Anantara Kihavah, Niyama Private Islands secure seven Travel + Leisure awards
Minor Hotels’ properties in the Maldives have received seven accolades in the Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific, with Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas recognised in five categories and Niyama Private Islands Maldives securing two awards.
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas was ranked third among the Maldives’ Best Resorts and second in the Best House Reefs category. The resort also placed fourth in the Most Outrageous Villas, Best Resort Pools and Best Resort Spas categories.
Located in Baa Atoll, Anantara Kihavah is known for its private pool villas, surrounding reef and underwater restaurant. Anantara Spa at the resort was ranked fourth among the country’s resort spas.
Niyama Private Islands Maldives was recognised for The Crescent, its private island compound, which placed third in the Most Outrageous Villas category. Drift Spa at Niyama was ranked sixth among the Best Resort Spas in the Maldives.
The Crescent consists of a collection of villas located on a private section of the resort and is designed for families and groups travelling together. Drift Spa is situated within Niyama’s tropical surroundings and offers treatment rooms, relaxation spaces and wellness experiences.
The Maldives accolades contributed to a record 31 awards received by Minor Hotels across the Asia-Pacific region, compared with 26 in the previous year.
The group’s flagship luxury brand, Anantara Hotels & Resorts, was also named the region’s number-one Favourite Hotel Brand of the Year.
“The T+L readers have spoken and, with a record 31 awards, Minor Hotels stands among the region’s most celebrated hospitality groups,” said Nicholas Smith, Vice President Operations – Asia at Minor Hotels.
“I am particularly proud of Anantara being named the region’s favourite brand, and of our teams in Laos and Thailand for securing their number-one positions. These results reaffirm that our focus on innovation and on creating standout guest experiences continues to resonate with travellers.”
Elsewhere in the region, Avani+ Luang Prabang in Laos was named the Best Hotel, while its general manager, Max Chin, was ranked first in the Best General Managers category.
Anantara Chiang Mai Resort was voted Thailand’s Best Upcountry Hotel, while other Minor Hotels properties in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia were recognised across resort, city hotel, spa and pool categories.
Minor Hotels’ travel experiences also featured in the awards, with Mekong Kingdoms and Loy Pela Voyages ranked second and fourth, respectively, among the region’s Best River Cruises.
GHA DISCOVERY, the loyalty programme of the Global Hotel Alliance, was named the number-one Hotel Loyalty Programme. Minor Hotels participates in the programme through Minor DISCOVERY.
The Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific are determined through a readers’ survey, with travellers voting across categories covering hotels, resorts, villas, spas, pools, cruises and loyalty programmes.
