Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world's leading luxury hospitality company, today announced Four Seasons Private Island Maldives at Voavah, Baa Atoll, the first private island in the company's portfolio and the world's only exclusive- use UNESCO hideaway located in a World Biosphere Reserve.
Outrigger Enterprises Group has announced the appointment of Jennifer Obregon as Director of Human Resources for the Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort.
The opening of the boutique five star Milaidhoo Island Maldives this November promises its guests a new chapter of barefoot island living on its tiny 300m by 180m island set in the heart of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Baa Atoll region of the Maldives.
Soneva, the world-leading luxury resort operator, has revealed details of its newest resort, Soneva Jani, opening in October 2016 in the Maldives. The brand's newest luxury resort offering will comprise 24 water villas and one island villa, with additional island villas planned at a later stage.
With 22 years of professional experience in the industry, including positions at independent restaurants and five star hotels, the arrival of Michael McCalman is highly anticipated. He has held four positions within the Shangri-La brand previously, notably as Executive Chef for the opening of Shangri-La Futian in Shenzhen, China, and was instrumental in its culinary success.
Over time, the Maldives has proven itself to be a resilient market and rebounded quickly from downturn. Benefiting from its pristine natural islands, crystal-clear water and idyllic sandy beaches, resorts are able to achieve high room rates compared to other resort destinations, making Maldives one of the most expensive leisure destinations worldwide. After a period of political turmoil and the newly appointed political leadership, Maldives has been stable and is anticipated to continue to retain its appeal in the coming years. The hotel industry is expected to continue growing with several resorts are expected to open within the next few years.
W Retreat & Spa – Maldives has announced the appointment of its new General Manager, Anton Birnbaum. Hailing from Austria, Anton will be responsible for the overall operation of W Retreat & Spa – Maldives, providing strategic leadership to his new team and delivering the W experience to the hotel guests and clients.
Introducing Amari Havodda Maldives, a 120-villa private island hideaway located in the pristine Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll approximately 400km south of the capital Male. A lush tropical paradise in a secluded part of the Indian Ocean, Amari Havodda Maldives is situated within one of the largest atolls in the world, enveloped by stunning nature with tropical greenery, turquoise lagoons and white sandy beaches. A haven for diving, snorkelling and underwater discovery, the island is surrounded by a pristine house reef featuring spectacular coral zones and marine habitats.
Michael Wieser has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Lily Hotels and Resorts Pvt Ltd, owner and operator of Lily Beach Resort & Spa and Dhonakulhi Investments Pvt Ltd, owner and operator of Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa.
Following one year of construction and development, Amari Havodda Maldives marked its official opening in the presence of senior government officials from the Maldives and Sri Lanka, including Mr Abdulla Jihad, Minister of Finance and Treasury, Republic of Maldives, Mr Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Both Ministers were accompanied by Mr Hussain Lirar, Deputy Tourism Minister of Maldives, who originates from Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll where the resort is located.
Elza Artiaga has been appointed resort manager at the Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort. Artiaga started Jan. 1 and will report to the property’s general manager, Mr. Pascal Billon. Artiaga brings 17 years of leading hotel management experience in the Maldives, Miami, the Caribbean and Chicago to her new role. Before joining Outrigger, Artiaga was general manager of the Coco Palm, a 4.5 star resort in the Maldives. Prior to that she was the executive assistant manager (EAM) at the 82-suite Carlisle Bay Resort in Antigua in the Caribbean. A U.S. national, educated in Florida, Artiaga also had a 12-year period with Ritz Carlton in Miami and Chicago performing as front officer manager, director of rooms division, rising to become EAM of the Ritz Carlton Hotel and Resort Palm Beach, a 5-star hotel with 310 guest rooms. “Elza has proven herself with leading hospitality brands at top end resort destinations,” said Darren Edmonstone, Outrigger managing director, Asia Pacific. “Her expertise will help us consolidate the Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort as one of the most desired holiday experiences in the Indian Ocean.” Artiaga speaks reads and writes English, Spanish and Portuguese and has a working knowledge of Italian. Both of Artiaga’s parents worked in the hotel sector in Miami. She says: “That is how I developed my passion for team development and delivering world class customer service wowing my guests.” Her motto is: if your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough. The 53-villa Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort opened in August 2015. In November 2015 it won the “Luxury Contemporary Resort of the Year” prize, awarded by Luxury Travel Guide. The property in the southern atoll of Gaafu Dhaalu offers guests the largest average villa sizes in the Maldives. - See more at: http://news.outrigger.com/artiaga-appointed-resort-manager-at-outrigger-konotta-maldives-resort/#sthash.Z8Bm1SO9.dpuf
The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) has awarded Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives the Certified Guest Service Property designation. To earn this distinction, the property trained employees with AHLEI's Guest Service Gold®, with 80 employees earning the Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP®). Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives is the first property in Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, to earn the title of Certified Guest Service Property. Tourism is the country's leading industry, so earning this designation provides the resort, which opened in December 2013, with a competitive edge. According to training manager Allen Mathias (pictured), the human resources and training team of Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives has a vision of making Atmosphere Hotels and Resorts a learning organization. "To achieve this vision, we sought out partners to help in creating signature and unique learning opportunities for our colleagues; that would be instrumental in making them crave for learning about the hospitality industry and cascade the same down to creating delightful service," he explained. AHLEI's Guest Service Gold® and CGSP® offered the best fit for the organization. "We believe that we are in the people service business of making ourselves better human beings serving our guests. The CGSP® training helped us offer exceptional service to our guests," said Mathias. "Also, being at Maldives where there are limited hospitality training institutes for the colleagues to learn about the subject, this training and certification has given them an edge above others making them more learned and building their skill level." The training and certification was conducted in a combination of classroom and online training, which for most employees was a completely new experience, as was the concept of multiple-choice exam questions. Because of these challenges, the feeling of pride among the employees when they earned their certification was tremendous. Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives has implemented an internal "Atmosphere Delight" program to recognize staff members who "wow" guests with exceptional service. For more information about training and professional development resources from AHLEI, visit www.ahlei.org or call 1.800.349.0299 or +1.407.999.8100.
