A sixth sense for business
Interview | Laura Latham Sonu Shivdasani is the man behind the sector-dominating Six Senses spas and resorts. As he expands his already successful brand with a planned opening in Jordan, Voyager finds out what makes him tick YOU WOULDN’T INSTANTLY identify Sonu Shivdasani as one of the world’s most successful business people. As we chat [...]
Interview | Laura Latham
Sonu Shivdasani is the man behind the sector-dominating Six Senses spas and resorts. As he expands his already successful brand with a planned opening in Jordan,
Voyager finds out what makes him tick
YOU WOULDN’T INSTANTLY identify Sonu Shivdasani as one of the world’s most successful business people. As we chat in the library of Bangkok’s Eugenia Hotel, the man sitting with me is slight of build and affable of demeanour. His casual appearance and cups of green tea don’t mark him out as someone who created a $100m resort business within just a decade.
Shivdasani, 41, may have started the Six Senses spa and resort brand from scratch, but the Indian-born, Eton- and Oxford-educated entrepreneur comes
from a successful and wealthy family. The family were for a long-time stalwarts of the Sunday Times Rich List, though the variousinterests in oil, finance, tea plantations and breweries have now been split up between different family members or sold. When Shivdasani was growing up, his father owned an oil firm and a Swiss bank. His wife and business partner, Eva, is a former Vogue model, and he’s always moved in illustrious social circles, counting among his friends the likes of Conservative leader David Cameron, with whom he was at Eton, and he met Eva at a glittering Grand Prix party in Monaco, leasing her a private island in the Maldives as a courtship gift.
All of which means he understands his market well. Six Senses may have strong eco credentials and trade under a holistic banner, but it’s a luxury brand. Today it
encompasses not only quality spas at top hotels across the globe but residential properties and five resort brands: Evason, Hideaways, Latitudes, the zero-carbon
Foreva and the super-luxury Soneva.
All of which means he understands his market well. Six Senses may have strong eco credentials and trade under a holistic banner, but it’s a luxury brand. Today it
encompasses not only quality spas at top hotels across the globe but residential properties and five resort brands: Evason, Hideaways, Latitudes, the zero-carbon
Foreva and the super-luxury Soneva.
These are all aimed at a high-end market, with the money-no-object Soneva resorts counting Madonna, Sir Philip Green and Roman Abramovich among their
fans. It’s all part of what Shivdasani terms “intelligent luxury” – quality surroundings for clients used to high standards. “Today’s wealthy individuals want space and privacy when they travel,” he says. “They want to be close to nature and have experiences. Six Senses is about offering innovation in an authentic environment.”
Shivdasani has avoided traditional resort areas and sought to put his brand into new markets. The newest hotel and spa in his empire will be the 94-room Evason Ma’In in Jordan, due to open next February. Situated near dramatic, natural springs about an hour from Amman, it’s on the site of a former hotel complex that has been painstakingly renovated. Like all Six Senses products, the resort will offer the best quality furnishings, services and amenities that money can buy, including a wine cellar, cigar bar and, of course, a state-of-the-art spa.
“Jordan is more Six Senses in atmosphere than somewhere like Dubai,” says Shivdasani, “It’s not Middle East meets Las Vegas, for example, and you have the opportunity to enjoy a more in-depth experience. Ma’In is a fantastic destination with wonderful local culture and it’s a calming and healing place, so it’s ideal for our company.”
For Shivdasani the holistic and environmental ethos are central to his brand. His resorts are built in local styles, using sustainable materials, and they offer organic menus and alternative therapies. It’s back to basics – but with a twist. So there’s a personal butler thrown in and if you want rare wines, a private pool or genuine Iberian ham, you can get those too. He may prioritise environmental responsibility , but he also knows exactly what his customers want. That’s why Six Senses has grown in such a short time from one resort on a private island in the Maldives to 21 resorts in seven countries, and more than 20 individual spas as far afield as Crete and Phuket. And not only has the interest in health and wellbeing pushed the destination spa sector to the forefront of the leisure industry, but the rise of the super-wealthy has kept it there.
alt="Beautiful and unforgettable, the Six Senses spa pool in Jordan">
“When we opened our first spa in 1997 it was something that differentiated us from other brands,” says its founder and chief executive, “but it was unusual then and difficult to generate any interest or enthusiasm for the concept.” He explains that, in its first year, the spa on Soneva Fushi took around $20,000, which was merely 10% of the revenue the resort’s dive school generated. In contrast, this year it took twice the income of the dive school – more than $800,000.
He understands that as more resort brands offer higher quality the goal posts have moved. “Destination spas used to be a differentiator in the leisure industry; now they are a qualifier. It’s the same with designer hotels, having a top architect or designer involved in a resort was unusual around 10 years ago; now everyone needs one.”
So he’s offering increasingly niche products and services aimed at high earners, trading on the company’senvironmental credentials, the holistic aspects of its spa
treatments and offering a package of experiences. At Ma’In, for example, there will be hikes into the surrounding landscapes, unique spa therapies and guided visits to important religious and historic sites. “People want experiences these days,” says Shivdasani. “They don’t just want a bed by a beach.”
The figures speak for themselves, with room rates starting at $150 per night and soaring to more than $5,000, depending on which resort you select. Six Senses
currently gets a healthy 30% of its business from return guests – which should help to cushion the company as a global downturn threatens to take hold.
Having pitched his brand at the affluent consumer, Shivdasani claims he hasn’t noticed a huge drop in guest numbers. “The high end isn’t suffering. In fact, we saw
15% more revenue over the past year,” he declares. “The Hideaways brand is doing well, though we had a low June.
“We offer a perishable product; it’s not like buying a pair of shoes where you might make them last. People need to keep replenishing their holidays and our customers value time off and do what they can to make the most of it.”
Shivdasani’s confidence translates into a string of planned openings, with a new spa in the Pan Peninsula in London’s Docklands next February and further moves
into the European and South American market. Is he worried he’ll lose his grip on the brand? “As a team we’re not interested in growth for growth’s sake,” he explains. “Getting bigger faster doesn’t necessarily benefit a company. I’ve decided to grow the business in clusters, with five to 10 resorts in each global sector. I’m also only really interested in bringing resorts to places where we can add value, such as Brazil or Jordan.”
alt="Shivdasani relaxes with his wife, Swedishborn former model Eva">
His focus is currently on creating a unique image for each resort that echoes the influences of its surroundings and to employ staff predominantly from local communities. “Part of the appeal of staying with us is the immersion in local culture,” he says. “It’s difficult to generate the same pride with guest workers.”
Shivdasani’s enthusiasm inspires loyalty not just from his guests, many of whom know him and Eva by name, but also his staff. They appear to regard Six Senses as a company worth sticking with and one they enjoy working for.
“That’s what’s really important to me,” he says. “You can have the physical product, but it’s the people that make it work and it’s important to inspire and motivate them. I’m still enjoying what I do and it’s getting more exciting.” www.sixsenses.com
