Eagle Dancer: A Sanctuary of Spirit, Healing & Quiet Luxury in Sedona
In this deeply inspiring episode of The Inn Crowd, host Jamie Mattingly sits down with Huib and Iona, the visionary couple behind Eagle Dancer Resort in Sedona, Arizona. What began as a personal spiritual journey turned into a transformative hospitality experience for guests seeking healing, connection, and beauty. From curated wellness offerings to energetically aligned architecture, Eagle Dancer is more than a destination—it’s an experience of the soul.
We explore:
The unexpected spiritual journey that led Huib and Iona to Sedona and the Eagle Dancer property
How they infused European hospitality, spiritual intention, and design principles into every inch of their resort
The power of healing modalities offered on-site: sound baths, Reiki, intuitive readings, prenatal services, and more
Their take on redefining modern luxury through presence, peace, and personalization
What makes Eagle Dancer a true “destination within a destination”
How hospitality becomes a tool for transformation and emotional healing for guests
🎧 What Listeners Will Learn:
Eagle Dancer is a sanctuary rooted in natural beauty and spiritual intention.
The renovation process was extensive and creatively fulfilling.
Guests experience a personal touch and heartfelt hospitality.
Wellness and spiritual experiences are central to the guest offerings.
The absence of televisions encourages guests to connect with nature.
Guests often leave feeling transformed and inspired.
The property is designed to create an energetic field of peace.
Personalized services enhance the guest experience.
The couple believes in sharing their heart with the world through hospitality. Hospitality can serve as a healing mechanism for guests.
Creating a space for guests to be themselves is essential.
A strong brand identity helps differentiate a business.
Innovative guest experiences enhance overall satisfaction
🔗 Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Eagle Dancer Resort
Website: eagledancersedona.com
Instagram:@eagledancersedona
🎙️ Host – Jamie Mattingly | Duval Street Media
Podcast Website: https://www.duvalstreetmedia.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duvalstreetmedia
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Jamie Mattingly (00:07)
Welcome to The Inn Crowd, where we explore the stories and strategies shaping the future of hospitality and travel. I'm your host, Jamie Mattingly, and today we're headed to Sedona, Arizona, a place long known for its beauty and energetic pull.
Huib & Iona (00:08)
Awesome.
Jamie Mattingly (00:20)
to talk to two remarkable creators of a one-of-a-kind guest experience. Joining me are Iona and Hub, the creators of Eagle Dancer, a sanctuary rooted in natural beauty, spiritual intention, and heartfelt hospitality. Iona, Hub, welcome to the show.
Huib & Iona (00:37)
Thank you. Thanks, Jamie. Nice to be here. Yes, it's lovely to be here.
Jamie Mattingly (00:40)
it's my pleasure. Before we
get going, I recommend that anyone pull out their phone and look up the resort right now so you can get a visual of what we're going to be talking about because the views, the property, everything is stunning. So I would love to first know what led you guys to Sedona and to the land that Eagle Dancer now calls home and what inspired the idea behind this type of retreat for the both of you.
Huib & Iona (01:10)
You want to start? You start. OK. Well, we are spiritual based. So you can say what led us to Sedona was actually a spiritual teacher that was living here, David Hawkins, who wrote nine different kinds of book, Power First for being one of these books. And he was doing lectures here. So, you know, we saw we check him out and.
We resonated with him and we could live anywhere we want. And instead of driving 12 times a year here for every month when he was doing a lecture, we said, why not like rent something right here? So that's how we started. We actually rent a beautiful place on Snapley Hill with amazing views and think about we had never been in Sedona. So when we came the first time, say, my God, what is this? Yes. It's kind of a national park where they are allowed to build houses. I mean, it was.
Jamie Mattingly (02:01)
Yeah, I- yeah, so true.
Huib & Iona (02:04)
It was
amazing. we loved it. Energetically, we felt it was a very special place. Of course, you can do lots of things here, biking, hiking, canoeing. I mean, there's a lot of outdoor activity. The weather is always gorgeous here. It's not that in California we didn't have great weather, but this was even better. So that was actually the initial step for us to come to Sedona. Not planning to live here for a long time.
And say, for now, we didn't do it.
Yeah. then after, so just adding onto that. you know, over time we thought, well, let's just make our anchor here in Sedona. And we love beauty. We love views. We love all of it. So we, we, we actually made a criteria list of what we would say yes to and what we would say no to for a property perspective. that's when we decided to start looking for a house. We were, we said, okay, let's start. We started the process and eventually, this property,
came in front of us and we just felt the views are incredible. The structure is amazing. We're right in town and yet you feel like you're a million miles away from town. So it had all the components that we were looking for except that we didn't realize, or we did realize when we saw it, it was a massive renovation because a house had never been, nothing had been done to it. was built in the early 70s, 69, 70 and it was still of that time.
