Due to a fruitful profession in legislation, Wong had the chance to journey all through the globe over the span of a decade and was uncovered to many various cultures and experiences alongside the way in which that helped her deliver to life what The Roundtree is in the present day. We had the possibility to study extra about Wong’s lawyer-turned-hotelier background and the way she’s woven her Chinese language background into the lodge’s magic, from its culinary choices to particular occasions.
How Wong has woven her background into the inspiration of her enterprise
Though you is likely to be fooled in any other case—due to the impeccable lodge she operates in the present day—Wong didn’t come from a background in hospitality, per se. “Changing into a hotelier is an entire departure from what most of my skilled profession has appeared like. I studied legislation at New York College,” Wong says.
To that finish, Wong says that she realized loads about easy methods to run a profitable hospitality enterprise whereas touring around the globe. “After working at a legislation agency in New York Metropolis for a number of years, I joined a expertise agency and was based mostly in Asia for about 10 years. I used to be accountable for the authorized affairs of its rising markets enterprise, so I spent quite a lot of time touring in Asia, Latin America, Jap Europe, and Africa. That was an unimaginable expertise, professionally,” Wong says. “On a private degree, with the ability to reside and work throughout the globe matches my curiosity completely. I’ve all the time loved touring.”
Associated Tales
What’s extra, her ardour and curiosity for cultures around the globe is what impressed her core values in her enterprise in the present day. “Due to these travels, it’s helped to border up the creation and expertise that’s delivered at The Roundtree, from the design aesthetic right down to the service,” Wong says. Since her ardour for hospitality and design impressed the lodge, she notes that each final element displays her values and experiences. “The property’s ethos is 100% related to my roots.”
One such method was the lodge’s Lunar New 12 months celebrations, which featured culinary packages with Asian American restaurateurs and “fastidiously chosen design components,” Wong says. “This previous 12 months, we excitedly added Lunar New 12 months celebrations inside our first-ever culinary collection that passed off within the winter.” The celebrations included the Savor the Hamptons collection, which introduced a various group of cooks from New York Metropolis for weekend residencies for visitors to expertise unique food-focused packages.
“For the Lunar New 12 months, we hosted a standard expertise at our Seaside Home. It spotlighted the vacation’s basic traditions, offered a dumpling-making alternative for visitors, allow them to pattern quite a lot of totally different conventional meals, and luxuriate in conventional tea,” Wong says.
What’s in retailer on the lodge subsequent?
Going into its third 12 months of operation, Wong says the packages and revolutionary methods she will be able to weave her cultural ties are nonetheless evolving. “As of proper now, we’re a lot within the planning technique of our upcoming programming,” she says. Whereas she’s within the growth course of, Wong hopes to recreate the success of the winter-timed Savor the Hamptons culinary collection they hosted earlier this 12 months. “Particularly, we’re excited to spotlight feminine culinary leaders and hospitality innovators this 12 months, and I am trying ahead to partnering with a various vary of cooks. Each taste, delicacies, and type of consolation meals has a spot at our desk,” she says.
“Particularly, we’re excited to spotlight feminine culinary leaders and hospitality innovators this 12 months, and I am trying ahead to partnering with a various vary of cooks. Each taste, delicacies, and type of consolation meals has a spot at our desk,”—Sylvia Wong, founder, The Roundtree, Amagansett
The core of her operation, nonetheless? Her visitors, which is why Wong welcomes any and all suggestions from those that keep on the lodge to reinforce their expertise additional. “From the day The Roundtree opened its doorways to welcome its first visitors three years in the past, we have now been blessed to have acquired constant suggestions from our visitors concerning the understated luxurious and serenity of the property and the bespoke service they acquired. We’re thrilled as we got down to create a gorgeous place the place our visitors would really feel like it’s their second residence,” Wong says.
