Constellation Hotels Appoints Neil Jacobs as CEO of New Global Luxury Hospitality Group

Constellation Hotels Appoints Neil Jacobs to Lead New Luxury Group Bringing Together The Connaught, The Berkeley and The Emory

Constellation Hotels Holding Limited has appointed former Six Senses chief executive Neil Jacobs as CEO of a newly created luxury hospitality management business that will bring together some of London's most celebrated hotels while building an expanding international portfolio.

The new business will create a global luxury hospitality brand anchored by three major London properties:

The Connaught,

The Berkeley,

and:

The Emory.

The portfolio will also include the forthcoming Saint-Germain hotel in Paris, a hospitality development in Marrakech and Hackwood Park, an English country estate.

Jacobs will lead the creation of the new hospitality management platform alongside Gianluca Muzzi, CEO of Constellation Hotels.

The appointment follows the restructuring of the ownership framework previously associated with Maybourne and marks an important strategic step for Constellation Hotels as it develops its own hospitality operating capabilities.

The new collection is expected to be unveiled later in 2026.

Neil Jacobs Appointed CEO of New Hospitality Business

Constellation Hotels announced Jacobs' appointment on:

September 2, 2026.

He will serve as:

Chief Executive Officer

of the company's new luxury hospitality management business.

His responsibilities will extend beyond operating individual hotels.

Jacobs will oversee the creation of an entirely new international hospitality collection, including:

brand development,

hotel operations,

guest experience,

portfolio expansion,

and the broader operating platform.

The appointment gives Constellation Hotels an experienced luxury-hospitality executive as it transitions from primarily owning assets toward building its own management capabilities.

New Group Will Be Built Around Three Landmark London Hotels

The foundations of the new hospitality collection are:

The Connaught,

The Berkeley,

and:

The Emory.

All three properties are owned by Constellation Hotels and occupy prominent positions within London's ultra-luxury hotel market.

Importantly, the hotels will retain their existing names and individual identities.

Constellation Hotels is therefore not attempting to replace the distinctive identities of the properties with a single standardised hotel brand.

Instead, the new collection will operate as an umbrella platform connecting individual luxury hotels.

New Global Brand Will Be Unveiled Later in 2026

Constellation Hotels plans to reveal the identity of its new hospitality collection:

later this year.

The new global brand will provide a common operating and strategic platform while allowing individual hotels to retain their established identities.

This approach has become increasingly important in ultra-luxury hospitality.

Affluent travellers often value properties with:

individual character,

distinctive architecture,

local history,

recognisable restaurants,

and personalised service.

A collection model can combine these attributes with the commercial advantages of a larger hospitality organisation.

The Connaught Will Be a Cornerstone of New Collection

The Connaught is one of the most internationally recognised properties in Constellation Hotels' portfolio.

Located in Mayfair, the hotel has developed a reputation around:

luxury accommodation,

fine dining,

wellness,

and highly personalised service.

Its established international clientele gives the new hospitality group an immediately recognisable flagship asset.

Rather than launching a new hotel company around unknown properties, Constellation Hotels is beginning with hotels that already possess substantial brand equity.

That gives Jacobs a strong foundation from which to build the wider collection.

The Berkeley Adds Another Major London Luxury Asset

The Berkeley in Knightsbridge provides another cornerstone.

The property has long been associated with London's luxury hospitality market and has undergone significant investment and redevelopment over time.

Its positioning combines:

accommodation,

restaurants,

fashion,

wellness,

and luxury experiences.

The Berkeley's inclusion gives the new collection additional scale in one of the world's most important luxury-hospitality markets.

London will therefore remain central to Constellation Hotels' strategy even as the portfolio expands internationally.

The Emory Represents a Newer Vision of Ultra-Luxury

The Emory provides a different proposition.

Opened in 2024 in Belgravia, the property is London's first all-suite hotel.

It contains:

61 suites and studios

alongside its penthouse.

The hotel's architecture was designed by the late Richard Rogers and Ivan Harbour of RSHP.

Its positioning focuses on privacy, contemporary design and a more residential interpretation of luxury hospitality.

The Emory therefore gives the new collection a newer asset that can complement the historic character of The Connaught and The Berkeley.

Constellation Plans International Expansion

The new business will not remain exclusively focused on London.

Constellation Hotels already has an international development pipeline.

Its portfolio includes a forthcoming:

Saint-Germain hotel in Paris

and a:

development in Marrakech.

These projects provide the new hospitality platform with opportunities to establish its identity outside the UK.

Paris and Marrakech are both globally recognised luxury-travel destinations, making them strategically relevant markets for an emerging high-end hospitality collection.

Hackwood Park Expands Portfolio Beyond Traditional Hotels

The portfolio also includes:

Hackwood Park.

The English country estate introduces another dimension to Constellation Hotels' hospitality strategy.

