From international hotel designers like Jean-Michel Gathy and Dorothee Meilichzon to hoteliers like Artur Lupashko and Christine Cunanan, The Hotel Journal is all about sharing stories from the industry across the world. Hong Kong brand Dorsett Hospitality International has recently launched an aparthotel concept: Dao by Dorsett. We sat down with Winnie Chiu, President of the company to learn more.

An interview with Winnie Chiu, President of Dorsett Hospitality International

Tell us a little about how you made your way into the hospitality industry?

My family has always been involved in the entertainment (cinema, media, and even an amusement park!), hospitality and land development industries. The one thing that always stood out to me was how we were able to create and offer experiences which brought joy and smiles to our guests and customers.

Dao West London exterior
Dao West London was the first of the new Dao by Dorsett properties to open worldwide

My dad is a successful real estate developer and after a stint working at Credit Suisse, learning about the retail industry in Malaysia and even starting my own burger chain in Hong Kong, I eventually decided to join the family business to grow and develop our hotel assets. My passion has always been about people development.

What I value most about the hotel industry is that it’s a platform of opportunity for the hard working as the barrier of entry, such as for qualifications, is lower than other industries. This allows for greater people development and career enhancement. Many of our hotels’ general managers started out in a concierge role or as part of the front office team, and it’s extremely satisfying to see them progress throughout their career. Being able to be part of their journey and offer these opportunities is what makes my job so rewarding.

What does your role as President of Dorsett International see you working on day-to-day?

After I became President and Executive Director of Dorsett Hospitality International in 2010, the company has grown from 11 hotels in three geographies to 64 hotels with a total of over 14,000 rooms across Mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Australia, United Kingdom and Continental Europe.

My day-to-day is never quite the same as I wear many different hats as not just a hotelier but also a hotel owner and real estate developer with my role at Far East Consortium, Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts School and as an investor! I love to learn about everything and I feel so lucky that it’s part of my job.

How have you seen the hotel industry evolve over the last decade (and during Covid)?

Hospitality is an industry which is constantly evolving and to be at the forefront of the industry, you always have to be innovative and inventive and adapt with the times.

I remember when I first joined in 2010, most hotels were still charging for Wifi. It’s surprising to think that not too long ago this was considered an added service rather than a basic amenity! I’m proud that our group has many firsts such as switching out all single-use bathroom amenities to large, refillable bottles across all Dorsett Hotels globally many years ago as well as the very first in Hong Kong to act as quarantine hotels.

The biggest change in the last decade is definitely the fact that sustainability has to be at the forefront. Post Covid, there will definitely be a travel boom as more countries open. Increasingly, guests are taking sustainability into account and looking for more choice, flexibility and local experiences when making their travel decisions. Naturally, this requires a significant investment towards technology and sustainability solutions. However, Dorsett truly believes in the value of such action and using our platform as hotels to inspire our guests to also make more sustainable choices.

What seeded the idea for Dao by Dorsett?

We identified pre-Covid that there was a growing demand for longer-stay products and serviced apartments. Prior to the pandemic, the serviced apartment market in London was growing by an average of 5.2% between 2016 and 2019. In comparison, London hotel growth had remained steady with a three year average of 3.3%, showing the opportunity available in this space.

Dao West London interior of hotel room
The long-stay rooms at Dao West London have a modern aesthetic

But while we had identified this trend prior to Covid, it really took off during the pandemic and the data we were seeing was very encouraging. For example, in the US during the latter half of 2020, STR reported a 65.8% occupancy for serviced apartments compared to an average of 48% for the overall hotel industry.

We feel that this trend for serviced apartments is here to stay. And now that the world is opening up, guests are prioritising the flexibility and add-on services that an aparthotels concept can offer. With Dao by Dorsett, we are looking to add back a guest experience to the serviced apartment concept and show guests a new and modern way to travel.

How does the new brand differ from what you already offer?

We see a significant shift in people’s travel behaviour especially in relation to the rise of remote work. Many people now have the freedom to choose when and where they work and may look to travel less frequently but stay for a longer amount of time.

Aparthotels offer a hybrid guest experience that offers the space and amenities of a serviced apartment with the add-ons of a hotel stay.

We will have a Dao houseplant library, for example, where guests may adopt their own plant to look after during their stay, a signature tea, and art and F&B pop-ups in our gathering spaces. A big part of the Dao brand is focused around being able to offer that choice and flexibility for our guests – if our guests want to bring their pet with them would like to enjoy an in-room spa experience with a sweat blanket and infrared light or create their own in-room gym set-up, we will offer these add-ons to choose from.

What can guests staying at Dao by Dorsett expect?

The Dao brand and name is actually inspired by the Chinese word ‘道’ (which in English literally translates into the word ‘way’) and its links to the Chinese philosophy of Daoism and finding your own path towards living in harmony.

The Dao by Dorsett experience brings a younger, more welcoming feel with wellness, nature and community playing a big part of the brand. We are reinventing what it means to travel for both business and leisure in today’s world post-Covid.

Our Dao by Dorsett properties will work with local farmers to curate fresh, seasonal produce as welcome hampers for our guests and work with art and wellness influencers on a regular basis to host workshops and community events. With sustainability in mind, the properties in the UK both feature solar panels to generate renewable energy and we have also fitted the serviced apartments with low-flush toilets, eco-shower heads, low-energy appliances, bamboo trash cans and more.

You’ve just launched in London, where else is on the cards for expansion of the brand?

Dao by Dorsett AMTD Singapore pool
The new Dao by Dorsett AMTD Singapore

Dao by Dorsett AMTD Singapore is our first foray into the Asian market and offers 268 fully serviced apartment units, two dining destinations and a beautiful pool deck overlooking downtown Singapore and the upcoming Greater Southern Waterfront. The studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom options will offer a lot of different types of experiences for our guests, and we’re looking forward to announcing more lifestyle tie-ups soon.

Do you have any other big dreams for Dorsett in the pipeline that you can share?

For Dorsett Hospitality International, we really believe in investing in positive impacts. My dream is for our hotels to continue to inspire our guests as well as our peers to work together in building a better, more vibrant and greener future for all. We are doing this not just through our hotel operations but for all our new builds with larger investment into solar panels, renewable energy and ensuring there are strict policies in place to recycle up to 90% of construction waste on site.

For Dorsett Hotels, we are very excited to have our second hotel in Australia open at the end of this year, Dorsett Melbourne and for our new flagship hotel in Hong Kong, Dorsett Kai Tak set to open late next year. We will also continue to expand Dao by Dorsett in Asia!

Find out more about Dorsett Hospitality International and Dao by Dorsett

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