Napa Wine Country Hotels
Gaia Napa Valley Hotel
- Critic's rating
- LAT
The Gaia is a quiet oasis with a large pond and fountain, Bali-themed spa and rooms named after animals: orangutan, osprey and chickadee.
Gaia developer Wen Chang, who named the hotel after the Greek goddess of the earth, said being environmentally conscious is helping his bottom line. Soap and shampoo are dispensed in large, permanent containers instead of mini plastic bottles, which Chang called the most-"shameful" aspect of the hospitality industry. Employees wash windows with vinegar instead of chemical cleaners. In his conference room, sunlight shining through magnified solar tubes brightens the space with the intensity of high-wattage bulbs.
wherever it appears.