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Starwood debuts the ultimate new travel app on iOS7

Maldives.net.mv – Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG®), the award-winning loyalty program from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT), today introduced an innovative and inspiring new app for iPad as well as an exciting new design to support iOS 7. The SPG App for iPad joins the SPG App for iPhone, extending SPG’s digital suite of products and gives today’s connected traveler a visually rich, personalized experience on every step of their journey from imaginative destination exploration to the details of their trip before, during and after a visit. Each new, native iOS 7 app builds on the operating system’s latest features and designs and provides guests with the beautiful, immersive travel experience Starwood is known to deliver.
“Travel is inherently mobile and the rapid advancements in technology enable us to extend the personalized experience guests receive in our hotels to their most personal devices,” said Chris Holdren, Senior Vice President, Starwood Preferred Guest & Digital. “Following our success with the SPG App for iPhone, we built the SPG App for iPad using insights we have gained from our members. The relationships we’ve built with our guests put us in a unique position to lead and win with digital by delivering the experiences they seek.”
Today’s travelers are increasingly using mobile devices to search for and explore destinations, as well as book rooms and other travel services. Industry wide, 40% of travel searches occur on mobile devices up from 25% in 2012. Starwood’s mobile bookings are growing at an annual rate of 1000% –five times greater than the annual growth rate of the web channel 10 years ago. The new Starwood apps deliver both the convenience and speed mobile travelers desire while highlighting the SPG lifestyle.
SPG App for iPad:
The new SPG App for iPad app pushes the boundaries of current hospitality apps by uniting Starwood’s unique focus on design and photography, as well as both curated and real-time social content into one mobile experience. Alongside SPG’s iPhone and Android apps, the new SPG App for iPad provides a seamless guest experience, simplifying and enriching both business and leisure travel.
Starwood’s digital design team leveraged iPad’s capacity for high resolution, immersive photography to create an editorial-like experience akin to content one might expect from high-end travel or shelter magazines.
“When we developed our iPhone App, we were focused on ease and speed, envisioning travelers engaging with the App with ‘one eye and one thumb’ in transit,” said Clay Cowan, Vice President, Global Digital for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “We created our iPad App with a deeper, more leisurely experience in mind. We’re literally inviting people to ‘lean back’ and get lost in our destinations and hotels through fantastic photography showcasing great design, amazing locations and the unique experiences one can expect across our portfolio of nine lifestyle brands and 1,100 hotels in 100 countries.”
App Highlights:
- Explore: The “explore” section inspires travelers to dream of more vacation time with a rich mix of curated content including the more than 100 Member Favorite Resorts awarded by fellow SPG members and dynamic content generated through social interactions
- Using our guest interactions through social media, the SPG app highlights the hottest venues, as reviewed by previous guests, around the hotel right on the map embedded in the app. So when you are far from home, you can eat, drink, and travel like a local.
- SPG life: This section of the app is a hub for learning about Starwood Preferred Guest’s many benefits. Here, members can access up-to-date account information including point balance, upcoming stay information and elite benefits. Members can also take a peek at all the exclusive benefits SPG offers its members like a virtual backstage tour at one of SPG’s Hear the Music, See the World performances, soar with trapeze lessons with Cirque du Soleil or take a seat in the SPG Luxury Suite at the US Open. Users can bid on SPG Moments like these and see Instagram photos from events and live the #spglife within the app.
- Fast and easy personalized booking: A secure area stores credit card information streamlining booking to just three taps. All of Starwood’s more than 1100 properties in 100 countries are represented with full detail with ratings and reviews from verified members who have stayed at the hotel. Perfect for researching your next escape.
- Brand sections: Each of SPG’s nine brands have stunning visual content, designed to highlight each lifestyle brand’s unique attributes and social activities as well as give travelers a realistic representation of what each destination provides.
“We strive to offer our guests a great experience that is unique to them both inside our hotels and at every touch point,” said Holdren. “The experience we created with our iPad and iPhone apps combine the insights of our guests with the magic of our design-led brands. We build our apps on the newest tech in order to exceed the needs of our digitally connected guests.”
Starwood’s mobile team partnered with Bottle Rocket to design and develop the SPG apps—resulting in smart, intuitive navigation that seamlessly integrates SPG and hotel-specific branding into the iPad’s famously user-friendly interface. The SPG App for iPad will launch in both English and Chinese and will be updated with additional versions and multiple languages. The app, currently available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad or at www.spg.com/mobileapps, is the latest development in SPG’s evolution into a hyper-personalized guest services platform.
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SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS appoints Edyta Peszko as Commercial Director

