Independent insight, built on years running the club floor.
PHLS is an operator-led consultancy — founded on first-hand experience of running hotel health clubs and spas, not just reviewing them from the outside.
Founder-led, operator-built
Meet Sam Ford.
Sam founded PHLS after more than 20 years in fitness, hospitality and hotel leisure — starting out as a Leisure Club Attendant and progressing to senior hotel leisure leadership, working directly with operational standards, compliance, teams and commercial performance.
That experience gives PHLS a practical understanding of the pressures facing hotel health clubs — from maintaining operational standards and supporting teams, to improving member experience and strengthening commercial performance.
More about Sam's background
Sam's career has spanned membership and revenue growth, budget and P&L performance, payroll control, team development, hotel duty management, health and safety governance, spa partnerships and commercial strategy — across brands including Hilton, Crowne Plaza, Jurys Inn, Leonardo's and 3D Leisure.
PHLS brings that operator's perspective to other hotel health clubs — looking not just at whether the paperwork is in order, but whether the club actually works, day to day, for members, staff and the business.
Why PHLS exists
Most hotel health clubs sit outside anyone's main focus.
Health and leisure clubs are rarely a hotel's primary business, yet they carry real safety, compliance, brand and commercial risk. Standards can drift quietly — not through neglect, but because no one outside the club has the specialist time to look at it as a whole.
"PHLS exists to be that independent, specialist perspective — assessing the club as a whole and turning findings into practical, prioritised action."
Safety, compliance & standards
Keeping the fundamentals in order, without them drifting quietly out of view.
People & member experience
Supporting teams and leadership so members feel it in day-to-day service.
Facilities & commercial performance
Making sure the facility runs well and earns its keep for the business.
What that experience delivers
Results earned on the club floor, not just on paper.
Across his operational career, Sam has led sustained membership growth, steady budget performance and measurable improvement in commercial results — the kind of progress that comes from understanding a club from the inside, not from a one-off inspection.
See selected figures
At one hotel health club, membership grew from 600 to 1,400 members, with monthly membership revenue growth of 68.75% and five consecutive years on membership budget.
Figures relate to specific facilities and periods during Sam's operational career, and are not guaranteed outcomes for PHLS clients.
Qualifications & training
Verified credentials behind the experience.
Emergency Pool Responder
First Aid at Work
Level 3 Pool Plant Operations
ISRM NVQ Level 3 Leisure Management
Intermediate Certificate in Supervising Health & Safety
The whole-club view
One assessment, not six separate ones.
Everything Sam does for PHLS is built around looking at a health club as a whole — standards, compliance, people, member experience, commercial performance and facilities together, not in isolation.
What clients say
Trusted by people who know the leisure industry.
I really enjoyed working with Sam and had the opportunity to see first hand the knowledge, passion and professionalism he brings to the leisure industry. Sam has an excellent understanding of how Leisure & Spa facilities should be operated, with a particularly strong focus on health & safety and maintaining high standards. His experience & willingness to share his knowledge made him a valuable person to work alongside. PHLS will provide a great resource for hotels and leisure clubs looking for practical, knowledgeable support & guidance.
Bring an operator's perspective to your health club.
Start with the free PHLS Risk Indicator™ or speak to Sam about the challenges facing your operation.