New York, NY – August 6, 2014 – The Global Spa & Wellness
Summit (GSWS) today announced that Franz Linser, PhD, founder and managing
director of international consulting firm Linser Hospitality, has been appointed
to its Board of Directors. Linser brings two decades of experience in the
hospitality, wellness, spa, sports and political worlds to the organization:
establishing Austria’s largest (100+) network of wellness properties (the
“Wellness Tirol”), serving as a member of European Parliament, training
world-class athletes like Austria’s Olympic ski team and developing innovative
wellness hotel and tourism concepts. He will be a critical force in guiding the
GSWS as it expands its mission and identity over the next few years.
“Anyone that knows Franz knows his incredible passion for wellness and for
every project he undertakes,” said Susie Ellis, GSWS chairman and CEO. “He
brings such an extraordinary background in health, wellness, spa, coaching and
politics – and is a real mastermind in pioneering new wellness tourism models.
He will prove an invaluable asset in helping the GSWS expand its vision for, and
place in, the global wellness industry going forward.”
More About Franz Linser: Linser began his career studying
sport sciences (and literature) at universities in Innsbruck and Los Angeles,
leading to lectureships at the Academic Sport Institute, the Austrian Trainer
Academy and at the Institute of Sport Sciences at the University of Innsbruck.
At age 28 he was put in charge of all training programs for the famed Austrian
National ski team, members of whom later became world champions and Olympic
medalists. Back at the University of Innsbruck he developed a patented training
system for high-profile athletes and rehab patients, and also completed his
doctorate in sports sciences with distinction, with his dissertation later
published.
In 1993 he established a consulting firm developing health concepts for the
high-end hotel industry. In 2006 he founded Linser & Partners, which executed
numerous international health and wellness tourism projects. He brought his deep
knowledge of health and tourism into politics, serving as Member of European
Parliament from 1996-1999, and later in the regional Tyrolean legislative. He
also established Austria’s largest “cluster” of wellness properties, the
“Wellness Tirol,” which spans over 100 companies today.
He is currently founder, owner and managing director of Innsbruck-based
Linser Hospitality GmbH, a global consulting firm focused on the hotel, wellness
and health industries. The company’s services include strategic development of
wellness hotels and resorts; the creation of health services and products; and
infrastructure, human resources and quality management. In 2013 he co-founded
VAYU International, specializing in the management of medical resorts. As an
expert developer of cutting-edge health and wellness projects, Linser is a
sought-after speaker on the global wellness conference circuit.
“I believe that the GSWS is the best spa and wellness industry network on the
planet. And because its Board of Directors combines so much individual expertise
across diverse wellness sectors, the organization is uniquely positioned to be a
true thought-leader for this multi-dimensional, multi-trillion-dollar market,”
said Linser. “Our mission is to create a progressive, comprehensive organization
that will be a powerful resource for the coming ‘world of wellness 2020,’ with
its many new facets and players. And I’m very grateful to be one of the
architects tasked with accomplishing that.”
The eighth annual GSWS will be held at the Four Seasons Resort in Marrakech,
Morocco from September
10-12, 2014. The Summit will host the second-annual Global
Wellness Tourism Congress on September
10th.
About the Summit: The Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) is
an international organization representing senior executives and leaders from
over 40 countries, joined by a common interest in driving economic development
and understanding of the spa and wellness industries. Delegates from diverse
sectors, including hospitality, tourism, health and wellness, beauty, finance,
medical, real estate, manufacturing and technology, attend the organization’s
annual conference, which is held in a different host country each year. After
just seven years, the GSWS is now considered the leading global research and
educational resource for the $2 trillion spa and wellness industry. For more
information, visit
