Soneva owners to launch a new hotel brand

After the success of Soneva and Six Senses, two of the most acclaimed brands that have been dubbed "ultra-luxe", Sonu Shivdasani and his wife Eva are set to introduce a new resort brand.

In an interview given to Travel and Leisure Asia (TLA), Sonu had said that they had let go of their majority shares of Soneva. They stopped all operational involvement to focus on Sonu's health. 

Sonu has been undergoing treatment for lymphoma since last year. 

As was reported by TLA, the brand being introduced by Sonu and Eva is called "Sosei", which means "rebirth" in Japanese.

TLA reports that Japanese hospitality and wellness will be implemented heavily at Sosei.

When Sonu sat down for the interview this August, he was scouting for locations in Japan as to where the hotel can be built and run. He had stated that many deals were received from places such as the Arctic Circle, European mountains, South Africa and Asia.

The biggest difference between Sosei and previous brands is that while they were focused on running hotels at picturesque islands and other areas of beauty, this time they will make hotels in larger cities as well.

Sonu, who has been named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to tourism, sustainability and charity, has successfully concluded most of his treatment. He is currently undergoing immunotherapy and chemotherapy.