.

What is your favorite sport or hobby?
My lifelong passion has been polo, although I no longer play as I had a bad accident about 10 years ago.   I have replaced it with tennis, skiing, and windsurfing.

Who is your favorite historical figure?
Winston Churchill—like me he went to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.  He was a great leader, and I admire the fact that he would never surrender. He once said that the best passport any man could have is a 2-goal polo handicap, and that inspired me to travel.

Who is your favorite living person?
Undoubtedly Nelson Mandela—he is a great statesman and a great example of somebody who has no bitterness or hatred despite what happened to him.   As I was brought up in Africa, I feel a fellow empathy with him.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?
Astronaut.

What do you think is the worst bad habit to have at work?
Answering e-mails just for the sake of answering them.

Is there anything you'd like to improve about your own work practices?
Take a weekend off.

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates?
Pragmatic intelligence, loyalty, experience, and conscientious hard work.

What do you consider has been your greatest achievement in business?
Starting Abercrombie & Kent from one Land Rover and creating the Abercrombie & Kent cocoon business model.

What advice or useful tip would you give to someone who is just starting out in a career?
Dream first, then pursue the dream with passion and never, ever give up.

Geoffrey Kent is the chairman and chief executive officer of the Abercrombie & Kent Group of Companies, specialists in tailor made private travel for more than forty years. Abercrombie & Kent is internationally recognized as the original luxury travel company. Born as an African safari company in 1962, A&K's unparalleled tour and travel operations now extend across the globe to more than one hundred countries on all seven continents. Escorted or independent travel with A&K combines the comfort, convenience, service and security of a U.S.-based company with on-site support 24/7 from a network of forty-eight destination management companies that ensure the "insider access" that only a local staff can provide.

Described by the Los Angeles Times as "a highly respected company dedicated to conservation and environmentally intelligent tourism," Abercrombie & Kent was voted “World’s Leading Luxury Specialist Tour Operator” by travel professionals from 80,000 travel agencies in more than 200 countries at the World Travel Awards.  For more information go to www.abercrombiekent.com.

Intrawest (www.intrawest.com), a world leader in destination resorts and adventure travel, has an interest in Abercrombie & Kent.

We recently spoke with Courtney Lynch, co-founder of Lead Star, a consultancy based in Fairfax, Virginia U.S.A. that works with individuals and corporations to teach leadership skills to women.

Courtney is a former U.S. Marine Corps officer who with her partner Angie Morgan has authored a new book entitled Leading From The Front: No Excuse Leaders Tactics for Women. Courtney received the Stevie Award for Best Entrepreneur in The 2005 Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs.

Listen to our interview with Courtney as part of our Stevie Awards podcast series.

		Listen to Stevie Awards podcasts

Blogs, or web logs, are all the rage these days. Each month in this space we'll point you to several blogs that we think might be of interest to you.

Office Pirates : The site to visit when you need to know what your employees are up to…
English Cut : For anyone interested in Savile Row tailoring.
800-CEO-Read: Information and ideas for senior executives
Re:Invention : A toolbox for women-led businesses.™

A selection of spectacular spas from Spa: The Sensuous Experience, published by the Images Publishing Group and now available in stores internationally and online at Amazon! .com.

By Julie D. Taylor and Robert D. Henry

The Carneros Inn
Napa, California
Set in the oenophile’s paradise of Napa Valley, The Carneros Inn is intrinsically related to its surroundings. Twenty-seven acres of vineyards are home to the inn’s 86 private guest cottages, 24 resort homes, the Hilltop gathering space, Boon Fly Café roadhouse restaurant, swimming pool, hot tubs, gardens, and spa.

The unusual treatments at this spa are related to the local environment. The bounty of the grape is celebrated in a Bulgarian Rose and Grape Seed Facial, which freshens your skin by mixing local grape seeds with imported Bulgarian rose oil. The natural benefits of goat’s milk, mustard seed, maize flowers, and black currants give the various farm-themed treatments extra power.

