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Building Emotionally Intelligent Leadership in Luxury Hospitality
Leadership development program at Amanpulo, part of the Aman luxury resort collection, shows how in high-touch, high-pressure hospitality environments, sustainable service excellence depends on emotionally intelligent leadership and the uniquely human skills that shape guest experience and team performance.
Overview
Amanpulo is part of the Aman Collection, a global portfolio of luxury resorts known for understated elegance and exceptional guest experience. Located on a private island in the Philippines, the resort operates in a uniquely demanding environment where logistics, guest expectations, and people leadership converge. Senior leaders play a critical role in maintaining both operational excellence and the emotional tone of the organization.
Situation: Amanpulo, part of the Aman luxury resort collection in the Philippines, operates in a high-touch, high-pressure hospitality environment where leadership effectiveness directly shapes guest experience, team performance, and operational success. Senior leaders are expected to deliver exceptional service while managing complex teams, emotional demands, and constant operational pressure. To sustain excellence, the organization recognized the need to strengthen emotional intelligence as a core leadership capability.
Solution: Amanpulo implemented a 1:1 Emotional Intelligence (EQ) coaching program for 27 senior leaders, delivered by 7Level7Energy using the Six Seconds Model of Emotional Intelligence. The program combined SEI assessment, individualized coaching, and practical application in real leadership contexts, following a structured measure → develop → re-measure approach designed to embed emotional intelligence into daily decision-making and team leadership.
Results: Leaders showed an average +11% increase in overall emotional intelligence, with 10–20% improvements across key success factors including Effectiveness, Wellbeing, Relationships, and Quality of Life. Participants reported stronger confidence, improved emotional regulation, and more effective leadership under pressure. These gains translated into more consistent team leadership and stronger operational performance across the resort.
“There is a distinct difference in how I now manage the resort operation.”
“Nothing short of transformational.”
Situation
Amanpulo is part of the Aman Collection, a global portfolio of ultra-luxury resorts known for exceptional service, discretion, and experiential excellence. Located on a remote private island in the Philippines, the resort operates in a uniquely demanding environment where service quality, operational complexity, and human dynamics are deeply interconnected.
Senior leaders at Amanpulo play a critical role in shaping both guest experience and organizational culture. In a setting where every interaction matters, their ability to manage emotions, make decisions under pressure, and lead teams effectively directly influences service consistency and operational outcomes.
As expectations for luxury hospitality continue to rise, Amanpulo identified an opportunity to further strengthen leadership capability, particularly in emotional intelligence, as a lever for sustaining excellence in both performance and wellbeing.
Solution
To support leadership development in a measurable and applied way, Amanpulo implemented a 1:1 emotional intelligence coaching program for 27 senior leaders, delivered by 7Level7Energy, a Six Seconds Preferred Partner, using the Six Seconds Model of Emotional Intelligence.
The program was designed around a structured measure → develop → re-measure methodology:
- Baseline assessment using the Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Assessment (SEI)
- Individual EQ debriefs to build self-awareness and insight
- Five personalized 1:1 coaching sessions per leader
- Application of EQ tools to real operational and leadership challenges
- Post-program SEI reassessment to measure change
Coaching focused on practical integration of emotional intelligence into daily leadership practice – including decision-making under pressure, team communication, emotional regulation, and performance leadership in a high-demand hospitality context.
A reflective coaching journal, Being the Best Version of You, supported ongoing learning between sessions and helped leaders translate insights into consistent behavioral change.
Results
The program delivered measurable improvements across emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness, including +10–20% growth across key success factors. Leaders reported increased confidence, stronger emotional regulation, and a greater ability to balance performance demands with wellbeing. These gains translated into observable changes in leadership behavior — particularly in decision-making, team communication, and resilience under pressure.
LEADERSHIP IMPACT
Qualitative feedback indicated that all participating leaders experienced noticeable changes in how they manage emotions, make decisions, and lead under pressure.
%
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE SCORES GROWTH
SEI results showed an average +11% increase in overall Emotional Intelligence across the 27 senior leaders.
%
EFFECTIVENESS
+11% increase, strengthening leaders’ ability to make clear, confident decisions and drive performance in a complex hospitality environment.
%
WELLBEING
+13% growth, supporting greater emotional balance and resilience in a high-pressure, high-expectation setting.
%
RELATIONSHIPS
+11% increase, enhancing leaders’ capacity to build trust, support their teams, and foster a positive service culture.
%
QUALITY OF LIFE
+20% improvement, the most significant gain, reflecting a deeper sense of fulfillment, energy, and sustainability in leadership roles.
%
Why Emotional Intelligence Matters in Luxury Hospitality
Luxury hospitality is fundamentally an emotional business. While facilities and service standards matter, guest experience is ultimately defined by how people feel in every interaction.
In this context, emotional intelligence becomes a strategic leadership capability — shaping:
Team engagement and morale
Decision-making under operational pressure
Consistency of service delivery
Guest experience quality
At Amanpulo, strengthening EQ helped leaders create more stable, confident, and emotionally aware teams — directly supporting the resort’s service excellence standards.
Products & Services Delivered
SEI Leadership Report™
SEI – Six Seconds’ Emotional Intelligence Assessment is a validated psychometric tool for measuring emotional intelligence, used by over 500,000 people worldwide. It provides in-depth feedback on specific EQ competencies and results and is ideal for 1:1 coaching or advanced training.
Organizational Vital
Signs ™ (OVS)
Multi-rater assessment that provides feedback on an organization’s climate and the key drivers behind it. Ideal for enterprise-level analysis and development and leadership coaching.
Read more about Six Seconds’ Vital Signs assessment suite
Group Dashboard™
Powerful, 1-page summary of a group or team’s style for using emotional intelligence, its top talents, and how that impacts performance. Ideal for team development, leadership coaching, and strategic workplace planning.
Brain Talent Profile™
What are a candidate’s top 3 Brain Talents? A powerful, 1-page report that gives feedback on people’s brain talents. Ideal for training, onboarding & talent strategy.
Read more about Six Seconds’ Brain Profiles suite
Custom Development
To address the organization’s specific needs using Six Seconds’ methodology, a custom program was developed, tested, and implemented.
Read more about Six Seconds’ Methodology in Business
Coaching
Coaching – Six Seconds’ coaching methodology blends neuroscience and emotional intelligence with the International Coach Federation competencies.
Want to improve performance with emotional intelligence?
Contact us to learn more about Six Seconds products and services:
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