Editor’s Note
remember bumping into this month’s cover star, Sonia Cheng, at the beach a few months ago. She had set up a small table in the shade and was selling homemade lemonade with her children. “$10 a cup—all proceeds to charity,” said a handwritten sign taped to the front.
Fresh-faced and without a scrap of make-up, dressed in laid-back weekend wear and with her hair pulled back in a lazy ponytail, Sonia laughed and joked with passersby as they stopped for a thirst quencher. As I sipped mine I remember thinking how refreshing it was—not just the lemonade, but the sight of the CEO of the Rosewood Hotel Group chilling at the beach with her family, seemingly without a care in the world.
Sonia had none of the security guards de rigueur with so many of the wealthy elite these days, she wasn’t glued to her phone, there were no PAS or nannies running the show; she was just a mum with her kids selling lemonade.
Unlike many who stopped for a chat with Sonia, I knew she was only months away from the most important milestone of her career—the opening of Rosewood Hong Kong, the global brand’s first property in her home city. With the eyes of the hospitality world on her and a distinguished family legacy to uphold, the pressure on this 38-year-old mother of four must have been phenomenal. But no matter the workload, the stress, the deadlines, Sonia’s only job that day was to sell lemonade for charity with her kids.
It was this big-hearted, down-to-earth attitude that we encountered when we invited Sonia to appear on our cover to mark the March 17 opening of Rosewood’s flagship. Having dedicated many years to developing this hotel, which she jokingly calls her fifth baby, she certainly deserves the chance to bask in the limelight, but that’s not Sonia’s style.
She told us she wanted to celebrate the opening, but the success was not hers alone. “This is a very meaningful project for me and my family,” said Sonia, who is the daughter of Henry Cheng, the chairman and executive director of New World Development, “but we have a very talented team. This hotel is a collaborative effort.” So our cover story tells a tale not only of Sonia, but of the team behind the Rosewood Hong Kong, including American interior designer Tony Chi, local fashion figures Anaïs Jourden Mak and Lois Tien, artists Chloe Ho and Wilson Shieh, and key hotel staff from concierge, dining, weddings and, of course, the charismatic managing director, Marc Brugger.
Turn to page 106 to see our cool and candid photo shoot at the Rosewood Hong Kong shortly before its grand opening, with exclusive glimpses of its striking spaces, including the dramatic lobby, the 40th floor The Manor Club and its elegant Chinese teahouse within Holt’s Café.
Although Sonia eschewed the spotlight by insisting on sharing every photo with her work family—and her real family (Henry joined Sonia for a beautiful family portrait)—this page gives me the chance to publish the only solo portrait, for which she reluctantly posed. And while Sonia didn’t want the cover story to be about her, I can at least dedicate my Editor’s Note to this remarkable, extremely likeable businesswoman who has redefined luxury hospitality in Hong Kong—and also makes a mean glass of lemonade!