InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced today that it has acquired Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas.

IHG purchased the luxury hospitality and wellness company from private equity fund Pegasus Capital Advisors for $300 million (US). The sale includes the management of 16 hotels and resorts, 37 spas, and sister companies Evason and Raison d’Etre. Following the acquisition, Six Senses is expected to grow to 60 hotels within the next 10 years.

“This is an exciting new era for Six Senses,” said CEO Neil Jacobs. “IHG believes in our purpose to merge the two platforms of wellness and sustainability to promote personal health, and the health of the planet. Joining forces with IHG means we can use a wealth of systems and operational excellence to grow our brand and reach new markets without losing our quirky personality and playful touch. It’s been a great pleasure to work with Pegasus over the last six years and we would never have reached this milestone without their vision and deep involvement.”

Six Senses joins IHG’s growing number of luxury brands including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Regent Hotels & Resorts, and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.

IHG’s chief executive Keith Barr said, “IHG’s growing portfolio of luxury brands is a collection of the very best in the travel industry. Each one offers something unique to our guests, and together they offer an unparalleled choice of locations and experiences. We’re incredibly proud to welcome Six Senses to our family of brands and look forward to opening more stunning hotels, resorts and spas—each one staying true to Six Senses’ world-renowned reputation for wellness and an unwavering commitment to purposeful travel.”

While Six Senses first properties were on remote beaches and tropical hideaways, the brand’s wellness-centric model has proven adaptable, not formulaic. Today, its portfolio includes diverse properties such as a 19th century quinta (wine estate) in the UNESCO heritage-listed Douro Valley in Portugal and two sister hotels in Singapore’s Chinatown.

In the next 12 months, the brand will open properties in surprising locations around the world. These locations include:

• the private island of Krabey in Cambodia;
• a circuit of five lodges in Bhutan;
• a 14th-century-old restored fort in Rajasthan;
• a desert hideaway in Israel’s Negev Desert;
• a series of transformed 19th-century mansions in Istanbul;
• and the group’s first project in North America, a contemporary duo of twisting towers designed by Bjarke Ingles in Manhattan’s West Chelsea neighbourhood.

Additional projects are currently underway in Austria, Brazil, Mainland China, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand.

“Six Senses’ attractive development pipeline provides us with a platform for high-quality growth,” said Barr. “With the power of the IHG enterprise, we believe we can expand Six Senses to more than 60 properties globally over the next decade. This acquisition continues the progress we’ve made against the strategic initiatives we outlined a year ago, which included a commitment to adding new brands in the fast-growing $60 billion luxury segment.”