At Rosewood Hong Kong, which won second place in The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2023, the Rosewood Hotel Group head honcho reflects on her journey so far and dives into why running a hotel empire is about so much more than just glossy exteriors
Operating a hotel group is just not just about “the beautiful products” anymore, Sonia Cheng, the CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group, tells Tatler. It’s also all about the “powerful, meaningful relationships we build”—between her hotels and their guests, she says.
Not that the beautiful products aren’t important, of course—and Rosewood has these in droves. At the time of writing, the group has 31 properties across 18 countries around the world, with 27 in the pipeline. “A sense of place” is a philosophy of the brand—and its hotels are known for celebrating the culture, heritage and history of the location they are in. Rosewood Munich, which opens in September and takes up the former State Bank of Bavaria headquarters and the historic Palais Neuhaus-Preysing, is one such example. Other hotels under Rosewood’s portfolio include legendary properties like The Carlyle in New York and Paris’s Hôtel de Crillon; the former underwent a three-year transformation that was unveiled in 2021, and in the same year, Carlyle & Co, a private members’ club inspired by it, opened at Rosewood Hong Kong, which won second place in the inaugural World’s 50 Best Hotels 2023. Openings in years to come include properties in gateway cities like Shenzhen, Seoul and San Francisco, and resort destinations like the Maldives.
What makes guests come back, however, are “the memories that they’ve created with us,” says Cheng. “For today’s generation, as well as our customers and employees, it’s very important that an organisation is purpose-driven.”
Last year, the group launched Rosewood Impacts, a programme that aims to inspire and enrich people and bring positive impact to the planet. It has two components: Rosewood Empowers, which offers equal access opportunities through employment; and Rosewood Sustains, which adapts circular hospitality principles. BluHouse, Rosewood Hong Kong’s oceanfront Italian restaurant, which opened in 2022, operates under the latter programme. One per cent of the restaurant’s revenue goes towards opportunities for the community; it employs people from ethnic minority groups, providing these individuals with “that confidence and exposure” through the restaurant, says Cheng. Profits from the BluCup, a branded coffee cup made of natural bamboo fibres and is BPA- and phthalate-free—and which is on sale at BluHouse—are donated to environmental causes. BluHouse is Rosewood’s first impact venture, she adds—and more will be rolled out globally at the group’s properties around the world.