As the Maldives braces for yet another wave of luxury openings, one brand is choosing to go against the wave. SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS — a new collection of luxury resort concepts is not selling a dream. It’s building a new reality: one that is bold and unapologetically different. As it prepares to launch its first property, RAH GILI MALDIVES, in December 2025, the brand has announced the appointment of Edyta as its Commercial Director, a move that underlines its intent to redefine how luxury is marketed and sustained in one of the world’s most sought-after destinations.
The Maldives is no longer just competing on beauty; it’s competing on meaning. The question for today’s luxury brands is no longer how to impress, but how to connect. Enter SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS, poised to redefine luxury in the Indian Ocean through design-led storytelling, freedom, and emotional relevance. The brand’s vision is quietly radical: six private islands, each with its own distinct character, audience, and rhythm — united not by likeness, but by a shared philosophy that prioritises substance over display.
At the heart of this approach is the strategic appointment of Edyta as Commercial Director — a role that extends far beyond revenue and distribution. With over two decades of experience in luxury travel and commercial leadership across Asia, The Indian Ocean, and Europe, Edyta brings a perspective that is both visionary and innovative. Shaping the entire commercial journey of the brand — from pricing and partnerships to narrative positioning and experiential curation.
This isn’t about filling a position. It’s a considered move towards building a different kind of luxury organisation, one where commercial leadership is embedded in brand strategy, and where success is measured not only by occupancy, but by lasting impact and guest connection.
“We’re not here to make louder claims or flashier visuals. Our approach is different—thoughtful, considered, and grounded. It’s about truly understanding the guest on an emotional level, not just seeing them as a transaction,” Edyta says.
Her approach is built on the belief that modern luxury travellers no longer buy into the hyper-curated ideal. They’re seeking individuality, narrative truth, and offerings that feel emotionally aligned to how they live. As Edyta puts it, “This isn’t about exclusivity for the sake of status. It’s about precision; curating spaces and experiences that feel deeply specific and meaningful to the right guest.”
This approach becomes relevant as SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS prepares to launch its first resort, RAH GILI MALDIVES, in December 2025. Set to be followed by DHON MAAGA MALDIVES in 2026, the two properties offer a glimpse into the brand’s broader ambition: to create a collection of distinct island experiences, each offering a different lens through which to experience the Maldives.
And this, Edyta highlights, is where the opportunity lies.
“Commercial strategy in the Maldives has traditionally been product-first,” she says. “Resorts are built to be sold. But what if we flipped that? What if we created products shaped around the emotional experiences people truly seek? That’s the opportunity we’re stepping into, an untapped space where few have dared to go.”
At a time when the Maldivian luxury market continues to expand with over 170 properties competing for the same audience; SIX & SIX is investing on creativity, clarity, and cultural literacy to stand apart. Rather than relying on recognisable tropes of barefoot indulgence and overused descriptors of paradise, the focus is narrative layers that speak to a generation of travellers fluent in experience, not just expectation.
“The guest we’re speaking to has seen the world. They’re not looking for the same experience dressed up in a new location,” Edyta shares. “They want something that feels genuinely personal and deeply connected to the place, and that’s exactly what we’re building, island by island.”
The upcoming launch of RAH GILI will be an early expression of this vision, a refined yet playful resort that leans into lifestyle energy, musical programming, visual identity, and non-traditional luxury experiences that appeal to creative thinkers, urban tastemakers, and design-forward travellers. The island will be followed by DHON MAAGA, a more opulent, contemplative escape centred around wellness and spatial luxury — reflecting SIX & SIX commitment to differentiated, island-specific experiences.
For advisors and trade professionals, Edyta’s appointment also signals a renewed focus on transparency, product differentiation, and long-term commercial partnerships.
“We’re not looking for short bursts of visibility,” she says. “We’re looking for alignment with agencies, advisors, and partners who want to build lasting value with us.”
With her leadership, SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS is crafting a commercial strategy as distinctive as the islands themselves. One that places emotion at the centre, and precision at every step.
Marc Gussing, Director of Operations at SIX & SIX, adds: “SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS is not just a collection of resorts — it is a philosophy expressed through place, acting both as a guardian and the creative mind behind a new wave of destination experiences. Edyta’s role is essential to making that philosophy commercially viable, without ever compromising what makes it unique. She brings the discipline we need to succeed without losing identity.”
RAH GILI MALDIVES opens in December 2025, marking the first chapter in what is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated new resort stories in the Indian Ocean. But beyond the headline, the strategy is clear: to redefine what luxury means, how it feels, and most importantly, how it’s remembered.
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Netflix’s ‘All the Sharks’ puts global spotlight on tiger shark paradise in Maldives’ Fuvahmulah

