Jumeirah Group appoints first...

New role underlines group’s strategy to elevate its wellness offering

Jumeirah Group has announced the appointment of Niamh O’Connell as its first vice-president of wellbeing, group and corporate.

The move is part of the group’s renewed focus to craft distinctive experiences that meet the needs of today’s discerning luxury traveller.

With nearly three decades of experience in luxury wellness and hospitality across Europe, the US and the Asia Pacific region, O’Connell will work alongside Jumeirah Group’s hotel and operations teams to craft an all-encompassing wellbeing strategy. This will include spa services, fitness offerings, longevity programmes, therapies and holistic wellness, as well as branding, design and programming.

Jumeirah Group CEO Katerina Giannouka said: “The relationship our guests have with wellness and wellbeing today has transcended from isolated treatments offering a functional fix, to an all-encompassing guided approach to longevity, life balance and self-care. Niamh is a world-class expert in this space and I’m delighted to have her join our team at Jumeirah Group as vice-president of wellbeing. This is a new role we deemed essential as we begin to invest strongly in advancing our wellbeing offering through new concepts, therapies and partnerships, designed to enrich the life and wellness experience of our guests while staying at Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts.”

Prior to joining Jumeirah Group, O’Connell held senior roles at Hyatt International Hotels & Resorts and, most recently, was group vice-president at Rosewood Hotel Group, where she was responsible for the strategic development of wellness and brand experience. Recognised for her strategic brand vision and consistent delivery of exceptional guest experiences, O’Connell has developed a reputation for creating unique touchpoints across the guest journey.

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Commenting on her new role, O’Connell said: “It is a true privilege to join Jumeirah Group at this pivotal moment in the brand’s journey. Over the past three years, a remarkable shift in the landscape of wellbeing has been witnessed, and now the industry stands on the brink of an exhilarating transformation. I look forward to inspiring a new approach to wellbeing across our hotels and resorts, guided by the principles of lifelong learning, longevity and inclusivity. By adopting this approach, my aim is to ensure we empower our guests to enhance their physical and emotional wellbeing through sustainable wellness practices.”

Jumeirah’s global wellness offering has been designed to encompass nutrition, exercise and fitness, alternative therapies, traditional spa treatments, and mind and body therapies.

For more information, visit www.jumeirah.com