What if the best GM for a wellness-led hotel isn’t a hotelier at all?

Hylton Lipkin didn’t follow the typical path. He started in fitness, became a spa director, then got “kicked” into roles like housekeeping and sales, before eventually leading entire hotels and now 10 wellness cruise boats in Vietnam.

His journey reveals how wellness leaders can lead entire properties, but only if they’re willing to leave the comfort of the spa.

My boutique hotel clients often ask me to recommend a strong wellness director to take on the General Manager role of their hotel.

They are clear that they don’t want someone who has followed the traditional route because the traditional way of hospitality is something they precisely don’t want in their property.

But, when they look at strong wellness leader candidates, they quickly realise that although these leaders tick all the boxes when it comes to understanding wellness, what they lack is the business acumen to make their property commercially sustainable.

So, the question is, which is the right way forward? The answer it appears, would be in having a wellness leader who has worked their way up to GM.

But, the problem there is that in my 20+ years in the industry, I’ve only known 2 such people!

In today’s episode, I sit down with one of those people, Hylton Lipkin, and we talk about:

→ The Owner’s Dilemma
You want a wellness-led property, but traditional GMs don’t get wellness, and wellness leaders aren’t ready to run hotels. Who do you choose?

→ The Numbers Problem
Wellness leaders have the heart, but most don’t know their revenue share, can’t write a budget, and have never managed beyond their team.

→ The Rare Example
Hylton didn’t just become GM. He did housekeeping. He did sales. He ran operations. That’s how he became the 1%, with wellness still at the core.


And here is where we have the bottleneck. Wellness is growing fast, but the leadership pipeline isn’t.

_______



Are you ready to take wellness to the next level?


Here are 2 ways I can help:


1️⃣ WHO: Wellness directors who want to join 1% of wellness leaders


📌 WHAT: The Wellness Asset Academy
A 10-week online group programme where I guide you through my 7-step ESSENCE framework. Achieve higher pay and secure a genuine seat at the hotel’s big table—so wellness is no longer the most neglected area in the hotel.

→ Join the waitlist here.



2️⃣ WHO: Owners of small, independent hotels with a strong wellbeing focus


📌 WHAT: Asset Builder Mentorship
Exclusive 6-month 1:1 mentorship programme to master creating a wellness asset, build a proud team, and deliver transformative experiences for your guests.

→ Become a steward of true hospitality.



💡 Why work with me?

I know what works with wellness and I also know what doesn’t. I’ve made the mistakes so you don’t need to – saving you thousands of dollars on bad decisions.

✅ #1 best-selling author, global wellness expert
✅ 40+ projects in 20+ countries across Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific
✅ Top brands: Abadía Retuerta, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Accor, Six Senses Resorts & Spas
✅ Interviewed over 150+ hoteliers worldwide

Why do incredibly talented boutique hotel owners, brilliant business minds with purpose-driven visions, find themselves completely paralysed when it comes to creating their wellness offering?

You're a savvy boutique hotel owner. You've done your homework, attended every conference, read every trend report, and consulted with the best minds in hospitality.

You have inherited land, want to regenerate your community, and create something that will benefit future generations.

Yet despite all your intelligence and business acumen, you find yourself confused rather than confident and moving forward with your wellness vision.

In this episode, I reveal the three hidden reasons why even the most brilliant boutique hotel owners stall when developing their wellness offering, and why traditional hospitality advice actually makes the problem worse.


I’ll talk about:

→ The Research Trap That's Disguised as Due Diligence
How information overload creates analysis paralysis, and why consuming every wellness trend report and expert opinion is actually sabotaging your progress.

→ The Perfectionist's Paradox That Kills Progress
Why your high standards (which serve you well in hospitality) become your biggest obstacle when applied at the wrong stage of development.

→ The "Too Many Chefs" Problem
How collecting advice from architects, spa consultants, branding agencies, and peers creates strategy stacking that leads to confusion rather than clarity, even when each piece of advice is individually brilliant.



If you're ready to stop second-guessing yourself and start building a wellness offering that truly serves your guests, this episode is for you.

_______



Are you ready to take wellness to the next level?


Here are 2 ways I can help:


1️⃣ WHO: Wellness directors who want to join 1% of wellness leaders


📌 WHAT: The Wellness Asset Academy
A 10-week online group programme where I guide you through my 7-step ESSENCE framework. Achieve higher pay and secure a genuine seat at the hotel’s big table—so wellness is no longer the most neglected area in the hotel.

→ Join the waitlist here.



2️⃣ WHO: Owners of small, independent hotels with a strong wellbeing focus


📌 WHAT: Asset Builder Mentorship
Exclusive 6-month 1:1 mentorship programme to master creating a wellness asset, build a proud team, and deliver transformative experiences for your guests.

→ Become a steward of true hospitality.



💡 Why work with me?

I know what works with wellness and I also know what doesn’t. I’ve made the mistakes so you don’t need to – saving you thousands of dollars on bad decisions.

✅ #1 best-selling author, global wellness expert
✅ 40+ projects in 20+ countries across Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific
✅ Top brands: Abadía Retuerta, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Accor, Six Senses Resorts & Spas
✅ Interviewed over 150+ hoteliers worldwide

If your wellness project starts with design, you’re already too late.

In this episode, I sit down with Alberto Apostoli, architect, operator, and one of the most experienced minds in wellness design.

We talk about what it takes to create a wellness concept that performs emotionally, financially, and strategically.

Alberto’s been designing wellness spaces for over 20 years. But as you’ll hear in this conversation, what matters most isn’t the space, it’s the thinking behind it.

From spirituality to AI, neuroscience to sustainability, we cover the key pillars of long-term success and the gaps that most hotels (and teams) still ignore.

In today’s episode, we talk about:

→ Why “beautiful” wellness spaces fail, and how to design for ROI, not just ambiance.
→ What happens when your guests are more educated than your team, and what to do about it.
→ How to design strategically from Day 1, even if your project is still just an idea.

If you want to avoid costly mistakes and build a wellness concept that actually works, this episode is a must.

_______



Are you ready to take wellness to the next level?


Here are 2 ways I can help:


1️⃣ WHO: Wellness directors who want to join 1% of wellness leaders


📌 WHAT: The Wellness Asset Academy
A 10-week online group programme where I guide you through my 7-step ESSENCE framework. Achieve higher pay and secure a genuine seat at the hotel’s big table—so wellness is no longer the most neglected area in the hotel.

→ Join the waitlist here.



2️⃣ WHO: Owners of small, independent hotels with a strong wellbeing focus


📌 WHAT: Asset Builder Mentorship
Exclusive 6-month 1:1 mentorship programme to master creating a wellness asset, build a proud team, and deliver transformative experiences for your guests.

→ Become a steward of true hospitality.



💡 Why work with me?

I know what works with wellness and I also know what doesn’t. I’ve made the mistakes so you don’t need to – saving you thousands of dollars on bad decisions.

✅ #1 best-selling author, global wellness expert
✅ 40+ projects in 20+ countries across Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific
✅ Top brands: Abadía Retuerta, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Accor, Six Senses Resorts & Spas
✅ Interviewed over 150+ hoteliers worldwide