Neil Jacobs’ background at Starwood Capital Group, leading the development of Baccarat Hotels and 1 Hotels, and his 14 years with Four Seasons has set him up for his role as CEO of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas. He’s determined for the eco-resort brand to serve a larger purpose, with environmental impact top of mind. Combining his passion for sustainability, innovative design, and experiential travel, under Jacobs’ leadership, the luxury brand is redefining hospitality through a wellness lens.
A community-oriented approach
Wellness and sustainability are no longer mere afterthoughts, having morphed into one comprehensive term. These interchangeable ideas are a hallmark of Six Senses. “We don’t talk about things that hotel companies talk about, but we do talk about connection and reconnection. And we also talk about community, because we think that’s what’s missing in our world today.” Jacobs says Six Senses is marrying wellness with community by operating their own thinktank, which “is coming up with new initiatives all the time.” In fact, Jacobs’ team is beta testing a holistic anti-aging center in its Kaplankaya, Turkey project.
Translating wellness into design
By researching neuroscience’s influence on wellness, Jacobs has made incremental changes with the brand (think meditation rooms or soothing water elements in guestrooms). For example, to build the Six Senses Duxton in the heart of Singapore, Jacobs transformed eight historic shophouses into a 48-room property with “absolutely no facilities,” he says. “There’s a bar, a restaurant, and a lounge, but there’s no spa.” In its place, a lounge next to the reception desk was converted into the home for a Chinese doctor who meets guests at check in for a consultation. “You can do wellness [anywhere],” he confirms.
A trillion-dollar industry
The nearly $4.2 trillion wellness industry has grown 13 percent in the last two years—twice as fast as global economic growth. The largest segments are wellness real estate and wellness communities, with nearly 700 going up around the world. Here, multigenerational environments, hospitals, clubs, and retail are “being built around tremendous philosophies of wellness.” Jacobs is building one such village (with 2,000 residences, two hotels, a club, and a wellness center). This type of overarching design “has always resonated with the group and with me personally,” he points out. “We are in the right place at the right time, with the right product to take us forward.”
Photos by Joan Guillamat and courtesy of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas
