Susie Arnett, Director of Wellness Programming at Six Senses, shared with our reporter how she’s redefining luxury wellness by blending science, sustainability, and soulful guest experiences. From programming 27 global resorts to curating hormone health retreats and plastic-free kitchens, she’s creating spaces where guests leave truly transformed.
Q – Can you take us through your day-to-day responsibilities as the Director of Wellness Programming at Six Senses?
A – Six Senses is a special brand in that we take our pioneering spirit to heart. When it comes to wellness and sustainability, we are continuously innovating and exploring, in order to design programs and experiences that meet our guests’ most important needs and wants.
This task takes an entire team as we have 27 properties to program so I am lucky enough to be part of our Corporate Wellness team where as a group we are continuously brainstorming and developing new initiatives, ideas and programs.
In my role as Director of Wellness Programming at Six Senses, I am constantly reviewing the literature to see what advancements are being discovered in health and wellness that we might apply to our wellness programs.
Susie Arnett
Director of Wellness Programming, Six Senses
Also, I came to the brand with a very large network of health and wellness thought leaders, who are a combination of scientists, influencers, and athletes. I oversee our partnerships and retreats business, which means that I leverage my network to bring brand-aligned personalities to Six Senses both behind my scenes in our development work as well as in the role of retreat leader.
Also, I work with everything from small groups of solo women travelers to luxury festival brands and everything in between to design experiences and programs that take the best of what we offer on property and match it up with the travel intentions of our groups. For some, it’s cultivating mindfulness and self-love, for others it’s celebration and connection. It’s really fun to get to dream with my retreat organizers about what would be the most amazing experience possible!
Q – What is the core philosophy behind Six Senses’ approach to wellness, and how does it differ from other luxury hotel brands?
A – Our core philosophy emerges out of the intersection of both evidence-based science and local, indigenous healing modalities. We do love our biohacking technology because we know that tools like compression, red light, and hot/cold therapies work. But we also tap into local healing modalities that are deeply rooted in the destinations where we are. I believe it’s this combination that is part of our uniqueness.
Everyone is looking for their “unique sales proposition” and I believe ours is a combination of three elements: 1) the pioneering wellness that we offer that exists within 2) the physical container of beauty of our resorts and hand-picked locations and 3) the warmth that guests feel from what our CEO, Neil Jacobs, calls our emotional hospitality.
All luxury resorts have the physical beauty and a lot of them also have wonderful spa and wellness. But I believe few have the warmth and emotional hospitality that you find at Six Senses. It’s a vibe that was born out of our origins of barefoot luxury in Asia and continues today in Europe and the Middle East where you’ll find unparalleled food and beverage for example in combination with a human touch and a sincere smile. And we still do offer barefoot walks at some of our properties, where possible.
Q – Beyond traditional spa treatments, how do ancillary wellness services-such as fitness programmes, nutrition guidance, or mindfulness activities-enhance the overall guest experience at Six Senses?
A – Although we do have a world-class spa, we offer so much more. Our Eat with Six Senses program which underlines all our food and beverage, like our specially designed menus for our wellness programs, brings a nutritionist’s mind to a chef’s table. When you’re eating at Six Senses, all your food is coming from a plastic free kitchen. That means no plastic wrap, no plastic containers, no plastic cookware, for example. This means no microplastics in your food so none in your body. I don’t know of another brand who holds their kitchens and their properties to such high standards.
And each property offers a range of bespoke, personalized wellness programs that are designed with the needs of the individual guest in mind. We believe that this unique menu of offerings enhances the guest experience. Additionally, we offer sound healing and fire ceremonies for example at many of our properties to invite guests to tap into their elemental nature. We find guests love these out of the ordinary experiences because these moments can lead to deep connections to themselves, each other and nature that are truly memorable.
I’ve heard from many guests that they do arrive home feeling better after their Six Senses holiday, as opposed to needing a vacation after their vacation from over-indulging. Because of our mindful approach to guest experience, menu design, and wellness offerings, our guests often comment that they do return home refreshed.
Q – Can you share some unique wellness initiatives that guests look forward to at Six Senses?
A – We are currently in the process of launching some new wellness programs and the first one out of the gate is our Female Wellness Program, which offers a powerful and unique formula for learning about and addressing hormonal shifts.
My focus is on group retreats and I’ve seen how the interest in gathering with like-minded folks as well as friends and family is growing. Whether it’s a group of solo women travelers learning how to surf in Fiji or followers of the New York Times bestselling author of Ikigai coming together in Istanbul, we offer a range of hand-picked, artisanal retreats that appeal to a wide range of guests.
Our retreats offer guests an opportunity to dive deep with some of the world’s most respected experts and both learn something new as well as connect more deeply to themselves. Doing that in the container of one of our Six Senses resorts makes the experience even more memorable.
Q – What key metrics or guest feedback mechanisms do you use to measure the success of your wellness programmes in terms of guest satisfaction and ancillary revenue?
A – There are two types of surveys that we use to measure the success of our wellness programs. There is the survey of the guest, of course, and her self-reported experience. Because of our personalized support, we stay connected to each guest’s experience throughout her journey so we’re clear on what’s working and what is not working.
Secondarily, we also are tracking the feedback about our practitioners and experts. Not only are we interested in whether the guest had a good experience. We also want to know if our hosts are having a positive experience working with any providers of our wellness programs. It needs to be a win-win on both sides of the coin.
Q – What do you see as the future of wellness in the hotel industry, and how is Six Senses preparing for emerging trends in this space?
A – I don’t have a crystal ball and these are my personal opinions but I do see a few different threads. One is that hotels are offering more in-depth health offerings. In the United States, our healthcare system has taken a hit with trust at an all-time low. In the case of health issues which may have a lifestyle component, luxury hospitality is able to provide, similar to concierge medicine, a more personalized and innovative approach cutting-edge diagnostics, functional medicine doctors, and services that you cannot find at your primary care’s office.
At the same time, I see people really wanting to get away from technology and back to a more natural way of being, if even for a week. Digital detox is growing in popularity as people are trying to escape their phones, their screens, and their schedules and are searching for a totally analog holiday. With life so deeply connected, disconnecting is a luxury.
I’ve read research too about the future of leisure time and how that may impact the hotel industry. If AI does take a lot of jobs, people will have a lot more free time and the role of hotels may evolve to meet that by becoming a combination of educational centers, healthcare clinics, and retreat centers.
As far as the future of Six Senses, everything we do has the guest at the heart of our design. No matter how much the world changes, our guests are still humans looking for beauty, ways to destress, and ways to connect with themselves, each other and the world around them. We aim to always be there to support them in these very human needs as best we can.