Q&A Neil Jacobs

Q&A Neil Jacobs
CEO Six Senses Hotels, Resorts and Spas

Neil Jacobs is CEO of Six Senses Hotels Resorts and Spas. The Bangkok-based company which started with nine managed hotels under the Six Senses and Evason brands founded by  Sonu Shivdasani  was acquired in April 2012 by the US-based private equity fund manager Pegasus Capital Advisors.  Since then Six Senses has become a major resort player that nevertheless retains the essence of the eco-friendly, wellness-inspired original. The energetic and inspirational Jacobs is a man who does things differently: along side the discipline and business sense that working with major hotel brands  (Four Seasons, Starwood) has taught him comes a genuine wish to push the envelope, to create something new. In his Bangkok-based office he's thrown away his desk and his chair and now works in what he calls 'the pit' in the middle of the office to encourage collaboration and a free exchange of fresh ideas with like-minded colleagues.  So far it seems to be working. Six Senses Hotels, resorts and spas has undergone a significant expansion and revamping. It has opened new resorts in Asia, most recently in China, and Europe (Portugal).  Now on the horizon are the Seychelles (October 2016), Fiji (2017) and the much anticipated lodges in Bhutan (2017).  

You have a number of new hotels in the pipeline, including expansion into the Caribbean and South America. Can you tell us a little about that?
We're focused on different parts of the world, not only in the Americas. European cities and resorts, more in the Middle East and Africa. The new hotel frontier.

What is coming up in 2016 and 2017? 
We open in the Seychelles in October 2016, In Fiji on Malolo Island in 2017 and also five new lodges in Bhutan. Bhutan is one of those places in the world that is very special indeed, our lodges are in spectacular locations  with a very real spirit of place, each designed to fit  the environment around it. Spa-wise we're doing something a little different with just two signature treatments in each lodge, each created to echo what is going on in that particular lodge so guests can go on a 'wellness journey' as well as a physical one.

When we think about giving our guests a good night's sleep we don't just mean the mattress (although the ones we are developing are organic, made in Devon and pretty special). Our new personalised sleep programs have been developed through research from doctors and academics and include everything from white noise, to lighting  and how your day effects your night.

I also road- tested a new massage with meat-cleavers as a local Taipei option but my colleagues gave that the thumbs down!