Hotelier Maldives Awards 2025 honours top professionals in Maldivian hospitality

The pinnacle of Maldivian hospitality was celebrated Saturday evening as Hotelier Maldives hosted the prestigious Hotelier Maldives Awards 2025. Presented by Bestbuy Maldives (BBM), the grand ceremony at Barceló Nasandhura Male’ honoured the exceptional individuals and teams whose dedication and talent continue to elevate the country’s world-renowned tourism industry.

Building on the remarkable success of its inaugural event in 2024, which saw over 300 nominations and 100,000 public votes, the 2025 edition of the awards reached new heights. An impressive 450-plus nominations were received and a staggering 600,000 votes cast by the public for the shortlisted nominees. The winners were determined through a comprehensive evaluation, with 60% of the score awarded by a panel of expert judges and the remaining 40% from public voting.

This year’s awards also saw the introduction of four new categories, reflecting the diverse and evolving nature of the industry: Watersports Personality of the Year, Diving Personality of the Year, Airport Representative of the Year, and Resort Manager of the Year.

The evening was a showcase of the industry’s finest, with awards presented across 23 individual and 4 team categories. The winners represent the pinnacle of service, innovation, and leadership in Maldivian hospitality.

Individual Award Winners

The individual awards recognised a wide array of roles, from front-of-house to back-of-house, underscoring the collaborative effort required for a resort’s success. The winners of the individual categories are:

Young Hotelier of the Year: Fathuhulla Naseer – Barceló Whale Lagoon and Barceló Nasandhura Maldives

Wellness Personality of the Year: I Gusti Ayu Ariani – Cora Cora Resort Maldives

Concierge/Guest Service Personality of the Year: Mariyam Shaghaf – The Ritz Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

Security Officer of the Year: Ahmed Jamsheed – Sun Siyam Iru Veli

Mariner of the Year: Aheej Abdul Gadir – Jumeirah Olhahali Island Maldives

Landscaper of the Year: Dakshina Moorthy Thankarajan – The Ritz Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

Housekeeper of the Year: Mohamed Aslam – Cheval Blanc Randheli

IT Personality of the Year: Hussain Saamiu – Milaidhoo Maldives

Engineer of the Year: Mohamed Shaheem – Dhigali Maldives

Procurement Personality of the Year: Hawwa Nazima – Pulse Hotels & Resorts

Aviator of the Year: Naif Abdul Rahman – Manta Air

F&B Personality of the Year: Mohamed Zaeem – Conrad Maldives Rangali

Chef of the Year and BBM Chairman’s Special Award for Chef of the Year: Ahmed Jameel – One&Only Reethi Rah

HR & Training Personality of the Year: Ismail Isam – Kurumba Maldives

Watersports Personality of the Year: Ali Siraathu – Royal Island Resort & Spa

Diving Personality of the Year: Azim Naseer – Dusit Thani Maldives

Airport Representative of the Year: Hussain Waheed – One&Only Reethi Rah

Finance Personality of the Year: Aruna Priya Jayasinghe Nissangkage – Intercontinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort and Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives

Sales Personality of the Year: Alia Korshykova – The Ritz Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

PR and Communications Personality of the Year: Seema Misra – Atmosphere Core

Marketer of the Year: Khaled Jarrah – Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi

Resort Manager of the Year: Ausy Waseem – Siyam World

GM of the Year: Mohamed Ashraf – Jumeirah Olhahali Island Maldives

Team, Programme, and Special Awards

Recognising that excellence is a collective effort, the awards also celebrated outstanding teams and initiatives. The winners in these categories were:

Hotel Team of the Year: Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa

Training and Development Programme of the Year: The Marriott Kurimagu Leadership Programme

Sustainability Champion of the Year: OZEN Life Maadhoo

CSR Programme of the Year: Six Senses Laamu

A highlight of the evening was the Special Awards segment, which honoured four industry veterans for their long and dedicated service. The Hotelier Maldives Awards 2025 for Dedicated Service were conferred by the Hon. Moosa Zameer, Minister of Finance and Planning, to:

Mohamed Hashim, Housekeeping Manager at Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives

Mohamed Fuad, Engineering Manager at Bandos Maldives

Ali Rasheed Adam, Director of Sales & Marketing at Villa Resorts

Hussain Manikfaan, who retired in 2025 as Restaurant Manager at Coco Bodu Hithi

The Hotelier Maldives Awards 2025 was made possible through the generous support of its sponsors and partners. This includes Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) as the Title Sponsor, Dhiraagu as the Digital Partner, Bank of Maldives (BML) as the Banking Partner, Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) as the Gold Sponsor, Male’ Aerated Water Company (MAWC) as the Beverage Partner, Alia Investments and Metalsigns as Associate Sponsors, and Storm Events (Think Maldives) as the Organising Partner. The evening’s atmosphere was enhanced by 2ofus as the Entertainment Partner, with Maldives TV serving as the Media Partner. Supporting partners included Maldives Insider, OOFI, Ikebana Maldives, and Lightsout Studios.

The Hotelier Maldives Awards continues to be the only platform for recognising and celebrating the professionals who are the cornerstone of the Maldives’ unparalleled hospitality, promising an even brighter future for the industry.