LUX* Resorts & Hotels is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Glenn Daniels as General Manager of its Maldivian resort, LUX* South Ari Atoll. Prior to joining LUX*, Glenn has twenty-six years of experience in the hospitality industry, with a career that has taken him across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and the Maldives. His involvement in all aspects of operational responsibilities gives him a tremendous advantage to evolve LUX* South Ari Atoll, as LUX* looks to further its presence in the Maldives.
RIU Hotels & Resorts has embarked on a new project which will make it the first Spanish hotel chain with a presence in the Maldives. RIU purchased the islets of Kedhigandu and Maafushi which will contain two hotels, a Riu Palace with 174 rooms and a Riu Classic with 248 rooms. The project is currently in the design phase and the hotels are scheduled to open in 2018. RIU's new project will serve as a platform for its future growth in Asia, set to officially kick off in July 2016 with the opening of the Riu hotel Sri Lanka.
Agacan has extensive experience in the hospitality industry with a career spanning over 20 years, of which nearly a decade was spent in the Maldives. Having started his career working in front office, he has since held various management positions at different international hotel brands in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, China and the Maldives.
Jumeirah Dhevanafushi has appointed Aldo Cadau as the new Executive Chef. Aldo will run the resort's three restaurants Azara, Johara and Mumayaz Beach in addition to the in villa dining, ensuring consistent high quality food and service. A passionate and enthusiastic chef, Aldo will draw on his experiences from around the world. He will focus on producing contemporary Mediterranean classics in harmony with the spices, flavors and rich tradition of the Indian Ocean to create dining experiences and lasting memories.
Jumeirah Vittaveli has welcomed Benjamin Rendell as the new Executive Chef. Rendell will oversee Jumeirah Vittaveli's main restaurants Mu, Samsara, Fenesse and the new signature restaurant Swarna scheduled to open later this summer. Chef Ben will use his vast knowledge of diverse cuisines and cultures from around the world to bring new flair to the resort's restaurants.
Kumarhas started his hospitality career at Ananda in the Himalayas in India as Food and Beverage Supervisor in 2000 shortly after his graduation from the Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology in Kovalam, India. In late 2003, he headed the Intercontinental The Grand Goa as Food and Beverage Supervisor before moving to Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces in Mumbai as Assistant Restaurant Manager in 2004. He joined Novotel Hyderabad & Hyderabad International Convention Centre in 2006 as Event Service Manager before being promoted Banquet Manager and Assistant Food and Beverage Manager two years later. Kumarhas’ Starwood journey started in 2009 at the Westin Hyderabad Mindspace as the Outlets Manager. He moved to Sheraton Bangalore at Brigade Gateway as Food and Beverage Manager in 2010 before holding the title of Assistant Director of Food and Beverage at Sheraton Dammam Hotel and Towers in 2013. Most recently, he served as the Food and Beverage Manager at Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park in Bellandur, India.
Outrigger Resorts Asia Pacific has appointed Yothin Uthaphu as resort manager of the Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort, effective immediately. The resort opens on 1 August 2015. Yothin will report to the resort’s general manager, Pascal Billon. Prior to joining Outrigger, Yothin held senior resort operations and managerial positions with Centara Resorts in Thailand and the Maldives. Yothin has worked with some of the world’s leading hotel chains including Marriott, Accor and assorted beach resorts in idyllic locations. He is experienced in the pre-opening of properties, from city hotels to island locations. He also worked for nearly two years as a general manager of a travel agency. After schooling in Thailand, Yothin earned a diploma in business management from Wentworth Academy in Sydney, Australia. In the hospitality industry, he now has 16 years experience in hotels including many senior managerial appointments. Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort is located less than 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of the equator, 340 kilometres (211 miles) to the south of Malé and conveniently accessible via a 55-minute flight to Kaadedhdhoo Airport, followed by a scenic 20-minute journey on a private speedboat.
A native of Ireland, O’Sullivan brings to the retreat over 17 years of experience providing strategic and inspirational leadership.