And it is actually a historic building here in Sedona, but it had never been renovated. from one point of view, we knew it was going to be an expensive renovation at the same time. It allowed us to do what we wanted to do and actually get really creative. But we weren't intending to actually rent the space out at all. We were just looking for our own home. Yeah, that was really the main thing. We said like, okay, we're going to find a place. And of course, if we're going to make this our, let's say, base.
Yes, that's how we look at it because we love to travel. We said, what is important to us? Like, what are we really looking for? And that's how we came up with this list of seven things. One, number one was the view. And we nailed that one because we are in probably the best views of Sedona. Really, it's like it's on soldiers' paths. We're totally encapsulated by all these rocks. We're at the highest residential area.
Jamie Mattingly (04:09)
The view. That's what I wondering.
Huib & Iona (04:24)
There's nothing like this, especially from a perspective of, let's say what it is right now. Yes. Eagle dancer resort. There's no commercial property here in Stonehenge what can have something like this, you know? So that was, you know, an exploration. Yeah. So, we took, so we bought the property in February, 2018, just after Valentine's day, we signed the papers.
Jamie Mattingly (04:39)
I bet how long did those renovations take?
Huib & Iona (04:50)
And it took us about nine months to when we to do the first round of renovations, which is very fast, especially in Sedona, because Sedona has its own time. But we managed to get the first round of renovations. We wanted to modernize it. We wanted to be very Zen. We wanted to keep the spirit and structure of this place, but bring it into the 21st century. That was really our goal. And we love things to be of high quality. So we never did it from a commercial perspective. We basically decided to do
whatever we would do for ourselves, we would do for these rooms as well. That was, we stuck to that. were very, you know, no cutting corners. It's going to be solid maple floors, pure granite walls, all of that. And so it was actually a really creative process for the two of us to actually build this together because what better way to get to know each other than to create.
and redesign and remodel a property together. Most people get the force after that, but we didn't.
Jamie Mattingly (05:46)
Well, I mean, you guys say
it came from a very spiritual place, right? So you guys have already established that part. this, you're building something that's not only beauty for you, but something that you get to share your spirituality and that connection with the rest of the world. So that's so beautiful. I can imagine that really bringing you guys together.
Huib & Iona (05:50)
Yes.
Yes.
Right? Yeah.
Yeah. And that's also, you see, it's a real, this place is an expression of us. Yes, we have traveled all over the world. We have stayed in the most beautiful places, you know. So all the things that we kind of saw, experienced all over the world, we kind of distilled it into this place. Even with the experiences, yes, with, let's say we have wine in our rooms. It's because...
my background is in a way. So all these kind of things we actually wove into this.
Jamie Mattingly (06:36)
It's just like a completely unique experience created by YouTube. And you know, I found even with my clients, the owners that start something from a place of passion versus how can I make the most money the quickest?
Huib & Iona (06:39)
Yes.
Thank
Jamie Mattingly (06:54)
always
not only do they seem to be 10 times happier, they seem to be 10 times more successful. I mean, would you disagree? It's like if you can really love something, you guys don't seem like you're working you guys are welcoming people in your home. Week after week, it kind of I can already just get the vibes and from the reviews that I've read about the way you guys welcome your guests and everything. It's just like you're sharing your heart with the world. That's so beautiful.
Huib & Iona (06:58)
You
Right.
Yeah, yeah, I think. also we have European hospitality is very important to us as we grew up in Scotland and in Holland and that sense of humanness. And so for us, welcoming our guests when they arrive, personalizing communications, all of these things are just, again, expressions of who we are. And yes, we automate some things here and there because we have to, because we have a business to run, but.
But when the guests arrive, it's a very human experience and they can feel our presence, even though we're not there all the time. If they ever need anything, they can just reach out and they have that human element. Yeah, I mean... Yeah.
Jamie Mattingly (07:55)
I love how you say that you automate a little bit there because
you don't have to kill yourselves to provide the best experience. You can cut corners where you can and it's not cutting corners. It's smart. It's convenient for your guests. But like you said, if they need anything, they know where to get you.
Huib & Iona (08:01)
Exactly.
Yeah.
Exactly. But I think you're right. mean, one thing what we are missing, I think everybody is missing in this world is a little bit hard. Yes. And so we traveling all over the world, being in very beautiful places. And I don't want to say in some of the places the search was excellent, but what was still missing was the heart. That's interesting. Yes. They felt because we paid $4,000 a night, we need to be in a certain way with our guests. No, I want you to be who you are.
Jamie Mattingly (08:38)
Yeah.
Huib & Iona (08:40)
you understand? And so
Jamie Mattingly (08:41)
yeah.
Huib & Iona (08:41)
that became for us very important. This is an expression of who we are. Other people may do it different. That's totally fine. And that's why we are all unique. Yes. This is what we did. And everybody who's listening to it, they will do things that people will say, and what if they copy us? I'm not afraid of that. the different aspects, we'll be a better world. Yes. Take the different aspect and then bring your own.
Jamie Mattingly (08:59)
You hope it.
