Meet the Cheng family—Hong Kong’s real estate billionaires

Sonia runs the family’s hotel business, transforming it into an extensive collection of luxury resorts and locations.

Sonia, 43, studied applied mathematics at Harvard University before working as a real estate banker for Morgan Stanley and in private equity for Warburg Pincus, according to a 2019 CNBC profile.

In 2008, she joined her family’s business at the age of 28, becoming CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group three years later when the Cheng family bought the properties from Rosewood Corp. and Maritz, Wolff & Co.

The luxury hotel brand owned 19 properties at the time, including the famous Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan, which celebrities flock to when they visit the Met Gala.

With Sonia at the helm, Rosewood has since expanded into a global luxury hotel powerhouse with 34 locations and 24 more on the way.

It has made a strong push into mainland China under the New World Hotels brand, opening 16 more properties in cities such as Beijing, Sanya, Shanghai and Shenzhen, for a total of 51 hotels and resorts.

Sonia has often said that she grew up in the hotel industry, since her father, Henry, began his career as a hotel general manager.

Her philosophy, according to Singaporean publication Channel News Asia, was to ditch stuffy hotel standards and appeal to younger travelers looking for personalized experiences.

“There’s a sense of discovery and curiosity when we go to hotels, we don’t want to go somewhere that doesn’t reflect the local culture,” she told the media.

The Rosewood property in Hong Kong was ranked second on the World’s 50 Best Hotels 2023 list, with two other hotels in São Paulo and Paris also earning spots.

Sonia is married to Paulo Pong Kin-Yee, who also comes from one of the richest families in Hong Kong, the Pong family. He is the founder of the Altaya Group, a wine wholesaler, and the boutique restaurant company Classified Group, which owns five locations.