InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort

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InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort is located in the Raa Atoll, nestled close to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. You can take a scenic 35-minute seaplane ride to reach the opulent shores of Intercontinental Maldives. Or you can even opt for the Domestic flight option where it will take 20-minutes by flight and 35-minutes by speed boat to reach this mesmerizing destination.

Notably, the resort’s enviable location makes it the perfect place to see mantas in their natural habitat. InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort is the first and only resort to offer all-Club InterContinental benefits. Hence, making your stay as exclusive as it gets!

With this in mind, enjoy a gourmet breakfast at “The Retreat” or “Cafe’ Umi”. Savor seafood delights at “The Fishmarket” and try out Mediterranean delicacies at “The Lighthouse”. Additionally, with the “Dining by Design” option, you can even enjoy a selection of specially compiled dining experiences served on a yacht or at an intimate resort location.

Subsequently, take part in the numerous recreational experiences offered by Maamunagau. Try out snorkeling in the vast lagoon teeming with rich marine life. Check out the Manta Rays gliding through the beautiful turquoise lagoon. Or opt for a local activity such as palm weaving and Maldivian Bodu Beru drum lessons.

Next, take time off from the active schedule and indulge yourself at the “AVI Spa” located over water, to recharge and awaken your senses. With the numerous signature treatments, you are bound to have an ethereal experience. Drop off your little ones at the “Planet Trekkers” as you take some time to rejuvenate at the Spa. You could even try out wellness facilities such as aerial yoga and keep up with your daily fitness routine at the state-of-the-art Fitness Center.

Live the InterContinental Life at Maamunagau, where time stops and beautiful stories unfold!

HPL appoints IHG to manage InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort

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Singapore-based Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) has inked a management agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to manage an 83-room resort that will be open in Maldives in three to five years’ time.

This will be the third resort that IHG will be managing for HPL. It will mark the first time that IHG will bring its global luxury brand, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, to the Maldives, said Jan Smits, IHG’s chief executive for Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA).

The management contract for the upcoming InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort with HPL was inked on Monday. Construction has yet to begin, and neither HPL nor IHG would provide a number on the project’s development value.

The other two existing HPL resorts managed by IHG are: Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, comprising 160 villas, which opened in December 2009; and the 148-room Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu which opened in March 2010.

Holiday Inn Resort® Kandooma Maldives
Holiday Inn Resort® Kandooma Maldives

The latest Maldives signing brings IHG’s resort development pipeline to 13 across the AMEA region, reflecting a significant expansion programme, said Mr Smits.

Currently, the hotel and resort management chain operates 37 existing resorts across three brands (InterContinental, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza) in the AMEA region.

HPL’s new resort will be located on Maamunagau island, at the southern point of Raa Atoll (also known as the North Maalhosmadulu Atoll). International travellers can take a seaplane directly to the resort from Malé’s Ibrahim Nasir International Airport.

Besides enjoying the clear lagoon and pristine white beach, guests will have a range of food and beverage offerings to choose from at the resort’s bar and restaurants.

“Young travellers may indulge in specially tailored meals from the InterContinental Planet Trekkers Menu before going off for an afternoon of fun at the Planet Trekkers Kids Club,” IHG said.

InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort will also feature a Club Lounge, pool and spa where guests can lounge and relax. The range of water sports include snorkeling, canoeing and jet skiing at the nearby sea sports centre.

Stephen Lau, chairman, HPL Hotels & Resorts, said: “We see huge potential to grow our resorts business in the Maldives, and Maamunagau island is the perfect setting to develop a luxury InterContinental resort.”

As part of HPL’s growth strategy, “we continuously seek the right opportunity to expand our portfolio across the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean region”, he added.

Mr Smits of IHG noted that tourism contributed more than 40 per cent of Maldives’ gross domestic product last year, and that “sentiments are positive as the country continues to be one of the world’s most highly sought after travel destinations”.

Another hotelier who has a presence in Maldives told The Business Times that room rates for Maldives resorts have generally fallen over the past year on the back of weaker demand.

Patronage by Chinese visitors, the number one market, has softened this year amid a weakening economy back home and slight fall in the yuan, among other factors. “Demand from Russia continues to be depressed due to the weak economy and rouble.

On a more positive note, demand from some other European countries has improved but resorts are coming up with more competitive packages to adjust for the weakness in the euro.” Room rates in the Maldives are denominated in US dollars.

“That said, this is still a market that a lot of operators want to go to. The ‘one resort, one island’ policy in Maldives makes resorts here very exclusive compared to say Bali and Mauritius, where you have one big island and many resorts scattered over acres and acres of coastline.”