Luxury travellers increasingly seek experiences extending beyond conventional urban hotels.

Country estates can potentially combine:

accommodation,

private events,

wellness,

dining,

nature,

and residential-style experiences.

Hackwood Park could therefore support the group's ambition to create a broader lifestyle-oriented hospitality platform.

Jacobs Previously Led Six Senses

Neil Jacobs brings extensive luxury-hospitality experience to the new role.

He is best known for his tenure as CEO of:

Six Senses.

Under his leadership, Six Senses developed from a relatively specialised resort business into an internationally recognised luxury hospitality brand associated with:

wellness,

sustainability,

experiential travel,

and destination-led properties.

That experience is particularly relevant to Constellation Hotels' ambitions.

The company is not simply hiring Jacobs to manage an existing hotel portfolio.

It is asking him to help create a new global hospitality brand.

Six Senses Expanded From Eight to 27 Properties Under Jacobs

During Jacobs' leadership, Six Senses expanded from:

eight properties

to:

27 properties.

The business also developed a pipeline containing more than:

30 additional projects.

That expansion demonstrated Jacobs' ability to scale a luxury hospitality platform while maintaining a distinctive brand identity.

Building luxury brands presents different challenges from expanding mass-market hotel chains.

Growth must be carefully controlled because excessive standardisation can weaken the exclusivity that attracts customers in the first place.

Jacobs' experience navigating this balance will be central to his new role.

Jacobs Has Experience at Four Seasons and Starwood Capital

Before leading Six Senses, Jacobs held senior roles at:

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

and:

Starwood Capital Group.

His career has therefore included experience across:

hotel operations,

development,

finance,

brand creation,

and luxury hospitality.

This combination is particularly relevant for Constellation Hotels.

The company's strategy requires an executive capable of understanding both the guest-facing side of luxury hospitality and the investment economics behind major hotel assets.

Wild Origins Added Entrepreneurial Dimension

Jacobs is also the founder of:

Wild Origins,

a creative advisory collective.

This entrepreneurial experience adds another dimension to his appointment.

Creating a new hotel collection requires more than conventional operational management.

It involves developing:

brand philosophy,

design principles,

customer experience,

culture,

commercial systems,

and development strategy.

Constellation Hotels is effectively building a new hospitality company around an existing portfolio of highly established assets.

That requires a combination of institutional management and entrepreneurial thinking.

Constellation Wants to Rethink Luxury Hospitality

Jacobs has indicated that the new business will focus on creating environments with a distinctive sense of energy and emotional connection.

The strategy extends beyond traditional definitions of luxury based primarily on:

rooms,

service,

and physical amenities.

Constellation Hotels sees an opportunity to respond to changing expectations among affluent travellers.

Modern luxury consumers increasingly value:

experience,

wellness,

privacy,

design,

culture,

community,

and personalisation.

The new collection is expected to incorporate these themes while protecting the identities of individual hotels.

Hospitality and Residential Experiences Are Converging

Another important theme in Jacobs' strategy is the growing overlap between:

hospitality

and:

residential communities.

Luxury hotels increasingly compete not only on accommodation but on their ability to create environments that feel more personal and residential.

At the same time, branded residences are becoming an important component of the global luxury real-estate industry.

Hotel brands can extend into residences while residential developments increasingly adopt hospitality-style services.

This convergence creates opportunities for operators capable of combining both experiences.

Branded Residences Could Become Strategic Opportunity

Constellation Hotels has explicitly said the new management business will operate:

hotels, resorts and residences.

The inclusion of residences is strategically significant.

Branded residences can provide hotel companies with:

development fees,

management income,

brand expansion,

and access to high-net-worth property buyers.

For developers, association with a respected hospitality brand can increase the appeal and potential value of luxury residential projects.

Jacobs' experience in experiential hospitality could help Constellation develop this part of the business.

Ownership Restructuring Created New Strategic Framework

The appointment follows an important restructuring involving the ownership of the former shared Maybourne portfolio.

Under an agreement that took effect on:

July 9, 2026,

Regis Maybourne (UK) Ltd became the sole owner of the Maybourne hospitality company.

Regis retained ownership of:

Claridge's in London,

The Maybourne Riviera in southern France,

and:

The Maybourne Beverly Hills in California.

Constellation Hotels retained ownership of a separate group of properties.

Constellation Retained The Connaught, The Berkeley and The Emory

Under the new ownership structure, Constellation Hotels continued to own:

The Connaught,

The Berkeley,

and:

The Emory.

It also retained its international development interests in:

Paris

and

Marrakech.

The restructuring clarified ownership between the two shareholder groups while allowing existing management arrangements to continue temporarily.

That created the foundation for Constellation Hotels to build its own hospitality-management organisation.