The first episode of Netflix’s new competition series All the Sharks is set in Fuvahmulah, Maldives — an island now confirmed by scientists as home to the largest documented aggregation of tiger sharks in the world.
The global series, which premiered Friday, follows four teams of marine experts racing to photograph the most shark species across six biodiverse marine locations. Its opening episode brings viewers into the waters of Fuvahmulah, a shark diving hotspot in the southern Maldives, where recent research has identified 239 individual tiger sharks over six years — more than any other single location globally.
A peer-reviewed study published earlier this year in Nature.com, led by Lennart Vossgaetter of the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research in Germany, used non-invasive photo identification to confirm Fuvahmulah’s ecological significance. Researchers found that adult female tiger sharks show strong site fidelity, remaining in the island’s warm, food-rich waters for extended periods during gestation.
The big picture: Science meets streaming in Fuvahmulah
Fuvahmulah, long renowned by divers for consistent encounters with tiger sharks, now features prominently in both marine research and global entertainment. The Netflix episode captures this extraordinary setting as part of a larger series spanning Japan, South Africa, the Galapagos, Australia and the Bahamas.
According to the study, Fuvahmulah’s waters — influenced by oceanic currents and lacking a surrounding atoll — provide ideal reproductive conditions for tiger sharks, particularly pregnant females. The research team documented the world’s highest number of individual tiger sharks identified in one confined marine area.
The scientists described Fuvahmulah as a “bright spot” for tiger shark conservation in the Indian Ocean, bolstered by the Maldives’ national shark sanctuary status.
Zoom in: A friendly global shark race
All the Sharks follows four two-person teams — Shark Docs, Gills Gone Wild, British Bait Off and Land Sharks — competing to photograph the most and rarest shark species at each location.
The series is hosted by Tom “The Blowfish” Hird, a marine biologist known for his dramatic delivery and braided pirate-style beard.
Points are awarded based on species rarity, with the season’s top team winning US$50,000 for a marine conservation charity of their choice.
Though the show leans on reality TV conventions, its content remains grounded in ocean science and conservation. Fuvahmulah’s inclusion in the series serves as both a dramatic setting and an educational entry point into the world of shark biology and environmental protection.
Details: Unregulated tourism meets scientific concern
The Nature.com study also raised concerns about the rapid growth of shark tourism in Fuvahmulah, particularly at the island’s famed “Tiger Harbour.” While tourism provides a major economic boost for the island, shark provisioning and diving currently remain unregulated, with no official national guidelines.
The researchers warned that the absence of regulation — including standardised safety measures and environmental practices — could jeopardise both shark welfare and the long-term viability of the tourism industry.
They pointed to successful models in countries like Fiji, where community-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) have been implemented to balance economic activity with ecological sustainability. The study recommended similar frameworks for the Maldives, calling for inclusive stakeholder management plans to ensure responsible ecotourism in one of the world’s most important shark sanctuaries.
Why it matters: Maldives in the global spotlight
The series premiere and the scientific findings together shine a global spotlight on the Maldives’ critical role in shark conservation. As the world celebrates 50 years since Jaws and enters another summer of shark-themed content, All the Sharks provides a rare blend of adventure, education and scientific relevance.
The show includes conservation graphics detailing the biology and threatened status of each shark species, shifting the narrative from fear to appreciation. For viewers — and for the Maldives — the message is clear: these apex predators are essential to ocean health and worthy of protection.
The bottom line: Fuvahmulah is both spectacle and sanctuary
As All the Sharks captures the thrill of underwater discovery, Fuvahmulah emerges not only as a top-tier dive destination but as one of the most ecologically important shark habitats in the world. With Netflix bringing its waters to millions of viewers and science affirming its global conservation value, the moment calls for action — to protect, to regulate and to preserve this unique corner of the Maldives for generations to come.
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Niyama Private Islands Maldives unveils transformed resort

