Veteran hotelier CHEONG Hai Poh became General Manager of the iconic Goodwood Park Hotel on 1 February 2021. Prior to that, he was General Manager of Pan Pacific Yangon, Myanmar. The President of the International Food & Beverage Management of IFBA has more than 30 years experience in the hospitality industry.
Cheong has also served as General Manager of Stamford Hotels & Resorts in Australia, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore, and Park Hotel Grand Park City Hall.
Built in 1900, Goodwood Park Hotel began as the Teutonia Club, an exclusive enclave for the expatriate German community in Singapore. In 1918, three Jewish brothers – the Manasseh Family – bought over the property and renamed it Goodwood Hall after the famous Goodwood Racecourse in England.
Goodwood Hall was registered in 1922 as a restaurant-café-entertainment establishment. One of the highlights that year was a glittering performance by prima ballerina Anna Pavlova.
In 1929, the Manassehs turned Goodwood Hall into the Goodwood Park Hotel, catering to travelling businessmen from Malaya. The hotel became one of the best-known hotels at the end of the 1930s and among the noted guests from that period was the Duke of Windsor, then the Prince of Wales.
In 1968, the Goodwood Park Hotel was acquired by the late tycoon Tan Sri KHOO Teck Puat. Today, his daughter Mavis Khoo-Oei is Chairperson.