Maybourne Continues to Manage Hotels During Transition

Existing hotel-management arrangements remain in place for an agreed period.

Maybourne will therefore continue managing the relevant Constellation-owned hotels during the transition.

This is important for operational continuity.

Ultra-luxury hotels depend heavily on:

service culture,

experienced employees,

guest relationships,

operating systems,

and management consistency.

An abrupt operational change could potentially affect the guest experience.

Constellation Hotels is therefore planning a carefully managed transition.

New Operating Company Will Eventually Assume Management

The newly created hospitality business will ultimately take over management of Constellation Hotels' London portfolio once the current arrangements conclude.

The transition represents one of Jacobs' most important responsibilities.

He must create a new operating platform while ensuring that guests experience minimal disruption.

That will require coordination across:

management teams,

employees,

technology,

reservations,

marketing,

sales,

procurement,

and customer relationships.

The objective is to change the corporate structure without compromising hotel service.

Constellation Remains Long-Term Owner of Properties

Constellation Hotels will remain:

the owner and long-term steward

of the properties.

The company will continue to hold responsibility for:

investment

and

portfolio strategy.

The new hospitality management business will focus more directly on:

operations,

brand,

guest experience,

people,

and expansion.

Separating ownership strategy from operational management can create clearer accountability within a growing hospitality organisation.

Gianluca Muzzi Continues to Lead Constellation Hotels

Jacobs will work closely with:

Gianluca Muzzi, CEO of Constellation Hotels.

Muzzi previously served as co-CEO of Maybourne before returning to lead Constellation following the ownership restructuring.

His role focuses on the broader ownership and investment platform.

Jacobs will concentrate on developing the hospitality-management business.

The leadership structure therefore separates the company's asset ownership strategy from the day-to-day development of its new hotel operating platform.

Constellation Plans Continued Investment in Existing Hotels

Constellation Hotels has emphasised its intention to remain a long-term investor in its properties.

That includes continued investment in:

physical assets,

brand development,

employees,

and operating capabilities.

Ultra-luxury hotels require continuous capital investment to maintain their market positions.

Guest expectations evolve rapidly.

Properties must regularly invest in:

rooms,

restaurants,

bars,

wellness,

technology,

design,

and public spaces.

Constellation's ownership model gives it direct control over these investment decisions.

New Group Starts With Significant Brand Equity

Launching a hospitality company is normally difficult because new operators need years to establish credibility.

Constellation Hotels begins from an unusually strong position.

The Connaught, The Berkeley and The Emory already possess significant international recognition.

The group therefore does not need to build customer awareness entirely from scratch.

Its challenge is different:

creating a new umbrella identity without weakening the individual brands that already work.

That requires careful positioning.

Hotels Will Retain Their Individual Names

Constellation Hotels has confirmed that the properties will:

retain their existing names and individual identities.

This is strategically important.

Luxury hotel customers often develop loyalty to individual properties rather than to large corporate organisations.

A guest may identify specifically with The Connaught or The Berkeley.

Replacing those names could destroy valuable brand equity.

The collection approach allows Constellation to preserve these identities while adding shared infrastructure behind them.

Collection Model Is Growing Across Luxury Hospitality

The strategy reflects a broader trend within luxury hospitality.

Some of the industry's strongest groups operate collections of highly individual properties rather than completely standardised brands.

The model allows hotels to retain:

architecture,

history,

design,

local culture,

and personality

while benefiting from central capabilities such as:

distribution,

technology,

loyalty,

sales,

and procurement.

For ultra-luxury hospitality, individuality itself can become a competitive advantage.

London Provides Strong Foundation for International Growth

London is one of the world's most important luxury-hotel markets.

The city attracts:

international leisure travellers,

business executives,

high-net-worth individuals,

royal and diplomatic visitors,

luxury shoppers,

and major cultural events.

Starting with three established London properties gives Constellation Hotels access to a global customer base from the beginning.

Those relationships could support expansion into new markets.

Guests who already know the London hotels may be more willing to try future properties in Paris, Marrakech and other destinations.

Paris Will Extend European Luxury Presence

The forthcoming Saint-Germain hotel in Paris represents an important international expansion opportunity.

Paris and London are among Europe's most important luxury travel markets.

Operating properties in both cities could create commercial synergies.

International travellers frequently combine the two destinations.

A shared hospitality collection can potentially cross-sell properties and build relationships with guests across multiple trips.

Paris also provides access to a strong market for:

luxury leisure,

fashion,

art,

culture,

and high-end international travel.

Marrakech Adds Resort and Experiential Dimension

The planned Marrakech development provides a different type of opportunity.

Marrakech has developed into an important international luxury destination with strong appeal across:

resorts,

wellness,

design,

culture,

gastronomy,

and experiential travel.

The destination fits well with Jacobs' background.

