Sonia Cheng, scion of Hong Kong’s New World billionaire family, is steering the Rosewood hotel brand to new heights

When the inaugural World’s 50 Best Hotels ranking was revealed in September 2023, three Rosewood properties, each located in a different continent, featured on the list. Taking the number two spot and earning the distinction of “The Best Hotel in Asia” was Rosewood Hong Kong. Rosewood Sao Paulo ranked at number 27, while Hotel de Crillon in Paris rounded up the list at number 50.

The achievement is “a huge recognition to the team and all the effort they have put into the brand,” reflected Sonia Cheng, CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group. “For three of our properties to be recognised, and for Rosewood Hong Kong to be number two in the world, that is a significant recognition.”

Cheng, 43, hails from one of Hong Kong’s billionaire family dynasties. Her grandfather, the late Cheng Yu-tung, founded real estate and investment conglomerate, New World Development. The elder Cheng’s rags-to-riches story began when he turned a Macau gold shop into the now renowned Chow Tai Fook Jewellery chain. His son, and Cheng’s father, Henry Cheng, is now chairman of the businesses.

After pursuing a career in banking and finance, Cheng, who graduated from Harvard with a major in applied mathematics, joined the family fold at the age of 28 to head up its hospitality business. In 2011, New World Hospitality acquired Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, then based in Texas, US, for a reported US$229.5 million. Back then, while the Rosewood name was familiar among North American travellers, it was not well-known on an international scale.

Under Cheng’s leadership, Rosewood has since evolved into a global player in the luxury hospitality space, with openings in key cities including Beijing, London, Abu Dhabi, Munich and more. Its portfolio of 33 one-of-a-kind luxury hotels in 21 countries also includes legendary properties such as The Carlyle in New York, and the Hotel de Crillon in Paris, both of which have undergone a transformation under Rosewood.

There are currently another 27 hotels in the pipeline, with Cheng describing the next two years as Rosewood’s “peak opening years”, where it will continue to expand in Europe, Japan, the Middle East, China, Mexico, New Zealand and more. “The next couple of years is really exciting. Key gateway cities have always been our target, but we also explore new destinations and projects that we think fit the Rosewood philosophy. These projects may not be in gateway locations that travellers expect, but I think what travellers are looking for in this day and age is for Rosewood to take them on a journey to explore new destinations.”

A SENSE OF DISCOVERY

Cheng’s knack for hotels and hospitality has always been in her blood. “My father and grandfather have always been visionaries in the hotel industry. I grew up in the industry. My father’s first job was as a general manager of a hotel. I used to go look at hotels with him, seeing him interact with guests,” shared Cheng. 

The Cheng family was one of the first developers of luxury hotels in Hong Kong and China. Henry Cheng had worked as the general manager of the former Regent Hong Kong before he took the mantle of the family empire. 

After graduating from Harvard, Cheng wanted to spend a couple of years working outside the family business to find her passion. “I did five years in the finance industry, but I kind of reached a plateau. I didn’t think it was my passion. There was an opening with the company in the hotel division, so I decided to join,” she explained.

Cheng has always been an avid traveller. “When I joined the business, I saw a gap in the market. There are a lot of great hotels brands, but there was a sea of sameness in the industry. From my perspective, what the new generation of travellers were looking for was more bespoke experiences. There’s a sense of discovery and curiosity when we go to hotels, we don’t want to go to a place that doesn’t reflect the local culture,” she continued.

Rosewood properties are guided by the brand’s “sense of place” philosophy, where each property is designed and operated to reflect the destinations in which they reside, immersing guests in the local culture and community. Rosewood Beijing, the brand’s first property in Asia that opened in 2014, draws inspiration from the classical Chinese garden and traditional courtyard house. Two dragon statues sit at the entrance, and inside, guests can discover artwork by Chinese artists. “The hotel celebrates local culture in a very contemporary way. And because Beijing is such a busy and fast paced city, we wanted to create an urban oasis for the local community as well. So we focused a lot on incorporating greenery and outdoor spaces, which was never heard of in Beijing hotels back then,” said Cheng.

Cheng’s first property opening however, was the Rosewood London, which opened back in 2013 and celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Housed in a heritage building in High Holborn, she describes the hotel as an embodiment of the brand’s “first take on new luxury”. Aside from renovating the property, the F&B experiences were also reconceptualised to attract both travellers and locals.

“Our philosophy is that hotels are not just places for travellers to stay. We play a role in curating experiences for our target audience, which also includes the local community. How can a hotel be a gathering place for people? It’s not just about running a hotel; we play the role of lifestyle curators, which include culinary and wellness experiences,” said Cheng.

Over the years, Cheng has also introduced new lifestyle concepts into Rosewood’s portfolio. These include Asaya, its integrative wellness concept, Rosewood Explorers Club, a kids’ club programme and Carlyle & Co, a private members’ club in Hong Kong.