Huib & Iona (09:06)
self to that and then you will be doing it in your way and people feel that they feel the authenticity of that.
Jamie Mattingly (09:13)
Yeah, no, that's it
that resonates so much because as we've seen travel travel, especially luxury travel trends changing and the guest expectations, it's not so much that exclusive get away from everybody. Treat me like I'm a prince luxury, which some people want and they deserve. They've worked hard. But for a lot of people these days, luxury is going into these cultural experiences and
maybe eating with a nomadic family and learning these things that you could never learn from a book or from a movie or a documentary. And I think luxury right now is being redefined. And I love that wellness is being so important in that redefinition of this because what better way to travel? I truly think travel changes people in the world that could bring us closer together. It has power. It seems like it's affected you guys in those ways.
So it's beautiful to see you guys are a part of that change.
Huib & Iona (10:10)
Yeah. And on the wellness front, if you want to go there for a moment, that is obviously an extension of the spiritual aspects of who we are. And we know the chaos in the world. We've, you know, we've worked in the world, done many, many different things. And we also know how stressful that can be, especially now it's like getting to a crescendo level, right? So having a sanctuary, a place where you can just drop in.
And be still. We have intentionally said no televisions in the room because there wasn't something that interested us. Why would you need a TV when you have views like this? But then personally selecting all the therapists ourselves and really choosing them, not just because they were good at doing a massage, but because they had depth of experience. But mostly again, back to what Hav was saying earlier, heart, because a lot of the healing.
It's not just the massage and the technique, it's the love and the heart that goes into it that brings the wholeness. And so again, that's where we put the personal touch was just in selecting each of our therapists and really for that reason, and then allowing them to work with our guests and, and our guests love that. And they know they're not getting someone, you know, you get a lot of places where you get massage, but you're getting a massage from someone who really loves what they do and want to be part of that.
Jamie Mattingly (11:23)
Yeah, yeah, a lot of experiences
you can tell that they're waiting on the next client, you know, getting get out the Russian. Yeah. So yeah, someone is such a deeply personal experience as it is. So that intention and that heart, like you say, yeah, it's super important.
Huib & Iona (11:37)
Yeah, because then we do things on the property, it's looked at from a different perspective. What actually does this bring to the experience? Like we brought in 115 Buddhas, who would do that? We brought in 12 founders, who would do that? So we made the roads in a curve in a certain way, why would you do that? It's all like the idea of that beauty has an effect on people.
Jamie Mattingly (12:04)
Yeah, so you guys are bringing me perfectly into the next question. Yeah.
Huib & Iona (12:05)
Yes, your smile, your smile has an effect. The
beauty of your smile has an effect on the world. mean, it's...
Jamie Mattingly (12:11)
Yes. And what is it? Well, my smile's free. I'm sure all the work you guys did were not free. So this I can give away all day, but I'm
glad you guys invested in the experience that you did. But we're getting on a topic, towards the topic that I actually wanted to talk about a little bit, which is, you know, we can tell from like the photos and the guest reviews that this isn't just a vacation rental. This is a sanctuary.
And the experiences that you guys are curating for your guests are truly unique and one of a kind. You had just mentioned how you hand select all of the therapeutic workers. So can you talk a little bit about what offerings you guys do have? Like what will guests experience when they are at Eagle Dancer?
Huib & Iona (12:53)
Shall I begin? Yeah, you do. right. Well, we offer... That's why Iona comes in, yes? Well, we offer... There's about 19 different modalities that we offer. of course, we have massage, couples massage. But in addition to that, we have different types of modalities such as Reiki. And Reiki is actually becoming more mainstream now. But when we started, many people didn't know what Reiki was. We have sound baths here.
So we actually have a beautiful terrace. You could probably see it on the website that has an outlook onto the red rocks. And we have sound alchemists come and give sound baths to our guests. So you don't only see the view, then you get infused by that sound. They blissing out, yes? Totally blissing out. And we have angel card readings, intuitive readings. So we have this highly gifted intuitive that can...
Jamie Mattingly (13:39)
⁓ I'm sold, I'm like already picturing myself there.
Huib & Iona (13:50)
do angel card readings. We have mother to beast services, so special services for prenatal because we're experiencing a lot of people coming for baby moons. So we wanted to offer a suite of services for baby moons as well. Yes, and myofascial release therapy that we offer. There's many techniques that, or healing modalities that are maybe not as known.
But sometimes people say, I want to try it. And then they go out like, my God, what just happened? Well, we opened up. Yes, we opened you up and now you're more sensitive and now you can see the beauty and now the healing can occurs. And, you know, we can see it on the smile of people's faces. yes. And I don't know how many people have said that, that they said, we were here. We went back to our busy life, but with a new perspective. That's pretty good, no?
Jamie Mattingly (14:17)
Yeah.
Yes!
And that's another you guys
are you guys are very intuitive because that was going to be my next question again. What what are some of the what is some of the feedback that you get from the guests? I mean, it's got to be transformational. So when they're leaving, are they just like hugging you? They don't want to let you guys go. Yeah, I'm sure. Yes.
