Interview with Mr. Sonu Shivdasani, Founder of Soneva
As a well-known hotelier and entrepreneur, Mr. Sonu Shivdasani is best known as the founder and CEO of the luxury resort brand Soneva. Sonu was born in England, where he attended Eton College and graduated from Oxford University with an MA in English Literature.
Sonu established Soneva brand from 1995, when he and his wife, Eva, opened their first resort, Soneva Fushi, in the Maldives. The resort was known for its focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility, and it helped to establish the Soneva brand as a pioneer in the luxury eco-tourism sector.
Since then, Sonu has expanded the Soneva brand to include several other resorts, including Soneva Kiri in Thailand and Soneva Jani in the Maldives. All Soneva resorts share a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility, with initiatives such as solar power, waste reduction, and conservation programs.
Mr. Shivdasani has received numerous awards and accolades for his work in the hospitality industry, including the Pioneering Award at the Conde Nast Traveler Innovation and Design Awards in 2017, and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hotelier India Awards in 2018.
He is a frequent speaker on topics such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, and the future of the hospitality industry. SpaChina interviewed this legendary founder of Soneva.
Can you tell us about the history of Soneva and how you came up with the concept for the brand?
I first visited the Maldives with Eva in 1987 and fell in love with the place. I had never seen anything quite like it. Eva, who has been coming to the Maldives for modelling shoots since the late 1980s, loved the untouched, simple way of life.
We decided we wanted to open a resort like no other, whilst ensuring we protect the environment. We believe that a company must have a clear purpose beyond turning a profit. It must serve and contribute to the society in which it operates and should not negatively impact the environment in which it is located.
Together, we combined our respective experience in management, style and design to develop a resort that would satisfy our desire for a dream destination for those who like to travel in luxury. We bought an abandoned resort on the far-flung 100-acre island of Kunfunadhoo in the Baa Atoll and set about creating our dream.
After considerable effort and some good luck, our first resort, Soneva Fushi, opened in 1995. We were the first luxury resort in the Maldives, which at the time was a diver’s paradise, and the few hotels that were there had very low rates.
Both Eva and I consider ourselves guardians, not owners, of these precious environments that we are privileged to look after during our lifetimes. We have pledged to protect the biodiversity and habitats in and around our resorts. To do so, we have always used nature as an inspiration for our innovation and we have always endeavoured to be a sustainable pioneer in the hospitality industry.
Soneva has a strong focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility. Can you discuss how you incorporate these values into the design and operation of your resorts?
We believe that luxury is defined as something that is rare or uncommon for the consumer. It is something novel and authentic, that strikes a chord in one’s heart when it is experienced.
We have pursued ‘Intelligent Luxury’ in our desire to challenge and fully understand what luxury truly means. The last 30 to 40 years have seen a major shift in the demographics of the wealthy. They live in cities, where pollution is present in all its forms: unclean environments, noise and light. They are not as in touch with nature, they hardly have time to sit down and take a breath, let alone spend large amounts of quality time with their family and friends.
With this in mind, the experience we have created for our guests is as far removed from an urban scenario as possible, letting them indulge in things they rarely get to do in their daily lives.
When our guests arrive, the first thing we do is ask if they would like to take off their shoes. Our ‘No News, No Shoes’ mantra helps ground our guests and lets them feel the sand between their toes. Some never put their shoes back on for their entire stay with us. We have had guests say it feels strange to go back to socks, shoes and high heels once they leave.
With our food and beverage offerings, we do our best to source as locally as possible, be that from our organic gardens, from the plentiful seas that surround our islands, or sourced from nearby islands and countries. Sourcing locally has two main benefits: firstly, our ingredients don’t have to travel so far to reach our guests’ plates, thus keeping their nutritional values intact; secondly, it also reduces our carbon emissions. There is absolutely no detrimental impact on the environment and our guests savour their meals with the knowledge that the food they consume is free of chemicals, fair-trade, and sourced sustainably.
Expense, we would argue, is not indicative of luxury. Rarity, however, is. The features in our resorts are not often found in other resorts or restaurants around the world. Sustainability and wellness are hallmarks of something that our guests rarely experience in their cities. It is rare to enjoy oneself while doing something positive for the environment. So, we have combined apparent opposites and found ways in which they can live hand in hand.
