SONEVA KIRI

Since it was established in 2009 on Koh Kood in the east of the Gulf of Thailand, Soneva Kiri has been a world leader in sustainable travel. The founders, Sonu Shivdasani and Eva Malmström-shivdasani, gave a solemn undertaking that the surrounding environment and local community would benefit directly from the luxury resort. That promise has been kept through a series of pioneering programmes, including producing biofuel from used cooking oil, eschewing single-use plastics at the resort, providing guests with reusable glass bottles, committing to a zero-waste food policy, and growing and sourcing food and materials locally. “Here we ask the question, What is luxury in today’s society?” says Bruce Bromley, chief financial officer and deputy CEO of Soneva. “The idea of marble bathtubs and chandeliers and gold fittings—these are no longer luxury. These are things that are commonplace for anyone who can afford them. Luxury is something that is rare, something that is special. For someone living in the cities of Hong Kong, Singapore or Bangkok, luxury is time. It is clean air. It is truly fresh food. It is the opportunity to be in a pristine natural environment.”