Explore how hotels and spas use bold partnerships, in-spa technology, and live activations to create wellness experiences guests feel before, during, and after their stay.
Learn how aligning with local, sports, and cultural communities builds momentum beyond checkout - and how membership models turn that demand into repeat visits and measurable ROI.
Consumer Behaviour
Member Experience
Revenue Diversification
Scaling
Science-Backed Trends
Longevity
Matthew Punsalan
Cluster Director of Spa & Retail
Montage International
Alison Kirsten
Director of Spa and Wellness
Fairmont Austin
Alison Kirsten is a luxury spa and wellness leader at Fairmont Austin, known for building modern programs where elevated guest experience and strong commercial performance go hand in hand. She specializes in launching advanced recovery and skincare experiences, designing membership strategies that drive repeat visitation, and creating premium brand partnerships that expand reach and deepen loyalty. With a creative, activation-led approach, Alison connects spa programming to Austin’s cultural energy—developing moments that feel elevated, relevant, and results-driven. Equally operational, she leads with clear standards and a service philosophy rooted in Forbes-style excellence, focusing on training, consistency, and team culture across every touchpoint. Her work sits at the intersection of innovation and hospitality: bringing new wellness modalities to life, translating them into compelling guest journeys, and ensuring they perform as sustainable, revenue-driving pillars within the broader hotel experience.
Jamie Mark
Vice President, Membership & Community Development
Proper Hotels
Jamie Mark is Vice President of Membership at Proper Hospitality, where she leads the development of wellness-driven membership programs across the portfolio. She is currently focused on expanding and evolving memberships and programming at Santa Monica Proper and Austin Proper, while also concepting and launching a high-end resort membership for Lake Tahoe Proper, slated to open in 2027 and Dallas Proper, opening in 2029.
With over a decade of experience at Soho House, Jamie held senior roles spanning membership, events, and partnerships, shaping culturally relevant programs at a national scale. Her background also includes agency experience working with leading fashion, spirits, and hospitality brands.
In addition to membership strategy, Jamie oversees brand media outreach across Proper Hotels and By Proper, and leads wellness, recovery, and longevity initiatives.
With tighter wallets and a shifting economy, brands need more innovative strategies to grow. Discover how to harness machine learning and payments data to optimize every stage of your funnel - boosting acquisition, increasing LTV, and keeping customers happy.
Scaling
Revenue Diversification
Member Experience
Consumer Behaviour
AI
Charles Rosenblatt
Chief Commercial Officer
Butter Payments
A seasoned innovator in the payments industry, Charles Rosenblatt has held executive leadership positions at major global banks, including Capital One and Chase, as well as prominent fintech organizations. He served on the management teams that led to the sale of Hyperwallet to PayPal and Payoneer going public, and is now Chief Commercial Officer at Butter—the payments technology leader in revenue retention for subscription businesses. Charles is a graduate with a B.A. in Economics and Politics from Pomona College and received an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia.
Discover how hotels and resorts are weaving wellness across the entire guest journey. Explore how inclusive programming – spanning movement, culinary, social, in-room, outdoor, and longevity-focused experiences – creates lasting value that resonates beyond the stay, broadens guest appeal, and deepens loyalty.
Consumer Behaviour
Revenue Diversification
Member Experience
Kate Morrison
Director of Wellness & Sustainability
Ojai Valley Inn
Kate Morrison is an award-winning leader in luxury hospitality, spa, and wellness, with over 20 years of experience creating elevated guest experiences, leading high-performing teams, and driving industry innovation. Currently at the Ojai Valley Inn, she has led Spa Ojai to a Forbes Five-Star rating and spearheaded resort-wide sustainability initiatives, earning accolades from ISPA, Audubon International, and Preferred Hotels & Resorts. A passionate mentor, Kate has guided numerous spa professionals into leadership roles and is known for her collaborative approach to team and industry growth. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Green Spa Network (GSN Planet) and is an Ambassador for the SoCal Spa Wellness Collective. Kate is a frequent speaker and panelist at industry conferences and podcast interviews where she shares insights on sustainability, innovation, and leadership.
Heather David
Director of Brand Marketing
Miraval Resorts & Spas
Heather David is Director of Brand Marketing for Miraval Resorts & Spas, Hyatt’s award-winning luxury wellbeing brand. With more than a decade of experience across brand strategy, marketing, and guest experience, Heather leads Miraval’s global brand expression, storytelling, and go-to-market efforts. Her work focuses on expanding wellbeing beyond the spa, integrating mindfulness, movement, culinary, nature, and human connection across the full guest journey. Heather is passionate about creating inclusive, accessible wellbeing experiences rooted in authenticity, resilience, and real-life application, helping guests leave Miraval with tools they can carry into everyday life.
Ania Mankowska
Director of Spa and Wellness
Nob Hill Spa at the Huntington Hotel (Highgate Hotels)
Ania Mankowska is a seasoned spa and wellness executive with over two decades of experience leading luxury spa destinations through brand reinvention, pre-openings, and transformational growth. She currently serves as Director of Spa & Wellness at the historic Nob Hill Spa at the Huntington Hotel in San Francisco, where she is leading a full-scale reinvention of the brand - elevating the guest experience, redefining service standards, and positioning the spa within a new era of luxury wellness.
