Dive Brief:
- Six Senses, IHG Hotels & Resorts’ wellness-focused resort brand, will open its first U.S. location in South Carolina in 2026, IHG announced Wednesday.
- The 460-acre Six Senses South Carolina Islands will span three islands — Hilton Head Island, Daufuskie Island and Bay Point Island — all a short distance from the Savannah/Hilton Head Island International Airport.
- IHG acquired the Bangkok, Thailand-based Six Senses brand in 2019. The brand is now part of its growing luxury and lifestyle portfolio, which the company plans to expand in the U.S.
Dive Insight:
Six Senses South Carolina Islands’ multi-island guest experience begins on Hilton Head Island, a popular leisure travel destination off the Carolina coast. There, guests will find the embarkation point where they can board a yacht or electric boat to their accommodations, though they can also shop and eat while they wait, at a Six Senses restaurant and retail outlet.
The majority of resort guests will then transfer to Daufuskie Island, which will house guest rooms, private suites, beachfront cottages and branded guest residences ranging from two to five bedrooms. Those traveling to residential villas will head to Bay Point Island.
Amenities on Daufuskie Island will include an all-day restaurant, a specialty eatery and bar, a beach club and a pool grill. Cuisine will be inspired by the region, with a focus on seasonal and local food. Guests on Daufuskie can participate in water sports, sailing, fishing and a championship golf course, as well as visit a farm that offers equine therapy.
Daufuskie Island will also house the Six Senses Spa, where visiting practitioners will create personalized longevity plans for guests fusing “scientific advances with ancient wisdom,” according to the announcement.
Bay Point Island, meanwhile, will be home to branded residential villas with a focus on environmentally friendly, hurricane-resilient design. A limited number will go on sale this year, Six Senses shared.
Whitestone Resources will manage the sprawling multi-island property along with partner Redrock Portfolio, Inc. Whitestone President Timothy Pitcher called the resort project “a celebration of Six Senses and Whitestone’s shared vision to seamlessly blend integrated wellness with the untamed beauty of the natural world, [and] redefine living spaces with a commitment to ecological mindfulness, quite literally sowing the seeds of a new era."
Known for its spas and health and wellness offerings, the Six Senses brand caters to travelers’ growing demand for wellness experiences at 25 hotels, more than half of which are in the Asia Pacific region.
The brand is part of IHG’s luxury and lifestyle portfolio, which is “particularly growing fast,” according to the company’s latest earnings report.
In January, the group appointed Leanne Harwood as senior vice president and managing director for luxury and lifestyle in the Americas to drive the segment’s growth in the region.
