Wen I Chang
Beyond First LEED Gold: The Story of a Taiwanese Immigrant is the true story of Wen I Chang, his journey immigrating from a small Taiwanese village to the U.S. and realizing his life’s dream of developing Gaia Napa Valley Hotel, the first LEED Gold-rated hotel. Mr. Chang shares his unique approach based on green concepts and the philosophy of wholeness, using Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model to make the case for hotel development serving the purpose of self-actualization and self-transcendence. This extraordinary journey combines a high conceptual perception of the hospitality industry with the intimately human story of the author as he shares his triumphs and challenges in green wholeness development, prevailing against resistance from the established franchise systems, betrayal from his partners, the mortgage crisis of 2008, and even the heist of his trade secrets from a major Chinese hotel brand. Mr. Chang takes us from the crest of the wave to the thorn of life with the story of his most significant contribution: Trailblazing into self-transcendence, the pinnacle of Maslow’s hierarchy, without reference from any other hotelier scholars. He makes the bold prediction that by 2040, there will be a tsunami of hoteliers practicing self-transcendence, even if by simply making donations for charity. Those who do this will win.