Previously, Ania was Director of Spa & Wellness at Asaya, A Rosewood Spa at Rosewood Sand Hill, where she guided the spa through a highly successful reopening and exceeded pre-pandemic performance benchmarks while upholding Forbes Five-Star service excellence. She was also selected for Rosewood Hotels’ global Spa Task Force, contributing her expertise to luxury spa openings and strategic initiatives worldwide.
Ania’s leadership spans operational strategy, wellness program development, financial stewardship, and high-performance team building. Known for her thoughtful, people-first leadership style, she specializes in aligning elevated luxury with authentic wellness, creating spaces where both guests and teams thrive.
With a background in economics and a passion for mentorship, Ania brings a global perspective and a deeply human approach to modern wellness leadership - bridging business, culture, and meaningful guest connection.
The fitness industry is facing its biggest challenge yet: Talent. As gyms expand, digital platforms evolve, and member expectations rise, the next frontier of growth will be defined not by technology or equipment, but by people. Discover how to future-proof your talent pipeline, reduce turnover, and align trainer development with real business outcomes.
Scaling
Revenue Diversification
AI
Kurt Mangum II
Vice President of Partnerships
ISSA (International Sports Sciences Association)
Kurt Mangum II is a global fitness industry executive with 15+ years of experience advancing strategic partnerships, leadership development, and workforce innovation. As Vice President of Partnerships at ISSA, he leads initiatives that connect certification to careers, building scalable, revenue-driven partnerships across gyms, brands, and international markets.
With a foundation in fitness, wellness, and education, Kurt holds a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Sports Sciences from the University of Akron. A former collegiate linebacker, he brings performance discipline and people-first leadership into every collaboration. He is known for translating vision into execution and creating bridges between education and real-world opportunity in the rapidly evolving global fitness economy.
Kurt is a two-time Phoenix Top 100 Titan of Industry, recognized for leadership, innovation, and industry impact. He frequently speaks on the future of fitness careers, gym workforce development, and partnership strategy at scale.
Kurt Mangum II is a global fitness industry executive with 15+ years of experience advancing strategic partnerships, leadership development, and workforce innovation. As Vice President of Partnerships at ISSA, he leads initiatives that connect certification to careers, building scalable, revenue-driven partnerships across gyms, brands, and international markets.
With a foundation in fitness, wellness, and education, Kurt holds a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Sports Sciences from the University of Akron. A former collegiate linebacker, he brings performance discipline and people-first leadership into every collaboration. He is known for translating vision into execution and creating bridges between education and real-world opportunity in the rapidly evolving global fitness economy.
Kurt is a two-time Phoenix Top 100 Titan of Industry, recognized for leadership, innovation, and industry impact. He frequently speaks on the future of fitness careers, gym workforce development, and partnership strategy at scale.
Justin Shinn
Senior Director of Global Network Education
Fit House of Brands/F45 Training
Mohammed Iqbal
COO
ABC Fitness
Mohammed Iqbal strives to enhance the lives of those around him. He believes that by empowering others with knowledge it ultimately leads to healthier life choices. He founded SweatWorks to create elegant and functional technologies that would engage, motivate and inspire people to lead better lives. As the Founder and CEO of SweatWorks, Mohammed drives strategy, vision, and innovation, as well as embodies the core values of the agency: staying healthy and active.
Tony Siddique
Senior District Vice President
Fitness International (LA Fitness)
Re-ground wellness in what guests actually need - not fleeting trends. Learn how hotels, resorts, and spas personalise wellness by embracing targeted technologies, traditional practices, and specialist expertise. Explore how tailoring programmes to guest profiles, locations, and stay dynamics helps leaders invest where impact is felt most and evolve offerings as demographics and expectations shift.
Revenue Diversification
Consumer Behaviour
AI
Data
The next wave of growth won’t be fueled by bigger budgets, but by sharper creative and cleaner data. When every second counts, hooks, offers, and attribution become make-or-break. Discover the playbook that turns watch time into waitlists without tripping compliance.
Consumer Behaviour
Scaling
Member Experience
Wellness can be a brand’s strongest signature, not just an amenity. Explore how leading hotels & resorts choose which concepts to back, scale across portfolios, and turn into brand-defining experiences that drive investment, higher ADR, loyalty, and repeat stays.
Scaling
Revenue Diversification
Longevity
Meaghan Carlson
Vice President of Brand and Marketing
Sensei
As Vice President, Brand and Marketing, Meaghan Carlson tackles all of Sensei’s brand initiatives and marketing strategy, including overseeing the PR, advertising, website, marketing analytics, design and social media functions. She is also a corporate spokesperson for the company, interfacing with media on a regular basis and ensuring brand continuity across all guest touch points. Meaghan brings over a decade of experience in marketing leadership roles at technology startups and iconic brands such as Disney, PayPal, Coca Cola and IDEO.
Emmanuel Arroyo
Senior Corporate Director of Wellness
Rosewood Hotel Group
Patrick Huey
Director of Operations, Global Wellbeing
Hyatt
Kristine Thomason
Writer & Editor
Women's Health, Men's Health, Travel and Leisure, Vogue, and more