Neil Jacobs has worked for Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas for over 13 years Credit: Neil Jacobs

Neil Jacobs, has revealed the launch of a new business called Wild Origins as he steps back from his role as CEO of Six Senses after more than 13 years.

"I'm stepping away from leadership of the company and setting out on a new adventure," Jacobs explained. "It's a moment filled with many emotions — pride in what we’ve built, gratitude for those I’ve worked alongside, and excitement for what’s ahead.

"Some might assume stepping down means slowing down or retiring," he continued. "That road is not for me and I’ll soon be announcing a new venture, one that feels like a return to my own wild origins. A chance to explore fresh ideas, challenge assumptions, and collaborate with kindred spirits who believe, as I do, that hospitality can be a force for good."

Wild Origins will provide consultancy services that range from strategic advisory, brand and marketing development to financial and operational assessments. It will also provide sustainability planning and execution, concept development and pre-opening strategy advice.

Partners seeking expansion advice already include Capella Hotels and Resorts and Desa Potato Head Family.

"Wild Origins is a chance to explore fresh ideas, challenge assumptions and collaborate with kindred spirits who believe – as I do – that hospitality can be a force for good," Jacobs added.

Jacobs spent 14 years at Four Seasons and four years at Starwood Capital, where he worked closely on the Baccarat and 1Hotel brands, before joining the team at Pegasus Capital Advisors that bought Six Senses in 2012 and sold it to IHG in 2019.

At that point the company operated 10 resorts and spas under the Six Senses and Evason brands, as well as 18 standalone Six Senses Spas in other third party branded properties around the world.

Jacobs went on to shape the business by leading the expansion of the brand at urban locations, boutique lodges, resorts and hotels globally – not wanting the business to be pigeon-holed as just a resort operator, but rather to be seen as a global, sustainable wellness and hotel company.

The company, which was acquired for US$300 million (€261 million, £223,000) by IHG Hotels and Resorts in 2019, now has 27 hotels and resorts in operation and 38 more in the pipeline, with 12 residential developments also in the works and a valuation in the billions.

In a recent profile, Jacobs told Spa Business he wanted to be part of an industry-wide movement to broaden the reach of spa and wellness programming to reach a wider audience, including those who are less able to experience ultra luxury.

Six Senses Spa

Jacobs is also responsible for convincing industry leader Anna Bjurstam (known for co-founding the Raison d’Etre spa consultancy) to join him at the company and to work on concepts and initiatives for Six Senses around the world. Bjurstam remains the wellness pioneer for the brand.

He also sought to streamline spa services, consolidating treatments and catering to the mix of guests at each property (locals wanting elevated treatments and visitors wanting authentic rituals). He focused on social wellbeing at the brand’s properties, capitalising on pursuits local to each property and offering guests group packages that encompass a range of activities.

Six Senses has had a Wellness Innovation Team that researches and creates content and design, to keep its offering up to date. For example, longevity services such as biohacking, cryotherapy, infrared saunas and extensive wet circuits have been added to properties operated by the brand, while female health and spiritual wellness have also featured.

In 2022 he announced a new club concept called Six Senses Place that would be introduced at certain urban properties to allow local residents and guests of the brand’s destination resorts to continue their wellness journeys when they get back home. The new social clubs will have spaces for meeting, eating, treating or healing (in wellness spaces). The first one will open at Six Senses London, UK, which is expected to launch towards the end of this year.

Service and design

Jacobs has led the company’s approach to service, introducing ‘emotional hospitality’ to the operations at all properties, prioritising meaningful moments for guests and offering them authentic experiences – while staying true to the brand’s “fun and quirky” core brand value.

Eco-friendly practices and sustainability became a key focus for the operations and design at Six Senses on Jacobs’ watch, ushering in a more modern feel to the portfolio of hotels with the help of Jeff Smith, VP of sustainability, and his team.

In 2017, the company launched an Earth Lab at every property to showcase the measurable impacts each location had in terms of reducing consumption, producing locally and supporting communities and ecosystems. Each resort also allocates 0.5 per cent of total hotel revenue from guest bookings to a Sustainability Fund that goes towards measurable initiatives outside the company.

Jacobs said: "Equally important is the benefit of developments to local communities and ecosystems, requiring resorts to operate in harmony with the natural world, while investing in initiatives such as zero-waste and plastic-free – always with the purpose of allowing guests to reconnect with themselves, others and the world around them."