Huib & Iona (14:40)
Hahaha
And we hug them too, you know. Often it is... It's a love fest. Yes.
It's always actually... It's like they... You know, there's an old saying in hospitality, I think it's a European saying, where people arrive as guests and leave as friends. And that's really how it is here. They arrive as guests and, know, and very quickly they just melt and they're just become part of the ecosystem here. And then by the time they leave, they're more at peace, they're beaming.
Usually it's just emotionally you can see that. They don't want to leave. That's often what they say. They want to come back. But they leave a certain, they're taking something back with them. So it's not just an experience and they get in the car and they drive, they get on a plane, they forget about it. They actually have, we get emails and messages from guests after their stay, long after their stay saying, we still remember this. It holds a very special place in their hearts.
Jamie Mattingly (15:21)
Yeah.
Huib & Iona (15:46)
And I think what holds a special place in their hearts is the feeling that they got when they were here. And they can bring themselves back to that. And it brings them back to a sense of peace again and a sense of wellness and wholeness. And that to us is the ultimate, you know, best feedback we can get. That's absolutely true. feel that way.
Jamie Mattingly (16:05)
Yeah, I love
that. I love how you said it to you. I'm sure that, you know, we can kind of carry our stress and our weight on us, right? Well, we don't even notice it. I'm sure when they walk in the hotel or in your property, you're like, give them a few days. And then when they leave, like you said, just beaming and just transformation, right? And I also loved your quote, the come on vacation or come as guests, leave as friends.
Huib & Iona (16:21)
Yes. Yep, exactly.
Come as guests
and leave as friends. Yeah, that's.
Jamie Mattingly (16:30)
Yeah, so I'm
from Key West, Florida. I think I mentioned it before. And I think that our unofficial motto was come on vacation, leave on probation. So not the same. Not the same. Different vacation type.
Huib & Iona (16:39)
Not the same. I mean, there's,
was thinking there's another thing, yes, it's people become inspired because they can actually see what is the way people can live. How can they be with themselves? What is important to them? Yep. And these things actually are being like almost non-verbally instilled in them when they are here.
Yeah, I think that's a really important point that they've inspired. That's a really good point that there's like, it doesn't need to be this way. Our lives can be, we can still do what we have to do, but do it in a different way. Do things with a sense of peace, a sense of presence, a sense of really being there in the moment. And so that's inspiring. So people can be different in the world.
Jamie Mattingly (17:28)
It's like
you give them just enough separation and time to find that and give them the idea that, yes, you can take this back with you. That's really great.
Huib & Iona (17:38)
Yeah.
mean, how is it to live three days without the TV? Actually, that's possible. So you're back saying, well, maybe on Sunday and Monday, we don't have TV. But I mean, I'm just saying, yes, it's just more to see what is possible. How do you want to be with the world? How do you want to be with yourself? How do you want to be with each other? So what we are creating here is in the sense is an energetic field. That's why we never worry that's going to be.
Jamie Mattingly (17:43)
Yeah.
Yes.
Huib & Iona (18:05)
copy because that is our energetic field. That's how we install. We do many things on the background like prayers and blessings that people don't even know about. But they add to that energetic field. Yes, when people come and property, I don't know, there's something else.
Jamie Mattingly (18:19)
I love that. this is again, continuing down the line of you guys just reading my mind, the hospitality as a form of healing. So we're talking about people coming here who might actually be struggling and going through very serious situations. You know, maybe not just, I'm a little stressed out, I need to get away, like divorces, grief.
It was pretty heavy, pretty heavy things. Have you guys had experiences like that? And have you found that the experiences that you're creating are very helpful to even those more extreme sort of situations?
Huib & Iona (18:45)
Yeah.
yes. Absolutely.
Yeah. It's very interesting. actually have often we'll get when someone's about to book with us, they'll actually give us a lot of information about what's going on in their lives. So we've had couples that were separating, but they wanted to give it another try. So they are coming to stay with us to see if they could heal their relationship. Somebody cancelled in and after we talked with them, they decided to come. because they because they could understand the healing potential, we've had people go through major
let's say dark nights of the soul, like really going through difficult times coming here for that very reason, for healing solo travelers, healing from, you heartbreak, divorce, whatever that may be losing somebody. And it's our honor. Like it's really our privilege to be able to create a space where people can be and allow them to be and give them the space. Like we, we, we often know what's going on. So we just allow them the space and they know that we're there.
And sometimes they come over for a cup of coffee to our place. So we have that availability. We had one beautiful guest who came, was going through something really, really difficult. And she had many sessions from us, wellness sessions as well. And she left and she called us back a few months later. She said, I'm coming back with my daughter. I said, that's great. I said, we have something for you. I how lovely.
