Kempinski Hotels has appointed three new Vice Presidents—Kristian Toivanen, Aurelia van Lynden and Dan Clayton—to its newly formed product and experience team. Reporting to Chief Product and Experience Officer Rasha Lababidi, the trio will lead the wellness and spa, guest experience and gastronomy divisions, respectively. This product and experience team will be responsible for the entire lifecycle of bespoke experiences, from creative ideation, design and planning to execution and enhancement.

Taking over the role of vice president, wellness and spa, Toivanen has spent time with luxury brands including The Savoy and Claridge’s in London. His experience also includes leadership roles at one of the world’s leading integrative longevity resorts in Europe and global wellness resorts across Southeast Asia. Most recently, he served as executive director of The Aspen Tree, Thailand.

Joining the team, as well, is van Lynden, who has been appointed vice president, experiences. She joins Kempinski with over 13 years of expertise in luxury travel and hospitality. In her time with Abercrombie & Kent, she was responsible for building and growing the private client division, and later held leadership roles at Perowne International and Pelorus, honing her expertise in curating experiences for ultra-high net worth travellers.

Last of the three, Clayton joins as vice president, food and beverage and hospitality. According to Kempinski, his expertise spans “food and beverage strategy and concept development, experience design, placemaking and culinary storytelling.” His recent role as director of strategy and insights at Keane, and previously at Meraki & Modus, saw Clayton advising developers and governments on master planning and experience strategy. He is also the founder and chief food writer at FoodSheikh.

These appointments intend to strengthen Kempinski’s product and experience team capabilities as the company continues to elevate luxury hospitality standards across its global portfolio.