When the system makes a promise: AI and the human responsibility of hospitality
In Hudha Faheem’s hypothetical scenario, a guest arrives at reception expecting to join an excursion confirmed by the resort’s AI assistant. The activities team has no space. Check-in is busy, the confirmation relied on outdated availability, and staff do not yet know whether other bookings are affected. For the panellists considering the problem, the immediate […]
Powering the resort, preserving the view: The case for lagoon solar
For Maldivian resorts considering floating solar, the lagoon presents both an opportunity and a difficult decision. It offers space to generate power without occupying more of the island, while remaining part of the landscape guests have travelled to enjoy. That tension ran through “Introduction to Atoll Solar and Lagoon Floating Solar”, a joint presentation at […]
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 […]
Atoll Solar, Ocean Sun to present lagoon floating solar solutions at Hotelier Maldives GM Forum 2026
Atoll Solar and Ocean Sun will deliver a joint presentation at the Hotelier Maldives General Managers (GM) Forum 2026, introducing renewable energy solutions designed for island resorts and examining the potential of floating solar technology in Maldivian lagoons. Titled “Introduction to Atoll Solar and Lagoon Floating Solar,” the presentation will be delivered by Bjorn Ove […]
Storm Events returns as Organising Partner of Hotelier Maldives GM Forum 2026
Hotelier Maldives has announced Storm Events as the Organising Partner of the Hotelier Maldives General Managers (GM) Forum 2026, continuing a partnership that has extended across the publication’s flagship industry events over the past two years. The 10th edition of the GM Forum will take place on 5 October 2026 at CROSSROADS Maldives under the […]