Niyama Private Islands Maldives has revealed its THIS IS NIYAMA transformation – extraordinary with fully refurbished villas and facilities, heightened levels of luxury, new experiences that immerse guests in all the beauty of the Maldives, and a newfound sense of freedom – an invitation for guests to live life on their own terms, unscripted and unbound.
Since its unveiling in 2012, Niyama has made its mark on the Maldives with its bold playfulness. Now, it ups the ante, as effortless luxury is draped with the avant garde, the surreal, the one of a kind. The new Niyama sees the stylish and thoughtful evolution of the resort’s villas, restaurants and leisure facilities across twin islands Play and Chill, infusing each with an energy uniquely Niyama.

Evolved accommodations: A new aesthetic
The resort’s accommodations are, with a lightened palette, all-new furnishings, high-design comfort and sleek technology. Expanded interiors offer more room to relax and reconnect.
The beach villas, spacious playgrounds where guests are free to simply be, now glow with the colours of sunset, while high-tech toys include espresso, popcorn and entertainment all at the touch of a button.



Overwater villas, meanwhile, swirl in blue and turquoise as sky and ocean melt into one. Days drift with the tide, bringing sightings of makanaa, reef sharks and the sea turtle that calls the lagoon below home.
Each villa blends seamlessly with its surrounds, with floor-to-ceiling glass doors opening directly onto beach or a private sundeck, and outdoor bathing quintessential Maldives, as guests flit from one setting to another, free to roam at will.



Evolved culinary journeys: From the treetops to the ocean depths
Dining in the treetops reaches new heights at Nest, the resort’s avant-garde restaurant with the sizzle of teppanyaki and spice of Southeast Asia. Redesigned and relandscaped to fully immerse guests in the wild, lush jungle comes alive at dusk with the faint glow of lights and the call of birds.

Six metres below the ocean’s surface, Subsix unveils the world’s first underwater Nikkei tasting experience, each of five courses as surreal as the setting, corals dappled by sunlight and reef sharks and sea turtles circling above.
There is also Dune, the ultimate beach chill, with chic lounging by the pool by day, a new menu with the fire of the Maldives a highlight, and cocktails and shisha until sunset.

Then there is sunset at the Surf Shack, a hideaway on the very western tip of Play now expanded, where the roar of the surf, the beats of the DJ, the warmth of rum, and fellow free spirits all come together to create pure magic.

An active lifestyle: On guests’ own terms
With world-class waves breaking right on shore (a left-hander), a pro in residence, and epic surf safaris unlike anywhere else, Niyama offers the Maldives’ most luxurious way to surf. The new marine centre, meanwhile, features hands-on conservation activities for guests, a way to leave their mark on one of the most beautiful places in the world, led by the resident marine biologist.
The kids’ club has also evolved, with a splash park in a clearing in the jungle, climbing wall, slides and trampolines. Daily schedules are packed with snorkelling and sailing with dolphins, with gourmet lunches and mini-spa treatments in between.
“At Niyama, we want our guests to feel free, to explore, play and connect with kindred spirits and nature on their own terms,” says Hafidh Al Busaidy, General Manager of the resort. “To that end, every detail has been rethought through, and facilities and experiences evolved. THIS IS NIYAMA reimagines the Maldives experience, inviting guests to write their own stories.”
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