Soneva has received numerous awards for its eco-friendly initiatives. Can you discuss some of the most innovative or impactful initiatives the brand has implemented?
In 2008, we realised that our approach towards measuring carbon emissions was limited as we were only measuring scopes 1 and 2, not scope 3, which covered the externalities such as guests flying in, supplies coming into our resorts, etc. Operating in remote locations requires our guests to travel long distances. On average, a guest’s round trip will result in emissions of around one ton of CO2. Our guests have little choice but to fly to reach our remote locations. We thus decided to measure scope 3.
To our great surprise, we discovered that 85% of the CO2 emissions from Soneva Fushi come from scope 3, which the industry in general does not measure. So, we took the simple step of adding a mandatory 2% Environmental Levy to our guests’ bills to offset all our emissions. It was a small change, and a relatively small charge, which we found our guests more than happy to accept. And the rewards have been great.
This small levy lets the Soneva Foundation invest in projects that have a positive environmental, social and economic impact which offset carbon emissions from both guest flights and resort activities.
The Soneva Foundation supports the development of projects that have a positive environmental, social and economic impact. Wherever possible, the Soneva Foundation uses impact investing principles, seeking to recover outlays through carbon finance, which in turn will be fed back into projects to help extend the reach and benefits to more families. The Soneva Foundation’s focus areas are environmental such as climate change, restoration of ocean and terrestrial biodiversity as well as safe drinking water. In addition, the Foundation focuses on social issues such as malnutrition and foster care.
Sustainability has always been at the heart of Soneva’s ethos, from sourcing sustainable materials and pioneering ‘waste-to-wealth’ practices, to working in partnership with our local communities. We have always endeavoured to be a pioneer in the hospitality industry and are very proud to have been 100% carbon neutral since 2012. We still continually strive to pioneer initiatives that protect our natural environment and precious resources.
One example from recent years is Makers’ Place at Soneva Fushi. Launched in the summer of 2021, this fully carbon-neutral recycling studio transforms waste into works of art. Another recent example is our solar power developments at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani which will boost the electricity generated from renewable energy to over 50% at both resorts.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the hospitality industry, and how has Soneva adapted to these challenges?
I have realized that if we consider a crisis in a positive way, we can always find an opportunity to learn and develop and make our lives more enriching as a result.
In the early days of the pandemic, we made the decision to put very strict protocols in place across our resorts, to safeguard the wellbeing of both our guests and our Hosts. As well as stringent sanitation procedures, we introduced PCR testing on arrival for all guests, even if this wasn’t required by the countries where we operate. We also opened our own testing laboratory in the Maldives, which not only enabled us to rapidly test our guests and Hosts, but also enabled us to offer free tests to support the wellbeing of our local communities.
The COVID-free environment that we have created at our resorts as a result of our extensive testing, has enabled our guests to relax and go mask-free during their stay – this return to a sense of normality has in fact become the greatest luxury of all for our guests.
Once we ensured that our Hosts and our business were both safe and healthy, we then worked on the change in opportunities and we have come up with many small changes to the way we do business which has sowed seeds for future good fortune.
COVID-19 has shown all of us at Soneva and around the world that even in the most unprecedented of times, our unwavering spirit and belief allows us to make the best of a challenging situation. We’ve come out stronger, more resilient, leaner, and more confident in our goals to continue to create experiences that make lasting memories, all while taking even better care of our planet.
What is Soneva’s guests’ profile, who are they? How many days do they usually stay? What about Chinese guests, and how do you see the China market?
The guests that stay at Soneva come from all over the world and more than half of them are repeat guests, like the multi-generational families who have been coming to stay with us for years on end. We attract a lot of families with our extensive programme of activities for children and teenagers. Our children’s clubs, called The Den, offer so much excitement and opportunities for learning. We also see guests who take great interest in water sports, diving, and wellness.
I would say about half of our guests care about sustainability; our Soneva Enthusiasts certainly do. They are very impressed by what we have achieved: whether it’s that we banned branded water, single-use plastics, and plastic straws or that our mandatory environmental levy has raised USD9+ million for the Soneva Foundation’s carbon offsetting projects. We also recycle 90% of our waste and our resorts’ Eco-Centro Waste to Wealth facilities are constantly innovating.