FINDING INSPIRATION, MAKING AN IMPACT

Stepping into the world of hotels without a traditional hospitality background was “definitely overwhelming”, Cheng admitted. She spent the first couple of years learning about the industry, going from department to department to understand how everything works. Hiring, she added, was also a challenge. At the time, New World Hospitality hadn’t yet acquired Rosewood. “We didn’t have a brand and we had to sell the vision," she said. “It took us a long time to hire as we had to find professionals who were willing to leave their jobs with big brands and big companies to take a leap of faith with us.”

Cheng is known to be a hands-on CEO. In fact, in the early years of her journey with Rosewood, she was completely involved in every single step of a hotel’s renovation process. “Design has always been a passion of mine. I love exploring new concepts and seeing how we can challenge the norm. But I also have a very strong team now who really drives this process, who understands the vision and carry it on in each of our projects,” she shared.

Cheng challenges her team to look beyond the hotel industry for inspiration. “We are always tracking different trends in different parts of the world, as well as different industries like fashion and retail to see how we can apply them to hotels and push the boundaries.”

She also taps on her own experiences. The Rosewood Explorers Club, which made its debut at Rosewood Phuket, was inspired by her own experience as a mum of five. “We wanted to reimagine what a kids’ club would be like in resorts, instead of the traditional 50 sq m room with some drawing tables and books,” said Cheng. “I have kids myself and as a mother, I looked through the lens of what I would like my kids to enjoy and take away when we go on vacation.”

Running a people and impact driven business is also something that’s important to Cheng. The company outlines its impact strategy through two pillars – Rosewood Sustains and Rosewood Empowers. The former outlines its commitment to environmental goals, while the latter encapsulates the group’s contributions to the community. “We want to divert 70 per cent of our waste from landfills by 2025. We really want to be carbon neutral as a group by 2050. Every project has a sustainability goal and vision,” Cheng elaborated.

Rosewood Sao Paulo, which opened in January 2022, is located at Cidade Matarazzo, Brazil’s largest upcycling project. Sustainable features executed in the property’s design include a biodiversity programme that repopulates the indigenous flora and fauna from the Mata Atlantica rainforest. The property has committed to use 100 per cent renewable energy within a year, including on-site solar panels and renewable-sourced energy.

In Rosewood Hong Kong, built on the site of the former New World Centre, Italian restaurant Blu House pledges one per cent of its revenue towards underserved groups in the Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood. “We also launched an employment opportunity progamme where we employ talents from underserved communities to give them a chance to work, empower them, and in turn, [make a positive impact] on their families so we can uplift an entire community,” elaborated Cheng.

Asked whether sustainability was already on her mind from the early days of Rosewood, Cheng admitted that it is something that has evolved over time. “Rosewood is now a very influential brand and we need to really think about our role in the world, in the community, and how we can make an impact. Whether it’s our customers or our own associates, they want to support or work for a purpose-led brand,” she said. “It’s very important that purpose is at the centre of our organisation. Whether it’s in our guest experiences, our associates’ experiences, in our hotel designs, we really have to think about it holistically.”

UPHOLDING A FAMILY LEGACY

Aside from Rosewood, Cheng is also vice-chairman of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery. The storied brand will celebrate its 95th anniversary next year and Cheng is currently working on a brand revamp. “Chow Tai Fook is such a trusted and well-recognised brand in this part of the world, particularly in China and Hong Kong. My goal is to take this amazing brand to the next generation. How do we evolve to make sure it stands the test of time and continues to be a global leader in the jewellery industry?” Cheng mused. The brand will be relaunched next year, with new products and new experiences, she teased.   

Born into a renowned family dynasty, Cheng constantly deals with the weight of expectations and the pressure to uphold the family legacy. “It’s definitely a lot of pressure, but thankfully I have the stamina to get through it and I’ve built a strong team around me,” she acknowledged. “My father really put a lot of faith in me and allowed me to drive the company. He has been very supportive and I think a lot of the success that we have today has been because of his faith in the brand, the team and how much he has invested in the company.”

Cheng admires how both her father and grandfather were “people-oriented leaders”. “They built a business with people first. Till this day, my father reminds me that any successful business comes down to its people. Remember to invest in them, remember to be humble. No matter how successful [my father and grandfather] are, they are very down to earth and very approachable. That’s how they were able to earn respect.”

Above all, Cheng believes it’s a privilege to be a part of the family business. “My father and grandfather have really made their mark in the hotel industry. How can I do the same and carry on the family reputation and recognition for years to come? The team and I have worked really hard in the past ten years to transform Rosewood into a global leader in luxury hospitality, and we look forward to bringing the brand to new heights in the coming years.”