His Six Senses experience was heavily associated with destination-driven hospitality, wellness and experiences.

A Marrakech property could therefore allow the new collection to demonstrate its identity outside the urban luxury-hotel model.

Wellness Could Become Important Differentiator

Jacobs' appointment also raises the possibility that wellness will play a significant role in the new group's positioning.

Six Senses became particularly well known for integrating wellness deeply into the guest experience.

Luxury hospitality increasingly extends beyond traditional spas.

Modern wellness offerings can include:

sleep programmes,

nutrition,

fitness,

longevity,

mental wellbeing,

recovery,

and personalised health experiences.

Constellation already has significant wellness assets within its London portfolio, giving Jacobs a foundation from which to develop the category further.

The Emory Already Reflects Residential-Style Luxury

The Emory is particularly relevant to the group's emerging philosophy.

Its all-suite format and discreet positioning create an experience closer to a private residence than a conventional large hotel.

This aligns with Jacobs' view that hospitality and residential experiences are increasingly overlapping.

The property could therefore serve as an important blueprint for aspects of the new group's future development.

Rather than simply replicating traditional five-star hotel formats, Constellation can experiment with more intimate hospitality concepts.

Luxury Travellers Are Seeking Greater Personalisation

The global luxury market has changed significantly.

Affluent travellers increasingly expect hotels to understand their individual preferences.

Personalisation can include:

room configuration,

food preferences,

wellness programmes,

transportation,

cultural experiences,

shopping,

and private events.

Technology can support this process, but luxury hospitality still depends heavily on human service.

The challenge for Constellation's new operating platform will be combining data and technology with highly personalised human interaction.

Service Culture Will Be Critical During Transition

Creating a new management organisation inevitably involves operational change.

But employees and service culture represent some of the most valuable assets within established luxury hotels.

Many guests return because they know individual members of staff.

That makes workforce continuity particularly important.

Constellation Hotels has said the transition will be carefully managed to preserve the highest levels of service and guest experience.

Jacobs will therefore need to build the new organisation around existing expertise rather than simply replacing established operating structures.

Global Expansion Will Require Disciplined Growth

The company has made clear that it intends to develop an expanding international portfolio.

However, luxury hospitality groups face a strategic trade-off between:

scale

and

exclusivity.

Expanding too slowly can limit commercial opportunities.

Expanding too quickly can dilute brand identity and service standards.

Jacobs' experience scaling Six Senses while maintaining a distinctive market position is likely one of the reasons Constellation selected him.

Future growth will need to be selective.

New Management Platform Could Expand Beyond Owned Hotels

Creating an independent hospitality-management capability also opens potential opportunities beyond Constellation's existing assets.

Over time, the new brand could potentially manage properties for:

external owners,

developers,

or investment partners.

This would allow the hospitality platform to expand without Constellation necessarily owning every underlying hotel.

An asset-light management model can generate:

management fees,

brand fees,

and development income

while requiring less capital than direct hotel ownership.

Constellation has not detailed the future ownership mix, but establishing a dedicated management platform creates that strategic option.

Jacobs Appointment Marks Start of New Hospitality Chapter

The appointment is therefore more significant than a conventional executive change.

Constellation Hotels is simultaneously:

building a new brand,

creating an operating company,

transitioning major existing hotels,

developing international properties,

and defining its long-term position within global luxury hospitality.

Jacobs will be responsible for connecting these elements into a coherent organisation.

The quality of execution will determine whether the new collection can develop recognition beyond the individual reputations of its founding hotels.

Conclusion

Constellation Hotels' appointment of Neil Jacobs as CEO of its new luxury hospitality management business marks the beginning of a major strategic transition for the owner of The Connaught, The Berkeley and The Emory.

The new company will create a global hospitality brand built around the three landmark London hotels while expanding through the forthcoming Saint-Germain property in Paris, a development in Marrakech and Hackwood Park in England.

The hotels will retain their existing names and individual identities, with the new collection scheduled to be unveiled later in 2026.

Jacobs brings extensive experience from Six Senses, where he helped expand the company from eight to 27 properties while developing a pipeline exceeding 30 additional projects.

His earlier roles at Four Seasons and Starwood Capital further combine operational, development and investment experience.

The new business emerges following the restructuring of the former Maybourne ownership framework, with Constellation retaining its London properties and international developments while Regis Maybourne became sole owner of Maybourne and its separate hotel assets.

Maybourne will continue managing the Constellation-owned hotels for an agreed period before the new operating company assumes responsibility.

For Constellation Hotels, the objective is now larger than maintaining three established London properties.

It is attempting to use them as the foundations of a new international luxury hospitality group capable of combining distinctive individual hotels with a common operating platform, expanding global portfolio and increasingly integrated hospitality and residential experiences.ly operate hotels, resorts and residences while supporting the group's international expansion.