Nominations open for Hotelier Maldives Awards 2026 with 8 new team categories

Hotelier Maldives has opened nominations for the Hotelier Maldives Awards 2026, presented by Bestbuy Maldives (BBM), inviting resorts across the country to submit entries over a one-month period from 2 January 2026 via an online nominations portal. The 2026 edition marks a significant expansion of the awards programme with the introduction of eight new team-based categories, placing renewed emphasis on departmental excellence and collective performance across resort operations.

Launched in 2024 as the first awards programme of its kind dedicated to hospitality professionals in the country, the Hotelier Maldives Awards, presented by Bestbuy Maldives (BBM), were created to acknowledge the individuals and teams whose commitment and expertise underpin the success of Maldivian resorts. The platform has since become a key fixture in the industry calendar, recognising both front-line and back-of-house contributors across a wide range of disciplines.

The most recent edition, Hotelier Maldives Awards 2025, held at Barceló Nasandhura Malé, marked a new milestone for the programme. More than 450 nominations were received and over 600,000 public votes were cast for shortlisted candidates, with winners selected through a combined score from an expert judging panel (60 per cent) and public voting (40 per cent). Awards were presented across 23 individual and four team, programme and special categories, recognising excellence in areas such as general management, front office, culinary, wellness, sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

A dedicated segment also honoured long-serving hospitality professionals whose careers have helped shape Maldivian tourism. At the 2025 ceremony, the Hotelier Maldives Awards for Dedicated Service were presented to four industry veterans: Mohamed Hashim of Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, Mohamed Fuad of Bandos Maldives, Hussain Manikfaan of Coco Bodu Hithi, and Ali Rasheed Adam of Villa Resorts. These recognitions built on the tradition established at the inaugural 2024 awards, which likewise celebrated decades of service and lifetime contribution to the industry.

For 2026, the awards will continue to recognise outstanding individual hoteliers while introducing eight new team awards designed to reflect how modern resorts operate through integrated departments and cross-functional collaboration. The new team categories for 2026 are:

1. Sales & Marketing Team of the Year – recognising a team that has driven revenue growth, supported occupancy and effectively positioned the resort and destination through coordinated sales, marketing and distribution strategies.
2. Rooms Division Team of the Year – recognising an integrated rooms division encompassing front office and housekeeping teams that delivers efficient operations, strong guest engagement and consistently high standards of presentation and service.
3. HR & Training Team of the Year – recognising a human resources and training team that excels in recruitment, learning and development, employee engagement and workforce planning, contributing to staff retention and organisational stability.
4. Engineering Team of the Year – recognising an engineering or maintenance team that ensures reliable resort operations through preventative maintenance, technical efficiency, utilities management and operational sustainability.
5. Finance Team of the Year – recognising a finance department that demonstrates accuracy, efficiency and strategic oversight across budgeting, forecasting, compliance, auditing and procurement.
6. F&B & Culinary Team of the Year – recognising an integrated food and beverage and culinary team that delivers consistent dining standards, menu execution, service quality and innovation across all outlets and concepts.
7. Wellness Team of the Year – recognising a spa and wellness team that delivers structured, results-focused programmes covering treatments, fitness and lifestyle experiences, supported by effective facility and guest management.
8. Support Team of the Year – recognising essential operational teams, including recreation, IT, security, marine, logistics and other support functions, whose specialist contributions are critical to the smooth functioning of the resort.

These new team awards complement the existing portfolio of individual awards, which in 2025 included categories such as Young Hotelier of the Year, Chef of the Year, F&B Personality of the Year, Finance Personality of the Year, PR and Communications Personality of the Year, alongside a broad range of operational and leadership recognitions. Together, the individual and team categories aim to present a comprehensive view of excellence across every layer of resort operations.

Resorts are invited to submit nominations for eligible teams working at properties in the Maldives during the qualifying period. Each resort may nominate multiple teams across different categories, provided they meet the published criteria. Nominations must be submitted within the one-month window from 2 January 2026 via the official Hotelier Maldives Awards nominations portal, where full guidelines and category descriptions will be available. As an additional requirement, all nominations must be accompanied by an official nomination letter endorsed by the resort’s General Manager or Human Resources department, confirming the eligibility and support of the nominee or nominated team.

As in previous editions, winners of the 2026 awards will be selected through a combination of expert judging and public voting, maintaining the transparent and widely participated process that has become a hallmark of the programme. The awards ceremony, details of which will be announced in due course, will bring together resort leaders, department heads and team members from across the archipelago to celebrate the achievements of their peers.

Further information on eligibility, judging and the full list of categories, along with the online nomination form, will be available at hoteliermaldives.com/awards. Resorts seeking clarification may contact the Hotelier Maldives editorial team via info@hoteliermaldives.com.