They arrived, she created this incredible artwork and she had taken seven rocks from our land and actually integrated them as a seven chakras. So it was a chakrapet, beautiful. And it's now hanging outside by our pool. she said that she got the colors right too. And and it was, and she, she, it was, she was in, you know, we were all kind of in tears at that point because she had gone through that kind of healing journey. And for us, it's just.
creating that energetic space where people can have that ability to be somewhere to bring themselves back together again. So that's why we sometimes say to each other, well, actually, there's a place of transformation. People may not know it. We may not know, but it just has that kind of effect on people.
Jamie Mattingly (20:48)
It's beautiful.
Yeah, yeah, I'd imagine so. So we know that there's plenty of places to stay in Sedona. How have you guys carved out such a powerful presence? mean, you talked to you touched on a little bit earlier. You've got a great property, the view that you guys have, you know, you're it's just amazing. You're the highest residential level that you guys can go the personal touches you guys can add. What is it that you think has really set Eagle Dancer apart from the rest?
Huib & Iona (21:04)
Yes.
Yes. You want to go? We both probably have a lot of things to say about it, but I think one thing is that we have taken time to really determine who we are, what is our voice. So we know what that is, but how do you express that, right? So you need to know what it is before you can actually express that. So a few years ago, we actually sat down and
said, is not just what our vision or our values, you all those things we did, we did all those things, but we actually put together a philosophy that expresses who we are. So we have seven or eight different principles in our philosophy, like succinctly written down that then. Impermeates and weaves through everything that we do. And it is who we are. So it's not like we're trying to shape shift ourselves into something not that we're not, but it's.
It's always there in the background. And that then looks like a lifestyle, but it actually comes from philosophy. And then when we're our website, when we're doing everything that we do, we anchor it back into that philosophy. And the power is in that. It's a strong foundation and strong foundations are very important in business and in general. But when you're creating, it's very important because you can go in all different directions. So having that.
I feel helps us to differentiate ourselves. I'm not, I know a lot of places have values and vision and all of those things, but to have a real philosophy that everyone who works with us also knows and understands all of our therapists is sort of embedded in everything we do at a heart level. But we, we did have an edge on the market because of we are at 12 acres with our neighbors. have just two house here, our neighbor and us coming to a gate. So it's super secure.
It is just 1.2 miles from town, but when you are here, you don't know there is a town. Yes, it has these amazing, incredible views. So certain things were already given to us and it has these 20 different hiking trails off the property. Some of these things we didn't even know when we bought this, yes, that came later. But then of course we decide, well, what will give us an edge from the perspective of health and healing and wellness is say creating a full spa area.
Jamie Mattingly (23:22)
Mm-hmm.
You ⁓
Huib & Iona (23:46)
So we have a salt water pool, we have a dry sauna, cedar sauna, we have an aromatherapy steam room, we have a hydrotherapy hot tub. these things, now we're working on the salt room. So these things are setting us a little bit apart because it's then it becomes that you can actually unplug and you can relax, yes, for a full spiral. And then of course we brought the healing in and then...
We did the rooms a little different than normally people expect. We have double showers. Why do we do double showers? Because that experience, yes. That being together, that sharing stories when you just wake up under the shower. So there were certain natural things that we have been given, but then we also were thinking how to position ourselves in the market, yes. So we thought about the normal way you think about, but then
Again, the intention was always different. And I think that gives it the power. But yes, have become in six years, we become a destination within a destination. Which is interesting because right at the beginning, we talk a lot about you put it out there and then things start to coalesce around that. right at the beginning, said, wouldn't it be amazing to be a destination within a destination? And now it's actually coming to fruition, which is...
which is really wonderful and bring, and it, it takes work. takes time. takes choosing the right people to work with us. We're very particular when, who, who works with us, who does our spa area, everything. the people who work in our rooms and cleans everything, we know them personally. So we, so we've done things a little differently. We didn't hire a company to bring somebody in. actually hire the people and then we, well, we do many things for them too. So it's, it's part of who we are.
think that's what helps differentiate. And then we don't worry too much about what other people are doing. And we do, of course, we look at what our competitors, so to speak, doing. But we just, it's just information, but we keep true to ourselves. And I think that's really what differentiates anybody is staying true to yourself because that is different. Yeah, but
Jamie Mattingly (25:50)
Yeah, I think what
you said was totally nail on the head. If you're not grounded in who you are as a brand, which for you two is actually who you are as a couple, Little easier, maybe not easier, maybe that's actually harder. But talking about some of the brands that I've worked with when we sit down and we try to develop a voice, know, we're gonna handle your social media, we're gonna run your advertisements.
Who are you? What is your voice? How do you sound? What's your tone? What do you, what's your humor? What do you stand for? Like if you were a person, how would you speak? A lot of brands don't understand that. And it's so true how you said you can just kind of end up, you know, a little bit over here. But if you know who you are from the beginning, it is so much easier to do everything after that, right?
Huib & Iona (26:24)
Mm-hmm.
Ahem.
