Because of a fruitful profession in regulation, Wong had the chance to journey all through the globe over the span of a decade and was uncovered to many alternative 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 be taught 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 may 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. “Turning into a hotelier is a whole departure from what most of my skilled profession has seemed like. I studied regulation at New York College,” Wong says.
To that finish, Wong says that she realized rather a lot about tips on how to run a successful hospitality business whereas touring world wide. “After working at a regulation 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 liable for the authorized affairs of its rising markets enterprise, so I spent loads of time touring in Asia, Latin America, Japanese Europe, and Africa. That was an unbelievable expertise, professionally,” Wong says. “On a private degree, with the ability to dwell and work throughout the globe matches my curiosity completely. I’ve at all times loved touring.”
Associated Tales
What’s extra, her ardour and curiosity for cultures world wide 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 all the way 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 one hundred pc linked to my roots.”
One such manner was the lodge’s Lunar New 12 months celebrations, which featured culinary packages with Asian American restaurateurs and “fastidiously chosen design parts,” Wong says. “This previous yr, we excitedly added Lunar New 12 months celebrations inside our first-ever culinary collection that came about 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 friends 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 traditional traditions, offered a dumpling-making alternative for friends, allow them to pattern a wide range of totally different conventional meals, and luxuriate in conventional tea,” Wong says.
What’s in retailer on the lodge subsequent?
Going into its third yr 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 strategy of our upcoming programming,” she says. Whereas she’s within the improvement course of, Wong hopes to recreate the success of the winter-timed Savor the Hamptons culinary collection they hosted earlier this yr. “Particularly, we’re excited to focus on feminine culinary leaders and hospitality innovators this yr, and I am wanting 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 focus on feminine culinary leaders and hospitality innovators this yr, and I am wanting 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 friends, which is why Wong welcomes any and all suggestions from those that keep on the lodge to boost their expertise additional. “From the day The Roundtree opened its doorways to welcome its first friends three years in the past, now we have been blessed to have acquired constant suggestions from our friends 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 stupendous place the place our friends would really feel like it’s their second residence,” Wong says.
