# John (Woong Hee) Lee

> John (Woong Hee) Lee is the founder and CEO of H2O Hospitality, a hospitality technology company founded in South Korea in 2015. A Cornell hotel administration graduate and former Morgan Stanley professional, he developed the business from housekeeping into hotel operations technology and expanded into Asian and Middle Eastern markets.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at H2O Hospitality, Ltd.
- **Organizations:** H2O Hospitality, Ltd., Morgan Stanley, GOGOVAN (now GoGoX)
- **From:** Vancouver, Canada
- **Nationality:** Korean-Canadian (self-described)
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Administration, Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration
- **Known for:** Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Consumer Technology, in 2018, as reported in his 2020 interview., Built H2O from housekeeping into hospitality operations and technology., H2O operated solutions in seven countries and 34 cities as reported in April 2025.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2015** — Worked at Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong and subsequently at GOGOVAN.
- **2015** — Founded H2O Hospitality in South Korea.
- **2017** — Described H2O’s Japanese business as a housekeeping platform.
- **2018** — Expanded Japanese operations into broader hospitality management.
- **2023** — Participated in the Korea-UAE business delegation and pursued Middle East expansion.
- **2024** — H2O established its Abu Dhabi regional headquarters with ADIO support.
- **2026** — ADI Foundation announced a partnership with H2O; H2O’s Rotana smart check-in rollout covered 15 Abu Dhabi hotels.

## Achievements

- Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Consumer Technology, in 2018, as reported in his 2020 interview.
- Built H2O from housekeeping into hospitality operations and technology.
- H2O operated solutions in seven countries and 34 cities as reported in April 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — H2O’s smart check-in system was installed at 15 Rotana-branded hotels in Abu Dhabi, covering 4,240 rooms; expansion beyond Abu Dhabi was under discussion.
- **2026-02** — ADI Foundation announced its H2O partnership on February 5 to integrate blockchain-enabled wallets, identity, and payments into travel experiences.
- **2025-04** — Lee discussed H2O FLOW, Gulf expansion, and its seven-country, 34-city footprint in an interview.

## Links

- Website: https://www.h2ohospitality.io/en/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-w-lee-0216378a/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-woong-hee-lee
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-20