Yeah. And there were also some things that we did at that point when we started, nobody was doing it. Like for example, we filled the fridge with snacks, with different waters, with yogurt, with cereal. We gave them a very nice bottle of wine because my background is in wine. Yes. Then that actually involved to put in a dual zone wine fridge in each room with 16 different wines. can choose from.
And not like to kind of make money on that. No, at all. It's just actually basically at the cost price. Yes. So we did things that people say, oh, that's so nice. And that's different. Yes. Now people realize, oh yeah, to give away cheap bottle of wine, let's do that. And you go like, oh my God, I don't even want to drink that. I don't want to get a headache. But no, we started it from a perspective. And then when now we are thinking about what's the next thing we can do that people have not done yet. Yeah. Yes.
Jamie Mattingly (27:24)
Yeah, I know.
Yeah, so is there anything that you guys are talking about? Because I'd loved it. We've sort of touched on almost everything that I've wanted to ask you guys about because it's so fun and interesting. But I know that a place like you, you don't have to keep modernizing. That's not the point here, right? But there are always new techniques being discovered. do you guys like to experiment with new things? Are you like, yeah, let's give that a try. Or you guys like to go out and vet? You guys did say that your travels affect the way you do. You guys go out and...
Huib & Iona (27:34)
and all coming from the ideas.
Absolutely.
Jamie Mattingly (28:01)
seek experiences that you might. Okay, I'd love to hear about that. Let's talk about that.
Huib & Iona (28:04)
Absolutely. Yeah.
Well, there's, there's so much around that because we're always like, we're, we're all creative beings. So we're always curious and looking and trying to see what, what, what can we bring here? so in fact, just before we had this meeting, we were talking to a company who's local, who's just starting out. like to support local, all of our local startups and they are starting a, a luxury car service here, called Chariots. they.
Jamie Mattingly (28:25)
Bye bye.
Huib & Iona (28:31)
And so we're talking to them about how could they maybe weave like an airport pickup and a car to borrow, you know, for guests while they're here and, know, and work collaboratively. We're working collaboratively with a private chef. we're, actually looking at different things to deepen the richness of the experience for our guests. Because we do get feedback, for example, with the cars, we often get feedback that then people come arrive at the airport, they need to pick up the car. It's always a hassle. It's
They are always late because of that and all the other things, or they get the wrong car and all these kinds of things. And we said, well, what if we pick them up and then when they arrive here, a car is just parked in their private parking spot. And it's all ready to go. And all the cables for your phone is already in there and a little water and a little like, know, simple things like that. So we always think like, well, how can we make this even a more kind of an experience? Yes.
And of course, these things can only happen in the luxury sector. Yes. That's why we are there. it, it, it, for people who want to experience that, they know you have had an anniversary or birthday, people do want that experience and everybody can afford it in that way. Yes. We're not outpriced, but it just thinks that, that, makes life interesting. People will say, that is so nice. I've never experienced that in such a way. You know, this gets us excited.
No, it's wonderful. then like the private chef and then adding wellness to the mix. we obviously recommend local restaurants and all of that here. again, it's all. one of the things that we realized as we were going through this process of understanding who we are in, let's say in hospitality terms, we're quiet luxury, like that quiet luxury feel. And so things like the chauffeur service just fit right into that quiet luxury.
but with a heart, local people doing this new business. So it's bringing those elements in and thinking at them on multiple different levels. So we're continually looking and seeing and understanding what we can do. Even like with food, yes, things are changing right now. So we were lately talking like, what kind of snacks should we put in the fridge right now? And, you know, like we were just looking at things, yes, because we all like, and some people just like to have a kind of different experience, yes.
Jamie Mattingly (30:38)
Yeah.
Huib & Iona (30:44)
And so we are trying to be a little different in that way.
Jamie Mattingly (30:47)
It sounds like you guys have a lot of fun doing this kind of stuff, where I know is a lot of resort owners can be a little stressed out. How do you guys manage holding space for your guests and providing these experiences while keeping healthy boundaries for yourselves as a couple and as you know, work is work, play is play or do you guys not see a blend? You love this stuff so much. It's just like.
Huib & Iona (30:51)
That's creative.
You
Jamie Mattingly (31:12)
Or is it you know, it's being your
travel, you know, how do you guys make sure you're also taking time for yourselves?
Huib & Iona (31:18)
Yeah, well, healthy boundaries is a way of being sensitive to the other person, yes. So not overwhelming when you feel that they need their space, giving some more attention when you feel they would like to interact. So we are always open. We were responding to the needs of guests. That's how we are, yes. It's a call and then we respond.
And then we wait and then see what is the response from them. Yes. So I don't think there's like, like, we're not concerned about like, ourself in that way, because it's a joyous process. It's a giving and receiving what is almost one in nature. And, and, and we're, we're, we, we mix, I mean, like you said, it's a joy to do it all. So it's not exactly like work and we do plan. We love to travel too. And that's.
