Six Senses London

Ahead of the opening of Six Senses London last month, our founder Grace Greensitt sat down with Director of Sustainability Patrick Jones to talk about what it takes to bring a sustainability-led hospitality brand into the heart of one of the world’s busiest cities.

From his early days growing up near the Rocky Mountains in Canada to leading sustainability across some of Fairmont’s most iconic mountain resorts, Patrick’s career has been shaped by a deep connection to nature. Now based in London, he’s helping translate the Six Senses philosophy — regenerative hospitality, community connection and immersive guest experiences — into an urban setting.

In this conversation, Patrick shares how the team is approaching sustainability at Six Senses London, from biodiversity and food sourcing to EarthLab, wellness and the role hospitality can play in shaping a more regenerative future.

Grace:
Patrick, let’s start with your story. How did you get into sustainability and hospitality?

Patrick:
I was born in a small town in Alberta, just outside Calgary, with the Rocky Mountains nearby. From a young age I really appreciated nature and wanted to dedicate my life to preserving landscapes like that.

Hospitality was also part of my family history. My parents both worked at Fairmont Banff Springs before I was born and were married there. I ended up getting a summer job there as a dishwasher while studying at the University of Calgary. I thought it would just be a summer job, but I ended up loving the company and the complexity of hotel operations.

While I was studying I also started working in sustainability at the university. So I had these two paths — sustainability and hospitality — and I wasn’t sure how they would come together. Eventually I was offered a sustainability role at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper National Park. It was a dream opportunity.

Over time I moved into regional sustainability, overseeing several Fairmont properties across Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and Whistler. It was quite the journey — one day you’re a dishwasher, the next you’re a regional director of sustainability.

 

Grace:
You’ve now moved from Canada to London to join Six Senses. What drove that decision?

Patrick:
It was a big decision. I had a dream job in the Rockies, surrounded by nature, working in sustainability and hospitality.

But I had this urge to prove to myself that I could move to the other side of the planet, live in a big city and build something there. Life is short and I wanted to take the risk.

When the opportunity with Six Senses came up, everything aligned. Moving from a cabin in the woods to one of the biggest cities in the world was a dramatic change, but Six Senses has been setting the industry standard for sustainability for 30 years. I’m very grateful to be part of a brand that truly walks the walk.

Grace:
What does sustainability mean within the Six Senses brand?

Patrick:
Six Senses started with a small eco resort in Thailand in 1995 and has grown into a different way of looking at luxury hospitality.

Traditional luxury can be very wasteful — abundance, excess, white-glove service. Six Senses flips that on its head. It’s about reconnecting with yourself, with nature, with your community and with the people around you.

From a sustainability perspective, our goal is not just to minimise impact but wherever possible to have a regenerative impact — leaving places better than we found them.

Many of our resorts are in remote natural environments, but with properties like Rome and now London we’re asking how we bring that same philosophy into an urban environment.

 

Grace:
Tell us what to expect from Six Senses London.

Patrick:
The hotel sits within the historic Whiteley building in Bayswater, which was London’s first department store more than 100 years ago. The redevelopment includes residences, retail, restaurants and the hotel as the centrepiece.

Food is a huge focus. Over 80% of our menu ingredients will be sourced from the UK and we’ve personally visited farms and small-scale suppliers to understand how they produce their food.

Wellness is also central. We’ll have one of the largest spas in London, with treatment rooms, biohacking, a pool and even health assessments where practitioners can analyse your biological age and create personalised health plans.

And then for sustainability we have something called EarthLab, which every Six Senses property has.

 

Grace:
What is EarthLab?

Patrick:
EarthLab is a guest-facing space designed to showcase sustainability in fun and engaging ways.

We’ll host workshops, behind-the-scenes tours, speaker events and chef’s tables. It’s a place where guests can get involved rather than just hear about sustainability.

The aim is to integrate sustainability into the entire guest journey. Not in an overwhelming way, but through small touchpoints — explaining where ingredients come from, how materials are sourced, and what we’re doing behind the scenes.

 

Grace:
Six Senses hotels often support local conservation through a mascot. What will London’s focus be?

Patrick:
We looked at biodiversity in the UK and realised pollinators are absolutely critical. Without them we wouldn’t have the crops that support healthy food systems.

So our mascot will be the British butterfly. More than 50 species of butterflies in the UK are currently in population decline.

We’ve created four different butterfly mascots representing different species, and they’re handmade by pensioners in the UK. Proceeds go into our sustainability fund.

But the bigger story is that 0.5% of all hotel revenue goes into that fund. That allows us to support local projects such as urban rewilding, pollinator habitats and green corridors across London.

 

Grace:
Six Senses London also introduces Six Senses Place. How do you see the relationship between sustainability and wellness?

Patrick:
Six Senses Place is a community space focused on wellbeing, connection and ideas. It’s similar to a private members concept but centred around shared values.

For us, sustainability and wellness are closely connected. Wellness is about reconnecting with yourself — through sleep, food, movement and lifestyle.

Sustainability is about reconnecting with your environment and your community.

When people reconnect with nature and their surroundings, they tend to be happier and healthier. That’s where the two ideas really meet.

 

Grace:
How do you measure sustainability across the hotel?

Patrick:
We track a huge number of metrics.

Waste is a major one — we weigh all waste streams before they leave the hotel. But the focus isn’t just recycling. It’s reducing waste in the first place, which is why our guest spaces are plastic-free.

Food waste is another big area. Because we carefully source ingredients, we want to use everything. That means seasonal menus, sharing ingredients across outlets and finding creative ways to repurpose products.

We also track water, energy and community impact. For example, the estate captures rainwater from the roof and reuses it for plumbing and irrigation.

And we have sustainability audits to ensure we’re doing what we say we’re doing. Sustainability is a journey, not a destination.

 

Grace:
Do you work with third-party certifications?

Patrick:
Yes. Six Senses is certified by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). We’ll also likely pursue certifications like Green Key.

But certifications only tell part of the story. Passing an audit is just a snapshot in time. What matters more is the day-to-day reality of how a hotel actually operates.

For us the priority is doing the work properly — certifications are just an added bonus.

Grace:
What advice would you give hotels starting their sustainability journey?

Patrick:
Start now. Start yesterday.

Begin with simple things like removing single-use plastics and measuring waste. Conduct a waste audit and understand how much food you’re throwing away.

Those first steps can move the needle very quickly and often save money as well.

And if possible, invest in a dedicated sustainability role. When someone owns that responsibility full-time, the impact can be transformational.

 

Grace:
Who inspires you in sustainability?

Patrick:
Interestingly, it’s often small local businesses rather than big global brands — things like zero-waste stores or community bakeries that support their neighbourhoods.

But I’m also inspired by bigger initiatives like the work Google DeepMind is doing to map biodiversity across the planet. Creating open-source data that connects conservation work globally is incredibly powerful.

Ultimately we all share one planet, and we all have a role in protecting it.

As Six Senses London prepared to open its doors, the ambition behind the project was already clear.

From EarthLab and community initiatives to biodiversity funding and regenerative thinking, the hotel is aiming to demonstrate what sustainability can look like in a major city — not as a marketing message, but as something embedded across the entire guest experience.

As Patrick puts it, sustainability isn’t something you finish. It’s something you continually improve. And with London’s luxury hospitality market watching closely, Six Senses may well raise the bar for what comes next.