Soneva

Soneva, formerly Soneva Resorts and Residences, is a resort chain founded by Sonu Shivdasani and his wife, Eva Malmström Shivdasani in 1995.^[1] The company currently owns and manages Soneva Fushi, located in the Baa Atoll in the Maldives and Soneva Kiri in Koh Kood, Thailand. It also owns and manages a two bedroom luxury yacht, Soneva in Aqua. A third resort, Soneva Jani in the Maldives, will be opening in October 2016. Soneva aims to be sustainable, and was one of the first resorts to charge a 2% carbon levy on room revenue, which is donated to the Soneva Foundation.^[2]

History

Soneva started as a resort brand under the company, Six Senses BVI, founded by Sonu Shivdasani and Eva Malmström Shivdasani in 1995.^[1] In 2012, the Shivdasanis sold the Six Senses and Evason branded resort and spa management contracts, and related intellectual property rights, to Pegasus Capital Advisors.^[3] The Shivdasanis also sold Soneva Gili to concentrate on resorts with residences, as part of the "One Owner, One Operator, One Philosophy, One Brand" strategy under Soneva.^[4] Following the change of Maldivian law in December 2010, Soneva Fushi became one of the first resorts in the Maldives to offer residences to foreigners for purchase under leasehold.^[5] A 4 bedroom villa at Soneva Fushi was the first leasehold residential property to be sold in the Maldives in March 2011.^[6]

Soneva Fushi is regarded as the first luxury hotel in the Maldives, setting of the trend of luxury holidays in the nation.^[7][8][9] It was the first "Robinson Crusoe" styled resort in the Maldives ^[2][10] and also offered the first wine cellar in the Maldives.^[11]

• 1995: Creation of Six Senses BVI and Soneva brand
• 1995: Soneva Fushi opens on the island of Kunfunadhoo, Maldives, with 48 villas
• 2001: Soneva Gili, the first resort in the Maldives to be completely over water, opens^[12]
• 2001: First Evason hotel opens in Phuket
• 2004: First Six Senses property opens in Hua Hin
• 2007: Eco Centro opens at Soneva Fushi; the Maldives' first integrated waste management centre
• 2008: Soneva Fushi debuts the first astronomy observatory in the Maldives^[13][14]
• 2008: Soneva introduces 2% carbon levy to offset carbon emissions
• 2008: Soneva bans branded bottled water
• 2009: Soneva Kiri opens in Koh Kood, Thailand^[15]
• 2010: Soneva Foundation is founded
• 2011: Sale of private residences at Soneva Fushi begins
• 2012: Split and sale of Six Senses, Evason, and Soneva Gili (now known as Gili Lankanfushi). Soneva is retained by Sonu and Eva Shivdasani as a separate brand under the “one owner, one brand” philosophy.
• 2014: Soneva Fushi opens first Art and Glass studio in the Maldives^[16][17][18]
• 2015: Soneva in Aqua sets sail
• October 2016: Soneva Jani opens with residences available for purchase^[19][20]

The Soneva Foundation

The Soneva Foundation is a UK registered charity (number 113811) founded in 2010 and receives funding through Soneva's 2% carbon levy on room revenue and profits from the sale of water bottled on the property.

One project focused on the restoration of forests in northern Thailand, in Chiang Mai where 452,000 tress were planted.^[21][22][23] A Framework Species Methodology was used, and 90 different species of trees were planted with guidance from the Forest Restoration Research Unit at Chiang Mai University. Three main sites were restored: at Si Lanna National Park, The Royal Project at Nong Hoi, and the Pai River Watershed Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Soneva Foundation has also implemented 488 projects in 53 countries to improve access to safe drinking water or basic sanitation. These projects turned into the WHOLE WORLD Water (WWW) campaign, which was co-founded by the foundation, together with Karena Albers and Jenifer Willig in 2013. Hotels and restaurants who join the campaign filter and bottle their own drinking water in reusable glass bottles, and donate 10 percent of the profits in sales to the WWW fund.^[24][25] In many places including the Maldives, this process saves the property money as they cut down on costs associated with the transportation and disposal of imported plastic-bottled water.^[21] Several properties have joined the campaign, including Fairmont Hotels, several Ritz-Carlton properties, Virgin Limited Edition hotels, Raffles Hotels and Auberge du Soleil ^[26][27]

Several notable people are campaign ambassadors of WWW:^[24][26]

• Haider Ackermann
• Waris Ahluwalia
• Yves Béhar
• Richard Branson
• Gabriel Byrne
• Ben Elliot
• Ben Goldsmith
• Graham Hill
• Stanley Johnson
• Natasha Khan
• Ryan McGinley
• Shekhar Kapur
• Edward Norton
• Johan Rockstrom
• David Mayer de Rothschild
• Tilda Swinton
• Richard Wolf

The Soneva Foundation also holds the annual SLOW LIFE Symposium, from which WHOLE WORLD Water was formed. Business leaders, scientists, NGOs, renowned thinkers and policy makers convene with the goal of implementing positive change in the world that is also good for business.

References

External Links

Official website