And so we will plan travels and trips here and there while we're and then we like to explore Sedona, just be like tourists in Sedona so we can learn more what's going on here as well. So and we're very good. have our own our own spiritual practices, our own meditations, our own things that we do for ourselves, for, you know, to stay balanced. You know, things can get stressful sometimes or, you know, you have a lot of people come, you know, a lot of things can be going on at the same time.
So it's, we do do things for ourselves. We take massages, we take care of ourselves in the process. Self-care is very important, especially when you're interacting with people, you don't know how they're gonna be when they arrive or maybe they come and things have gone wrong all the way till they got here and now they're a little agitated. So we need to be that sort of strength when they're here to say, know, everything's gonna be fine, you know, don't worry about it. So we need to be in a good state.
to be able to be that for our guests. So we do take good care of ourselves. yeah, yeah. Absolutely. And we are lucky. We have all these therapists on town who work at our place. And so it's very easy. Like we were just talking today, they say, well, maybe Friday is the day to get a little massage. And say, yeah, let's try this one and let's try that one. And, know, and that, that of course, yeah, that, that, that, that helps. And of course we always have good wine on, on, on the stash.
Jamie Mattingly (33:14)
Yes.
That is one of the perks of the job. Very smart, very smart. Yes.
You heard it first folks, good therapy and good wine and good views. Add that in there. Now I didn't actually put this in the show overview and so if you guys don't have the answers to this one, no problem. But I am more curious because I am on my own spiritual journey. I would say over the last five months, I have just cannonballed into this world and
Huib & Iona (33:28)
Yep. Yes. A lot of love.
Yes.
Jamie Mattingly (33:48)
I was raised by a mom who is very spiritual in her own way. so I'm, that's I love that I got to connect with you guys today. And I was mentioning how I just learned that Sedona is known as the vortex capital of the world, maybe? Can you guys tell me what that's all about? And have you personally gone to these sites and experienced anything like that?
Huib & Iona (33:56)
Thank you.
You
Yeah, well, I think if I can say a couple of things first. Sedona is known in the world as a place of healing and people from all over the world come here to heal. And there's many different kinds of healing modality out here, some not as good. So that's why it's important to be discerning. Yes, because there's also the New Age Festival here that you can like...
get lost in. So Sedona you can say is one big vortex and then yes there are places here in Sedona that are specifically identified as a vortex on the feminine side or on the masculine side and so you can go to these places like where we are, Eagle Dancer Resort, is actually
In a vortex mean, even thanks way how you see how we're laid out with Sugarloaf behind us, Thunder Mountain, Eagle Rock, [inaudible] It's like we are being held in such a vortex. It's like you can get spinning. Sometimes people say I'm a little lightheaded the first few hours they are here, right? Because there's a lot of energy. There's a lot of energy. Yes. But now if you just allow that to do its work, then you're going to be happy, relaxed.
peaceful. So that's one aspect and you can talk to some of the other sectors of Sedona. And one of the things about vortex is a way to understand them is where the veil is thinner between heaven and earth. It's just way to think about it. you're more, and so there are specific areas on the planet and often they're defined by ley lines and they are all over. It's like mother earth's nervous system, if you will. And so this is a very...
strong place for that. And you can often see it. have trees on property that are juniper trees and everything around is just normal. And this one just is twisted like this. that you and like a vortex. It's a vortex. goes and that's the energy is over the years. And so if you're sitting in that place and you feel it off in your hands or in your body, that there's there is that tingling. There's a certain some people feel it. Some people don't. And that's fine. But there is a certain energy.
And so that's why we encourage we created a terrace where people could just sit in stillness in quiet and just tune in to that energy. And and by the time they're leaving, they're often have become sensitized to that. And and all of Sedona is like that. But there are definitely specific places where you can go to really immerse yourself in that. a matter of fact, what I was talking about, these terrors, what we build, actually build red
right next to the vortex. There was a tree, a very old, 200 years old juniper and all twisted. And we know there's a vortex. We could really feel it. And we had actually a lady coming from where she was dousing everything. she identified, we just want to double check, yes, with a dowser where all these kinds of things were on our property. And so we built the terrace, what is an incredible view of the red rocks and...
other things next to that vortex just to kind of have people experience that. So again, it doesn't matter if you are consciously aware of it, it still has an effect. Like the sun, you may not realize that the sun is actually feeding your body, it does. Now you become aware of it, of course you can work with it, but it still has a very positive effect and that's what's happening right here.
Jamie Mattingly (37:29)
Yeah, yeah, I believe it.
Yeah, and I have to imagine most of the people that end up at your resort are at least open. Maybe they don't feel it right away, but like you had mentioned, probably by the end they are like, I get it. I get it.
Huib & Iona (37:51)
Yeah. Certain people will just
want to explore it. say, I want to put myself subject to this kind of experience. And then, in a whole new world like you right now, your world is opening up. Yes. Why? Because you're open. Say, I want to know more about it. And then you will choose accordingly. Yeah. Say, I want to go there. I want to experience it. Let's see what happens.
