From recognition to responsibility: Ahmed Zahir on building Maldivian leadership at Angsana Velavaru
When Ali Shareef was named Procurement Personality of the Year at the Hotelier Maldives Awards 2026, the recognition reached beyond one employee and one department. It highlighted a function on which every part of an island resort depends, and it gave Angsana Velavaru a public example of the Maldivian career development that General Manager Ahmed […]
Evolution, not revolution: Kuredhivaru prepares for its next chapter as Mondrian Maldives
After seven years of building a position in the Maldives resort market, Kuredhivaru Resort & Spa is preparing for a change in identity. The resort will become Mondrian Maldives, bringing the Mondrian lifestyle brand to its private island setting in Noonu Atoll. For General Manager Stanislaw Pajdzinski, however, the transition is not about starting again. […]
Beyond operations: Harish Nair on shaping the soul of RAH GILI and DON MAAGA MALDIVES
For Harish Nair, the next chapter of his hospitality career is not simply about opening or operating resorts. It is about helping two Maldivian islands develop distinct identities, building teams that understand the emotional purpose of service and creating places that remain in guests’ memories long after their departure. As Cluster General Manager of SIX […]
Hospitality, heritage and place: How Raffaella Colleoni sees the Heritage Villas as a model for a more rooted Maldives
For many hotels, identity is built through design language, service standards or location. At The Barefoot in Hanimaadhoo, identity has long been tied to something more layered: the attempt to create a tourism experience that remains in conversation with the island around it. The opening of the Heritage Villas adds a new dimension to that […]
Mohamed Mausoom: Making of a Maldivian leader at Velaa Private Island
At Velaa Private Island, Mohamed Mausoom’s appointment as General Manager is more than a promotion. It is the continuation of a journey that began long before titles, long before the resort established itself among the Maldives’ most exclusive addresses, and long before the industry began speaking about local leadership in ultra-luxury hospitality with the urgency […]
Abdulla Fathhey: Making a big island feel effortless at Villa Park
By Maaish Mohamed and Mariyam Saliya Mohamed On an island with the scale and recognisability of Sun Island, change is never simply cosmetic. The renaming of a Maldivian mainstay to Villa Park is a high-visibility move, but for Abdulla Fathhey, General Manager of Villa Park, the point is not novelty. It is clarity. Villa Resorts […]
Legacy in Laamu: Marteyne van Well on building culture of care, continuity, commitment
When Six Senses Laamu was named “CSR Programme of the Year” at the 2025 Hotelier Maldives Awards, it was more than just an industry accolade. For Regional General Manager Marteyne van Well, who has been at the helm since the resort’s opening week in 2011, the recognition affirmed over a decade of purpose-driven leadership grounded […]
‘Joy of Living’ through Maldivian lens: Shifaz Hassan at JOALI Maldives
When JOALI Maldives opened in 2018, it brought a new dimension to the country’s luxury tourism landscape by embedding art and storytelling into the guest experience. At the centre of this philosophy today is its General Manager, Shifaz Hassan, one of the few Maldivian leaders in the ultra-luxury sector, who carries both the responsibility of […]
Managing a well-living island: Graeme Freeman on balancing joyful transformation at JOALI BEING
Graeme Freeman, General Manager of JOALI BEING, oversees a truly unique destination in the Maldives, a well-living island dedicated to guiding guests on a journey of joyful transformation. Rooted in the resort’s signature Four Pillars of Mind, Skin, Microbiome, and Energy, Freeman’s leadership blends cutting-edge science with ancient wisdom to create personalised experiences that restore […]
Yogeswaran Veerasamy on dusitD2 Feydhoo’s new paradigm for Maldivian hospitality
The opening of a new resort in the Maldives is a regular occurrence, yet the inauguration of dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives on 27 July 2025 signals a notable shift in the nation’s hospitality landscape. As the second property from the Dusit International portfolio to launch in the country, it brings a distinct proposition to the market, […]
Jean-Louis Ripoche on Dusit’s fresh direction with dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives
On July 27, 2025, amidst the turquoise expanse of the Baa Atoll, Dusit Hotels & Resorts marked a significant milestone with the soft opening of its second property in the Maldives, dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives. The launch represents not just an expansion of the Thai hospitality group’s footprint but the introduction of its vibrant, lifestyle-focused ‘d2’ […]
Game-changing Siyam World’s Ausy Waseem on turning childhood fantasies into resort reality
By Maaish Mohamed and Mariyam Saliya Mohamed In the Maldives’ ever-evolving luxury hospitality scene, where breathtaking villas, turquoise lagoons, and impeccable service are the norm, standing out requires more than delivering the expected. It demands courage, vision, and a bold reimagining of what a resort can be. At the heart of one such transformation is […]
