Neil Jacobs, who left Six Senses on July 1 after 13 years as CEO, has wasted no time in forming a new venture. His advisory, Wild Origins, aims to help hospitality brands "redefine sustainable and experiential travel."
Jacobs, an ex-Four Seasons executive and former president of Starwood Capital Group during the period that Baccarat and 1 Hotel were formulated, has already signed clients, including Capella Hotel Group (as senior strategic advisor) and Desa Potato Head (as advisor), in addition to multiple projects in Saudi Arabia.
A press release describes Wild Origins as "a purpose-driven advisory collective and creative studio … to awaken new ways of thinking across hospitality, wellness, sustainable development and lifestyle … guided by values and instinct over trends and industry norms."
Although he left Six Senses on July 1, Jacobs had tendered his resignation in January, "so it's been a very long, drawn-out departure" that had "given me a bit of breathing room to think about what comes next," he said in an interview.
In addition to helping Capella devise a strategic plan, Jacobs said he's involved in helping them find a new CEO.
Desa Potato Head began as a beach club in Ibiza and now has two hotels in Bali. "It's been a huge success," he said.
"What attracted me is their sustainability piece, which they do very, very well. Six Senses is all about sustainability, but these guys do it equally well, if not, sometimes, a bit better.
"I'm going to help them expand into Europe, into Central America," he continued. "It's a perfect brand for, say, Tulum or somewhere like that. We're working on a couple of new projects to try and take the brand global."
Jacobs said he's also involved in several projects in Saudi Arabia. "I'm sitting on the board of what will be an extraordinary learning institution: the Riyadh School of Tourism and Hospitality. It'll take 15,000-20,000 students.
"Probably half will be virtual. Saudi needs it to be sure there are enough Saudi nationals to do a big part of the work. It'll train people from entry level to MBA."
Jacobs said he's on another Saudi board, Tourise, which he described as an event a bit like the International Luxury Travel Market.
"Everyone here says, 'Yeah, who's going to go?' Well, it's going to take a while," he said.