Jamie Mattingly (38:13)
Yeah, well, you know, as we know, nothing happens by chance, you know, little synchronicities. And I always tell my mom to help me out and send me signs. And next thing I know, I'm on a podcast with Eagle Dancer Resort. So I've got family out in Scottsdale. I can make a trip across the country. ⁓
Huib & Iona (38:26)
Yeah.
Absolutely.
I mean, you see, once you come here, all the things you have said, you will say, my God, I actually had that experience. So, you know, it's beautiful. Exactly. Yes. Yes. And then you get activated. Come, come. Yeah.
Jamie Mattingly (38:43)
It's like a cheat code. just want to go there and feel it already, you know? It's too dense where I'm at. I need the vortex. I need the thin veil. ⁓ I mean, although we could argue,
you know, I am in paradise, but I don't know about any vortexes here. I'm going to have to look that up. All right. I just got one final question for you. This is more of a fun question. If you guys could curate a single perfect day for a guest or for a couple, something that really embodies
Huib & Iona (39:02)
Absolutely.
Jamie Mattingly (39:11)
Eagle Dancer Resort, what would it include?
Huib & Iona (39:15)
That's a great question. Well, just imagine waking up in the morning, no alarm, just wake up because you feel like it's time to wake up and you open your open your automated shades and it comes up and you've just got these beautiful views of the red rocks unobstructed. Make a cup of coffee, go out into the balcony, sit, take them in. Then next thing would be to
be met by Rebecca, our yoga instructor, who takes you down to the terrace for a morning yoga, a morning yoga session, followed by a coming back to the room and getting ready, maybe going out for a little lunch in town, coming back, having a massage or a reiki session with one of our therapists, then spending the afternoon in the spa, go to the sauna.
the steam room, the aromatherapy steam room, and maybe a swim in the saltwater pool. And then after that, maybe before dinner, you take a shower and then have a soulful sound bath at sunset on the terrace with Victoria and playing all the sound bowls, the crystal bowls, the gongs, all of it. And then making your way to dinner down at one of the most beautiful restaurants, which are just
a few minutes away or even Chef David preparing a meal that you can have sitting out on your terrace in the evening with a beautiful bottle of wine as selected by our sommelier here who can find the greatest, know, followed by sitting out on your deck with the fire pit on and watching the stars because we have dark skies here. seeing all the stars, seeing some shooting stars probably at the night. Some people in New York, they start to cry.
my God, we have so many stars. know, suddenly the world opens up to you, yes. And then like snuggle back down in bed near nice comfy sheets, beautiful sheets. And because we, the mattresses we chose, we chose them very intentionally so that they're super comfortable, great. And have a really good night's sleep and do it all again the next day. Yeah. Well, first of all, wake up refreshed and wake up saying, wow.
Jamie Mattingly (41:20)
wake up and do it all again. And in fact,
Huib & Iona (41:26)
How nice to let the day unfold a little bit. Yes. Sometimes you don't need to have a necessary schedule. You just say, what do I feel? Why I feel like this today? Okay, here it is. And then what do I feel going to town and have a little pizza? Okay. And then come back and let's take a little dip in the pool. And then let's just lay on these beautiful lounges and just let's read a little bit. Let's have a good conversation. You know, like that.
Jamie Mattingly (41:57)
I love that. I love that. Well, I know that I'm going to be out there soon. I am booking a stay for sure. For the listeners who are interested and would like to learn more, how do they follow along? How do they book their stay? What should they do to get a hold of you guys?
Huib & Iona (41:59)
It's a natural flow. Let us know.
Yeah, well, the easiest and the fastest way is our website. So it's eagledancersodona.com. So on there you get all of our contact details. Even if you just want to send us a note that way, you can send us a note. We get it. And our co-hosts get it too. So we're always very responsive and we're happy to share. Like we're, very sharing people. We, we, you know, people have questions if they're running their own business and doing that, we're happy to share information that way too. And we have a whole booking site so people can easily book.
online with us on our website as well. Yeah and then people can follow us on Instagram or TikTok or Facebook or YouTube. Yeah our Instagram is fun we have a great social media guy. What is the Instagram name? Eagle Dancer Sedona is our Instagram.
Jamie Mattingly (42:47)
Which I highly recommend.
Yes, no, you guys because everyone
everyone listening has this the conversation was great. You have to see the property to really understand the effect that this property will have on on people. I want to thank you guys again so much for sharing your journey and the energy behind Eagle Dancer Resort. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe for more conversations on purpose driven travel, conscious hospitality and creating spaces that matter.
Huib & Iona (43:08)
Absolutely.
Jamie Mattingly (43:22)
If you know someone who would make a great guest, please visit devallstreetmedia.com and connect with us. And remember, the best travel doesn't just take us somewhere new, it helps us return to ourselves. Until next time, keep exploring, keep creating, and keep making impact. Safe travels. Thank you guys.