The architecture was inspired by the landscape and local California traditions. Architect William Rawn created a stylised barn for Hilltop, with rustic barn siding and stonework bringing added refinement to the vernacular style. Interior design company Shopworks used contemporary furnishings in tactile fabrics and rich woods for a homelike feeling. Guest cottages with tin roofs and board-and-batten siding exude country charm, while the interiors are comfortably sophisticated.

The Carneros Inn
4048 Sonoma Hwy., Napa, CA, USA
+1 707 299 4900
www.thecarnerosinn.com

Sámas at Park Hotel Kenmare
Kerry, Ireland
The Park Hotel Kenmare dates from 1897 and overlooks picturesque Kenmare Bay. The hotel management prides itself on personal service, and has named the spa Sámas, which in Gaelic means “indulgence of the senses”.
           
Situated on a wooded hilltop, Sámas brings you closer to the surrounding beauty of nature, while the architects, Oppermann Associates of Dublin, have contrasted the hotel’s history with contemporary spa design. The heart of Sámas is a rambling relaxation-and-pool area made up of a series of indoor and outdoor rooms at the edge of a wooded glen. Relaxation lounges are equipped with ergonomic daybeds and your choice of music through noise-reduction headphones. Under a slatted wood and metal canopy, the outdoor infinity-edge vitality pool faces out over the bay.

The ethos of Sámas is three part: thermal suite, holistic treatment, and pure relaxation. Instead of specific services, you simply reserve a time and then consult with your therapist about the most appropriate treatments while you enjoying the welcoming Foot Ritual. And after your treatments you can further indulge your senses on a Morning Serenity Walk through the nature trails of Kenmare .

Sámas at Park Hotel Kenmare
Kerry, Ireland
+353 64 41200
www.parkkenmare.com

Orient Retreat Spa
Taichung, Taiwan
Orient Retreat Spa in Taichung, Taiwan, glows with beauty and radiance. A growing city only a couple of hours from Taipei, Taichung boasts a more bucolic environment than its neighboring metropolis. The recently opened Orient Retreat caters to an upscale clientele through its mission as a full lifestyle spa.

Limestone walls line the street front and give way to the corner entrance, where you pass through a circle of light to begin your retreat. As you step out into an open and inviting garden, you experience the senses of sight, taste, smell, and sound as you take in the beauty of an L-shaped reflecting pool with floating islands, an outdoor café, and aromatic trees surrounded by dancing water.

In such a setting relaxation and purification are attainable goals. Orient Retreat organizes spa services in six themes: mind/body purification (massage), facial pampering, body treatment, slimming and firming, extreme care (for hands and feet), and the retreat (themed treatments). This all-encompassing spa also offers Busy Bee Facials, Metro Escape, and Quick Relaxation for those on the go. Designed by New York specialists Robert D. Henry Architects, the Orient Retreat opened in July 2005.
Orient Retreat Spa
No. 8, Ta Fu St., Nan Tun District, Taichung, Taiwan
+866 4 2251 2068
www.orientretreat.com

Spa: The Sensuous Experience takes readers on a tour of the world’s most spectacular spas, handpicked by spa aficionados Julie D. Taylor and Robert D. Henry, an award-winning architect whose New York City firm specializes in spa design.  Author and public relations expert Julie D. Taylor specializes in architecture, design, building, and other creative industries involved in the built environment. “What makes this book different,” states Henry, “is that we’ve handpicked the most sensuous locations on earth.”  Adds Taylor: “This is not a catalogue, but a well-curated collection.” 
           
A compilation of 50 spas, including thermal, resort, wellness and medical, day, destination, thalasso, and hotel spas, this 256-page book spotlights the location, design, and treatment experiences that make these spas havens of sensuous well-being and luxury.  Each chapter is introduced by an expert who describes each spa type—from the warm water treatments at thermal spas to exotic new treatments at Hotel spas.

This excerpt has been adapted with permission from Spa: The Sensuous Experience by Robert D. Henry and Julie D. Taylor. ISBN: 1 92074 440 1. Published by Images Publishing Group©.