Sonia Cheng

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts

Nurturing the Rosewood brand to full bloom

Even by industry standards, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Group is expanding at an impressive rate. With more than 40 one-of-a-kind properties in 21 countries already up and running and a further 27 in the pipeline, there are no plans to slow down. At the head of it all sits Sonia Cheng, CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group.

Cheng was appointed CEO of Rosewood at 28, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University and a few years working at Morgan Stanley and Warburg Pincus. Despite not having any hospitality experience prior to joining Rosewood, she is hands-on in the business to this day, especially when it comes to design and cultivating the next generation of hoteliers.

Under Cheng’s leadership, Rosewood has grown from being well regarded among US travellers to being world-renowned as a beacon of luxuriousness and individuality, with each property inspired by local culture and history.

Expansion is happening across Europe, the Middle East, China, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and maybe even in a few unexpected locations (Cheng believes Rosewood could help enable travellers to visit new destinations).

CEO for a little more than 15 years now, Cheng has overseen the development of the Rosewood Residences collection; Asaya wellness concept, which focuses on building resilience in a post-pandemic world; and private members’ club Carlyle & Co, in Hong Kong.

As well as spearheading the regional and international expansion of Rosewood and launching Rosewood Impacts, a corporate social impact initiative committed to empowering people in the industry, Cheng is an executive director of New World Development Company, director of New World China Land Limited and vice-chairman and executive director of her family’s Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, which is one of the world’s largest jewellery companies.

Cheng is also a non-executive director of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited and non-executive director of Giordano International Limited clothing company, along with sitting on several boards including the Hong Kong Tourism Board and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. It’s quite the CV.

For her unerring drive, vision and dedication to mindful expansion – every project must fit the Rosewood philosophy – Sonia Cheng has been voted by the 600-strong 50 Best Academy as the winner of the SevenRooms Icon Award 2024.

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