A Commitment to Empowerment

In the blink of an eye, the end of 2022 is almost upon us. Although it has been another challenging year for the hospitality and tourism industries, there has been a growing sense of optimism of late as borders reopen around the world. Through it all, I have been moved by the resilience on display around me, as demonstrated by Rosewood associates who delivered local pandemic relief in collaboration with social welfare organizations, helping support the elderly, women, youth, and families in need. A testament to this is the thousands of volunteer hours they logged this year, with impressive contributions from our Asian properties even though these markets were the most affected by COVID-19-related restrictions.

At Rosewood Hotel Group , we have always emphasized the importance of serving our communities, driven by a sense of purpose to positively impact our planet and those who live on it. This is ingrained in our culture, “The Calling”, which is about collectively inspiring imagination, enriching lives, and discovering the uncharted. Although we are proud to wear our values on our sleeves, we also believe that actions speak louder than words. This is why we have gone a step further and committed to measuring our success as a company by the meaningful contributions we make to those around us.

Rosewood Empowers supports equal access to opportunity

I am particularly excited about Rosewood Empowers, which encapsulates our belief in equal access to opportunity for people across our organization and the communities we operate in. The program emphasizes opportunity employment, local hiring, sourcing, and partnerships, as well as investing in our associates’ professional growth, wellbeing, and development. Just as our success at Rosewood lies in how we nurture talent from the ground up, the future of humankind depends on how inclusive and equitable our growth is.

One of my favorite examples of this vision in action is the partnership between Rosewood Mayakoba , in Mexico, and K’iin Beh, a local nonprofit school bridging the education gap for underprivileged local children. Some hotel staff send their children to K’iin Beh, making the school a hub for knowledge exchange between the hotel, guests, and the local community.

Why are we choosing to focus on inequality, which is one of the most intractable challenges in the world? It is because I firmly believe that a prosperous future cannot be built if anyone is left behind. It is a privilege for me to lead a people-focused business that has relationship hospitality at its core. Caring for people is baked into our DNA and I am excited to channel this towards a goal that may be bigger than us – but is not out of our reach.

There is also a personal story behind my drive to address inequality. Some eighty-odd years ago, a jewelry store owner hired an inexperienced young man from a humble background as an apprentice. This young man was given a chance – access to an opportunity – that germinated a business empire. This young man was my grandfather. While I acknowledge that access to opportunity does not always yield such a happy ending, I do believe that everyone deserves a chance to improve their lives. I feel a great sense of responsibility to build a business that delivers this chance to its own people and to the communities its people are drawn from.

Our journey is only just beginning, as Rosewood Empowers is set to launch a series of programs focused on leveling the playing field. Be it doubling down on building equitable and inclusive workplaces, creating career paths for young people without formal higher education, removing barriers to employment for disadvantaged groups, or actively seeking partnerships that support local and community businesses, we plan to approach the huge challenge of inequality from multiple angles.

Today, many of our properties are already taking admirable steps in this direction. Rosewood Phnom Penh , located in arguably one of the world’s poorest countries, has raised over US$100,000 to date from auctions of local art. The hotel also hires more than 25% of its staff from nonprofit schools serving disadvantaged youth, helping them embark on rewarding careers with Rosewood.

Partnering with grassroots groups to drive change

What’s more, we do not plan to do this alone. Globally, we are looking to partner with nonprofits and vocational schools in the communities we operate in to provide access to opportunity and career development. In Hong Kong, for example, we have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vocational Training Council (VTC) to offer exciting opportunities for local youth to gain early insights into the industry and get hands-on experience at various Rosewood properties in Hong Kong, mainland China, and overseas. Our first global internship program with VTC will serve as a pilot for hotels in other geographies, many of which are already building a pipeline of talent from vocational institutes.

Similarly, just this month I was thrilled to meet positive and confident teenagers who shared inspiring stories on how they used HK$5,000 grants sponsored by Rosewood Hotel Group under the Family Resilience Plus Program to improve their home environments amid the COVID pandemic in Hong Kong. The project was made possible by the dedicated efforts of our partner, HKFYG (Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups). Social workers from HKFYG helped the students generate positive impact with limited resources. Upon meeting some of the participants, I was impressed by how they made thoughtful and mature decisions, using the funds to create spaces that foster deeper communication within their families, leading them to better understand and respect each other’s needs

We will also give young talent the opportunity to shine through the Rosewood Uncovered Series, a platform for discovering and honing culinary talent. With operations spanning 21 countries and regions around the globe, the potential for students to grow through this platform is endless.

In addition, we are fostering more inclusive and diverse recruitment while uplifting livelihoods through opportunity employment. Currently, we are working with NGO partners to not only identify and reach out to overlooked groups, but also to connect them to employment opportunities at our hotels. Our pilot in Hong Kong, through a partnership with RUN Hong Kong , The Zubin Foundation and Christian Action , has resulted in the successful hiring of community members who traditionally do not have access to these opportunities.

It is inspiring to see opportunity employment take hold across our group. Beyond Hong Kong, the newly opened Rosewood Vienna , Rosewood London and Rosewood S?o Paulo are hiring those fleeing conflict or strife. I am excited to see our efforts grow bigger and bolder, as opportunity employment continues to serve the dual purpose of uplifting community livelihoods while bringing deserving new talent into our industry.

Our people help break new ground

By continuing to experiment, we are breaking new ground with many firsts. The BluHouse, an Italian restaurant recently launched in Rosewood Hong Kong with a mission of “co-creating neighborhood resilience”, is our first F&B outlet inspired by the concept of a business-with-purpose. Similarly, the Rosewood Scholars Program will fund two 香港中文大学 (CUHK) undergraduate students from underserved backgrounds to pursue semesters abroad at 美国康奈尔大学 , representing our first foray into bridging the gap towards higher education. These first steps will be followed by our second, third, and many more that move us toward our goal of enabling equal access to opportunity.

I have always believed that the most important asset we have at Rosewood Hotel Group is our people – it is their commitment to these goals that will help us succeed. Through Rosewood Empowers, we hope to lay the foundation for a new era of relationship hospitality while fostering open and inclusive workplaces that facilitate upward mobility and uplift the livelihoods of our associates and those around us. By setting a new benchmark for the future of our industry and for talent to thrive here, we look forward to empowering the communities we operate in – no matter what comes next.