That said, in certain markets people still think to themselves, “well, if it’s sustainable it cannot be luxurious.” This is why we focus on our brand proposition of, ‘Inspiring a Lifetime of Rare Experiences’. We bring our core purpose to life through our operations and the experiences we offer.
Chinese consumers have long been devotees of luxury travel experiences, but we are currently witnessing an increased desire for luxury packages that assure our guests are getting the best possible value for money in respect of both experiences and price.
There is a demand for over-water villas, which is great for Soneva as we have a multitude of options at both Soneva Jani and Soneva Fushi in the Maldives. Chinese guests are interested in booking Water Villas with Slides, our water experiences, our new Soneva F&B concepts and Soneva Soul, our new wellness concept that we launched in early 2022.
There is also an increase in the demand for multi-generational travel, following years of uncertainty, Chinese tourists are keen to get away with their loved ones. As such, at Soneva we have created attractive packages with unique experiences to entice families wishing to travel with their children. Soneva offers two of the most incredible kids clubs in the Maldives where children are inspired to learn and get creative.
The shift to social media trends has increased the bookings we are seeing from Gen-Z guests, with many being driven from Red Book and other social channels looking to recreate incredible Reels and Live stream from our exceptional resorts.
Soneva has a reputation for providing unique and luxurious guest experiences. Can you describe some of the most memorable guest experiences at Soneva resorts?
At Soneva we are all about offering our guests what we call ‘rare’ experiences. We have a lot of repeat guests, so it is also about offering them a reason to return to our resorts year after year. Throughout the year we offer a rich array of guest activities and experiences to ensure that every stay is unique, whether it is at gazing at the stars through one of the largest telescopes in the Indian Ocean at our observatory, learning to free dive or snorkeling with our Marine Biologist.
This year, we will continue to innovate, both reinforcing our existing concepts and creating new, unforgettable experiences for our guests. In 2022, we partnered with Teamwork Arts to bring JLF to Soneva Fushi. Together, we brought over 30 authors and artists from all over the world to celebrate literature, music and art. Environment, travel, wellness, history, sustainability, poetry, astronomy and many more themes were also part of the panel discussions, events and the workshops. Following its success, the event will return for its second edition from May 12 – 21, 2023.
What future hospitality trends do you see? What are the potential wellness resort trends that could emerge in the future?
I have spent my life working in the hotel industry and have devoted my career to building what is now a network of luxury resorts. I do not believe that this puts me at odds with conservation; but I am the first to say that the hotel and tourism sectors should admit where they have failed and take steps to bring about change.
There can be no doubt that we, as an industry, consume far more than our fair share of resources. But I believe that all companies, hotel businesses included, must have a purpose beyond profit. They must play a greater role in the world beyond just enriching their shareholders. I don’t believe that this has to run counter to a successful business model, in fact, it can be central to it. We can find opportunities to make small positive changes that do not impact negatively on our profitability or our guests’ perception of our products, yet which can generate considerable good for both the environment and society. In fact, they can often enhance our guests’ experience. In the post-pandemic era, especially due to the long lockdown period in Mainland China, ways of living, working and traveling inevitably changed. High-end customers began to re-examine the meaning of life, as such, our customers today are more considered and conscience than ever before. Mindful travel has become a key focus, with many guests looking at the sustainability credits of a resort before making any bookings. The desire to improve, gain new knowledge and experiences and better oneself through educational fun experiences has become more apparent this year. Consumers are looking for meaningful travel with a focus on wellness and rare, authentic experiences. I have spoken with many trade partners in China and they all are suggesting that Soneva’s philosophy has been increasingly in demand and highly appreciated by high-end consumers in the Chinese market.
In 2023, we will also be hosting a wellness festival, Soul Festival, which will be held over a ten-day period and will feature some leading world renowned practitioners for a series of insightful talks, presentations and specialist wellness offerings. By taking bold steps we can fundamentally redress the balance between business and communities and shift back to the original purpose of the corporation as a service to society.
Over the next 25 years, we will continue to innovate, both reinforcing our existing concepts and creating new, unforgettable experiences for our guests. We have so many exciting ideas already in development, from new restaurant concepts and innovations for our villas, to sustainable initiatives to protect our reefs and support our delicate ecosystems.
