User:Ingoji

Ingo Schweder
Born

Ingo Schweder, born December 1960 in Dusseldorf, Germany is considered to be one of the foremost spa & wellness experts in the world, with more than 20 years experience in the field.

Education

He spent his youth practicing extensively sports and was his 14th to 18th year a member of the German junior athletic team. After his formal education he studied journalism at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. During his travels abroad he learned to enjoy the hospitality industry and underwent advance Hotel management education at Albrecht Durer School in Dusseldorf, Germany and later on as scholar ship recipient at Cornell University New York.

Corporate Career

Ingo subsequently worked in senior managerial positions at The Waldorf-Astoria, New York City, Westin Hotels and Resorts in Newport Beach - California and Seoul-Korea; The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in Hong Kong, Palm Beach, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Shangri La International in Hong Kong and Taipei. From 1996-1998 Ingo served as Group Director –Operations for Oberoi Hotels in India initiating the establishment of the Vilas Collection of this prestigious Hotel group.

Prior to Mandarin Oriental, Ingo was the Managing Director of Rafael Hotel Group’s South Asia Division, during which time he developed and set up the “Ananda in the Himalayas” destination spa. Mandarin Oriental later acquired the Rafael Hotel group. He established Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s Spa Division from the ground up. During this time, he was responsible for the worldwide operation, design, and development of 15 new spas and an additional 21 under development on four continents.

Awards

He was recognized in 2005 with the “Spa Personality of the Year” award for his visionary approach to the integration of wellness and leisure services in the hospitality industry. During his time at Mandarin Oriental, the company was voted in January 2006 “Best Spa Company,” at the European spa Summit in Monte Carlo, and again at by the readers of SpaAsia in August 2006. His work was awarded the prestigious Gold Key Award at the “Excellence in Hospitality Design” event in New York City and again in 2006 he was honored with the “ Most Distinguished Spa Personality” award at the NY Hotel Symposium.

Speaker

Ingo is a frequent speaker at Cornell University, International Spa Association events, The Lifetime Congress in Frankfurt, Turning Point Seminars in Singapore, and other wellness related symposiums around the world.

Entrepreneurship

He is a founding member & director of the Global Spa Counsel, the most senior association of Spa and Wellness professionals around the globe (www.globalspasummit.org). In 2011 Ingo established GOCO Hospitality, a company providing a full range of consulting and management services that make the difference in hotel and spa performance. Teh scope of services GOCO offers ranges from preliminary market research and feasibility work that helps determine if, what and how a property should be created, positioned and run in a given location to taking responsibility for its ongoing management and success..

Lifestyle

He practices regularly Yoga, believes in the healing powers of Mediation and enjoys a predominantly vegetarian diet. He resides in Bangkok, Thailand but has as well a home in Berlin, Germany.