Meeting… Aik Wee Ong As Design Hotels targets growth in Asia Pacific, the region’s newly appointed Senior Director shares his vision for strengthening the portfolio, brand presence and partnerships.
© Guo Jie Khoo
Aik Wee Ong Senior Director APAC Design Hotels As Senior Director APAC of Design Hotels, Aik Wee Ong is responsible for increasing member numbers, brand presence and partnerships across the region. Ong most recently served as Deputy Managing Director at Singapore-based design-andbuild studio ID21, prior to which he spent over a decade with Design Hotels, playing a key role in developing the brand’s commercial presence across Asia Pacific and building relationships with member hotels and regional partners.
Words: Luo Jingmei
ik Wee Ong’s career started in the skies,
A
“My time in the design-and-build industry
working as part of the pioneering revenue
fundamentally deepened my understanding
management team at Jetstar Asia, a low-
of how spaces are conceived, executed and
cost carrier under Qantas Group. But now, as
ultimately experienced,” Ong reflects. “Being
Senior Director APAC at Design Hotels, he spends
closely involved from concept through to delivery
his days traversing mountains, cities, villages and
sharpened my appreciation for the tension
seas, connecting with member hotels across the
between creative vision, commercial realities and
region. In hindsight, the Singaporean believes he
operational constraints. It reinforced how human
was always destined for hospitality.
behaviour is shaped by space, and how light,
DESIGN-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT
interaction and wellbeing.”
Ong graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in
These elements are what Design Hotels
Economics and Marketing from the University
members prioritise, so the five years away were
of Western Australia, which led to a role in
not in vain, as Ong affirms: “This perspective
aviation. However, his aspirations lay elsewhere
naturally feeds back into hospitality and travel,
and he started looking to other sectors for career
where hotels are not just places to stay, but
progression. “At the time, I had several offers,
environments that frame memory, meaning and
but Design Hotels stood out,” Ong recalls. “Its
connection.” He defines Design Hotels members
creative ethos, strong sense of individuality and
as guided by “intent rather than scale or style,
lifestyle-driven approach resonated deeply with
driven by a clear point of view – whether cultural,
me, so it was an easy decision.”
architectural, social or personal”. Independence,
Ong joined Design Hotels in 2008 as Regional
originality and being rooted in culture are the
Revenue Manager, working his way up to Regional
underlying ethos of properties, regardless of
Director, Account and Revenue Management,
changing design expressions over the years.
Asia Pacific, before leaving in 2020 to work at
050
materiality, scale and flow influence emotion,
ID21, a Singapore-based, family-run design-
CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION
and-build company. He returned to the Design
Beyond the building, the people – both those
Hotels collective in 2026, where his focus is now
who create it and those who stay in it – are
on growing the portfolio, brand presence and
key. “Community has always been central to
partnerships across the region.
Design Hotels, but its definition is expanding.