Greg Allen on renewing Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa through its people and guest experiences

At Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa, the refurbishment programme reaches from villas and restaurants to the way guests plan their time on the island. For General Manager Greg Allen, these changes depend on understanding what guests value about the property and where their experience needs to improve.

Speaking to Hotelier Maldives, Allen described an approach that brings investment in facilities together with staff development and environmental management. The work covers accommodation, dining venues, recreation facilities, the kids’ club and public spaces, while the resort continues to welcome guests.

Allen took over in October 2024. Before setting priorities, he consulted associates, owners and Marriott colleagues, taking time to assess the property and its position in the market. He found an experienced team and a resort with foundations on which to build.

“My job was really to assess the opportunities and I took some time to do that,” he said.

That assessment has shaped the refurbishment. The owners’ willingness to invest provided the means to improve the facilities, while Allen focused on how the team would deliver the service to accompany them. His account of his time at the resort repeatedly returns to the relationship between those responsibilities.

Guest feedback has helped determine where the investment should go. Allen said Marriott’s systems gather responses after a stay, alongside feedback collected while guests are on the island. Reviewing this information has allowed the team to identify the features guests appreciate, the shortcomings they report and the areas where competitors offer something better.

The process has also helped establish what the resort should retain. Allen described the island’s landscape and its Maldivian character as reasons guests return. Coconut palms form part of that identity, alongside banyan trees that he said are more than 150 years old.

“Everything that we’ve done on the island has been to really retain all of that and retain the beauty of the island, not change the character of the island,” he said.

The intention is to improve comfort and technology while preserving the setting that guests recognise. Allen said the team had approached the investment through a process of analysis and review, assessing how each change would improve a stay.

“We’ve not done anything without intent,” he said.

The scope extends across the guest journey, beginning with arrival and continuing through accommodation, dining and recreation. At the time of the interview, Allen said work had taken place on villas and restaurants, while the kids’ club was undergoing renovation. He also described further upgrades to the villas as part of the programme.

Delivering those changes while operating the resort requires coordination between the hotel team, owners, Marriott, interior designers and contractors. Many materials arrive by boat, and their delivery has to be coordinated with the availability of workers and other resources.

“Running a resort and doing a renovation concurrently is a challenge,” Allen said.

He sees his role as keeping the parties involved working together. Planning and coordination are central to managing the work alongside resort operations, and he said he was pleased with the outcomes he had seen in restaurants and public areas so far. Returning guests and partners, he expects, will notice the changes as the programme progresses.

The project draws on experience Allen gained in both hotel management and roles overseeing portfolios. His previous work involved investment opportunities, owner priorities and market conditions. Returning to a property has required closer involvement in the details of daily operations, particularly the logistics of running an island resort.

“I have to be much more present, much more involved,” he said.

He described the return as “a kind of new lease of life”, while explaining that his experience across markets still informs decisions about positioning and guest preferences. It helps him consider how the resort can distinguish itself through the facilities and services it offers.

One area receiving attention is the time guests spend organising their holiday. Allen said many arrive from demanding working lives and want to avoid spending their stay making arrangements. The resort therefore encourages them to plan activities before travelling, with recommendations ranging from excursions to cocktail-making sessions.

“Time is the element which our guests value the most,” he said.

Once on the island, guests have access to a team member known as a connector, who coordinates activities and helps with arrangements such as restaurant reservations. The role gives guests a point of contact for the details of their stay.

“So that connector will take care of all those small details for them so that they can just completely switch off when they come to the island,” Allen said.

This focus on coordination sits alongside training in personalisation, responding to questions and handling requests promptly. Allen believes guests remember how interactions with staff made them feel, giving the service element of the refurbishment a bearing on whether the investment achieves its purpose.

Staff development also connects the project to Marriott’s commitment to creating opportunities for Maldivians. Allen highlighted two routes: the Kurimagu programme, which prepares employees for leadership responsibilities, and an apprenticeship programme for those entering hospitality.

“Marriott International recognises that the development of local talent is critical,” he said.

According to Allen, Marriott recruits approximately 80 to 100 interns across its properties in the Maldives each year. He said 10 had graduated from Sheraton Maldives in the previous year, with about 12 expected to join the resort through the next October intake. The property had also seen employees graduate from Kurimagu during his tenure.

These programmes provide a way to prepare the team for the service expectations accompanying the refurbishment. Allen’s own responsibility, as he described it, is to mentor Maldivians with the potential to progress. He hopes that development will eventually lead to a Maldivian becoming general manager of the property.

The investment in the island’s environment carries a similar emphasis on continuity. Allen considers its protection one of his responsibilities as general manager, alongside the care of associates. That includes spending on gardens and trees, supporting the people who maintain them and explaining their importance to staff and guests.

He also described expenditure on mangrove replanting and work to protect the island in response to higher ocean swells. Such measures form part of the ownership’s ongoing investment in the property, alongside the refurbishment of guest facilities.

Energy generation has changed through the installation of a solar system. Allen said it now supplies around 30 per cent of the resort’s electricity, representing the first phase of the programme. He acknowledged that some resorts in the Maldives had progressed further, while describing the installation as part of Sheraton Maldives’ efforts to catch up.

Guests, he said, increasingly ask how the resort generates electricity and disposes of waste. Their questions have reinforced the importance of explaining how the island is managed. Allen also highlighted controls on plastic and continuing efforts to reduce waste.

In the water, the resort continues to invest in coral regeneration and monitoring marine biodiversity. Allen said four individuals work in the coral garden throughout the week, maintaining and cleaning the corals. Their responsibilities also include biodiversity studies, with findings shared with the resort and universities in Australia and the United Kingdom.

The work reflects the resort’s dependence on the environment that draws visitors to the Maldives. Guests come to see coral and fish, Allen observed, making the care of those ecosystems part of the operation’s future. His commitment also has a personal basis.

“I feel it’s my duty to also take care of that ecosystem,” he said.

As the refurbishment progresses, Allen wants the different investments to support a family experience that allows guests to relax and learn about the island. Improvements to accommodation and facilities are intended to work alongside the planning, service and environmental care that shape their time there.

He will judge the outcome through the response of the people who stay, including whether they choose to return.

“If we can come out with very satisfied and repeat customers, then I’ll be very happy with the work which we’ve done on the island,” he said.