Celebrating resort teams: Hotelier Maldives Awards 2026 nominations in final week
Hotelier Maldives has issued a final reminder to resorts across the country to submit their nominations for the Hotelier Maldives Awards 2026, as the nomination period enters its final week and is set to close on 2 February 2026.
Launched earlier this month, the Hotelier Maldives Awards 2026, presented by Bestbuy Maldives (BBM), opened for nominations on 2 January, giving resorts a one-month window to recognise outstanding individuals and teams contributing to the success of Maldivian hospitality. With less than a week remaining, resorts are encouraged to complete and submit their entries via the official online nominations portal before the deadline.
Now a key fixture in the industry calendar, the Hotelier Maldives Awards were established in 2024 as the country’s first awards programme dedicated exclusively to hospitality professionals. The platform recognises both front-line and back-of-house contributors whose work underpins resort operations, service delivery and long-term organisational performance.
The 2026 edition marks a significant expansion of the awards programme with the introduction of eight new team-based categories, placing greater emphasis on departmental excellence and collective performance. These team awards are designed to reflect how modern resorts operate through integrated departments and cross-functional collaboration, complementing the existing portfolio of individual awards.
The most recent ceremony, the Hotelier Maldives Awards 2025, held at Barceló Nasandhura Malé, recorded strong industry engagement, with more than 450 nominations received and over 600,000 public votes cast for shortlisted candidates. Winners were selected through a combined evaluation process, comprising 60 per cent expert judging and 40 per cent public voting, across 23 individual and four team, programme and special categories.
In addition to operational and leadership awards, the programme continues its tradition of recognising long-serving professionals whose careers have helped shape Maldivian tourism. The Dedicated Service awards honour decades of contribution to the industry and remain a central element of the annual ceremony.
For 2026, resorts may submit nominations for both individual and team categories, including the newly introduced awards for Sales & Marketing, Rooms Division, HR & Training, Engineering, Finance, F&B & Culinary, Wellness, and Support Teams of the Year. Each resort may nominate multiple eligible individuals or teams across different categories, provided the published criteria are met.
All nominations must be submitted through the official Hotelier Maldives Awards nominations portal and accompanied by a formal nomination letter endorsed by the resort’s General Manager or Human Resources department, confirming eligibility and institutional support.
Hotelier Maldives has urged resorts not to miss the opportunity to recognise their teams and colleagues, noting that the nomination window will close at the end of the day on 2 February 2026.
Further details on eligibility, category guidelines and the nomination process are available at hoteliermaldives.com/awards. Resorts seeking clarification may contact the Hotelier Maldives editorial team via info@hoteliermaldives.com.
