2024 ISPA Visionary Award Winner Announced

The International SPA Association (ISPA) announced Michael G. Tompkins, managing director and executive recruiter at Hutchinson Consulting, an Arch Amenities Group company, as the 2024 ISPA Visionary Award winner. Tompkins will accept the award at the 32nd annual ISPA Conference, to be held at the Phoenix Convention Center from April 23 to 25, 2024. 

“It’s been a thrill to work with the best, most qualified talent in the industry to build engaged teams and fortify careers,” Tompkins said. “I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this award from my esteemed colleagues. Throughout my career in hospitality, ISPA has remained a constant source of inspiration and support.” 

Lynne McNees, president of ISPA, recognized Tompkins for his widespread influence. “Michael is the true model of a visionary leader,” she said. “His skills as a strategist and his dedication to building consensus and creating partnerships have been the core of his service to the spa industry. ISPA looks to Michael as a mentor, and we are so pleased to honor him for his far-sighted and inspired leadership.” 

Combining health care, hospitality, and spa business knowledge with a vast network of industry peers and former colleagues, Tompkins has led teams to success in a career spanning more than two decades and encompassing several industries. Prior to his work with Hutchinson Consulting, Tompkins’s career has included leadership roles with highly acclaimed spas and wellness brands including Canyon Ranch; Turning Stone Resort; Skana Spa; Miraval Resorts  (where he served as CEO); Hilton Head Health and its rebranded Indigo Spa; and PALM Health. In his current role, Tompkins and his team at Arch recently launched Wage Insights, a proprietary survey and salary benchmarking tool. 

In collaboration with other spa industry leaders, Tompkins also conceived the philanthropic nonprofit art event St.ART in St. Louis in 2018. The collection, valued at more than $1 million, was later donated by Tompkins to a St. Louis inner-city nonprofit aiming to bridge socio-economic gaps in the region. 

The ISPA Visionary Award is presented each year to someone in the spa industry who has made significant contributions to both the definition and positive movement of health and wellness over the lifetime of their career.