Closing the payment gap: Bank of Maldives’ Swipe and the guest experience
A couple on an island excursion find a handicraft they want to take home. In the scenario Ahmed Hizaam Khaleel put to general managers, the sale falls through for a simple reason: the craftsperson accepts only cash, while the visitors have a credit card and a phone. The guests leave without buying. For Khaleel, the […]
Powering energy resilience: Financing pathways for the private sector in Maldives
For a resort considering solar power or battery storage, the questions extend beyond choosing a technology. Who develops the asset, how it is financed and whether it makes commercial sense all influence whether an energy ambition becomes an operating project. These were the issues raised by Ayotunde Osunkunle at the Hotelier Maldives General Managers (GM) […]
Before the guest arrives: Nora Imeli on the human side of hospitality
During a recent resort stay, Nora Imeli thanked a waiter and addressed him by name. She recalled his expression changing immediately. In subsequent encounters, she noticed him smiling, talking more with other guests and returning to engage with her. “So he shaped my experience and I shaped his experience,” she told delegates at the Hotelier […]
Who will run tomorrow’s resorts? Building careers people want to stay for
“Their best capabilities become a prison,” Suresh Dissanayake observed. He was describing a management dilemma: the employee so good at their current job that the department is reluctant to let them move. A reservations agent may understand why guests book, hesitate or walk away, yet spend years being told that reservations is where they belong. […]
Who bears the cost? SHC Law & Tax, resort leaders examine forex and TGST pressures at GM Forum 2026
“Where are we as a business now standing?” The question from an audience member during SHC Law & Tax’s session at the Hotelier Maldives General Managers (GM) Forum 2026 captured the concern running through the discussion. For resort leaders, changes to foreign exchange and tax rules reach directly into the business of paying suppliers, negotiating […]
Emotional ownership can turn talent into a lasting asset, Atmosphere Core’s Shrikant Dash tells GM Forum 2026
Shrikant Dash, Deputy Managing Director – Corporate at Atmosphere Core, has called on resort leaders to build ‘emotional ownership’ among their teams, arguing that a stronger sense of purpose, trust and belonging can turn talent into an enduring organisational asset. Delivering the keynote address at the tenth edition of the Hotelier Maldives General Managers (GM) […]
Tourism leaders call for wider consultation as industry faces growing pressures
When a typhoon cut off a resort he was managing in Thailand, Mark Eletr could not give his guests all the answers. Telecommunications were unreliable and the corporate office was struggling to establish what was happening. On the island, his response was to explain what the team knew, acknowledge what it did not and promise […]
Tourism growth and telecom development closely linked, Dhiraagu CEO says
Before he arrived to lead Dhiraagu, Valdemar Ferradaz knew the Maldives through the enthusiasm of others. His children had urged him to visit. In different parts of the world, people asked whether he had been, then told him he should go. Standing before hospitality leaders at the Hotelier Maldives General Managers (GM) Forum 2026, the […]
Energy resilience: The next priority for Maldivian resorts
For decades, energy planning at Maldivian resorts has largely been about one thing: reliability. Keep the generators running, maintain sufficient redundancy, and ensure that guests never know what is happening behind the scenes. More recently, another priority has moved to the forefront; sustainability. Solar PV has become increasingly common across the industry, helping resorts reduce […]
Solar at scale: How RAH GILI MALDIVES is reducing diesel dependence and embracing sustainability
During a recent visit to RAH GILI MALDIVES, we encountered a part of the island that most guests may never see, but which could become one of the defining elements of the resort’s operating model. Beyond the villas, dining venues and guest pathways, in the back-of-the-house area of the resort, lies an expansive solar installation […]
From daily operations to reef: Making marine conservation part of guest experience at OBLU SELECT Sangeli
At OBLU SELECT Sangeli, marine conservation connects two areas of resort life that are often discussed separately: the work taking place on the reef and the decisions made across daily operations. For Marine Biologist Giorgia Maggioni, that work involves coral nurseries, reef monitoring, data collection, partnerships and guest education through the Muraka Marine Conservation Centre. […]
Contracts signed, brochures printed: This bill rewrites price
A bill before the Majlis would order the world’s travel sellers to collect 17% Maldivian tax from 1 October—in the middle of a selling season whose prices were fixed months ago. It arrives without workings, without machinery, and without any sign its drafters have sat in a contracting meeting. The industry that feeds this economy […]
