News
World’s most valuable hotel brands revealed

The leading brand valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance evaluated and ranked the most powerful and valuable hotel brands.
Hilton is by far the most valuable brand, with a value of US$7.8 billion up by a third on last year’s value of US$5.8 billion. Hilton is also the most valuable group in the table. Six Hilton Worldwide brands feature in the top 50, totaling US$13.3 billion from Hilton at the top of the table to the Waldorf Astoria, which props up the bottom of the table in 50th. This is a hugely impressive feat for a brand with just one location. Its brand value stands at over US$200 million.
Marriott is in second place with a brand value of US$5.3 billion. Its group has even more brands in the top 50 than Hilton, with 8 in total, however their combined value is lower, at US$12 billion. Having already acquired the Delta group of hotels, Marriott is attempting to merge with Starwood, the third most significant group by brand value, its six brands being valued at US$6.7 billion.
This move would create the world’s biggest hotel group with the most valuable brand portfolio. However Marriott continues to be frustrated and outbid by Anbang Insurance Group, a Chinese insurance conglomerate.
Brand Finance Chief Executive David Haigh commented, “As disruptors such as Airbnb create an ever more challenging environment for traditional operators, a new wave of investment from the likes of Anbang Insurance Groups is to be welcomed, however frustrating it may seem. Brand investment in particular is key in this fast-changing environment.”

Cooking
Chef Giorgio Servetto brings Michelin-starred dining to Atmosphere Core’s underwater restaurants
A rare culinary moment will unfold in the Maldives as double MICHELIN-Starred Chef Giorgio Servetto brings his distinctive approach to creative, environmentally grounded dining beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean, in an exclusive underwater collaboration with Atmosphere Core.
Chef Giorgio Servetto will introduce a Garden-to-Sea Immersion concept rooted in circular cuisine and zero-waste precision. He will take over two of the region’s most celebrated underwater restaurants, for exclusive lunch and dinner experiences: Only BLU at OBLU SELECT Lobigili from 7th to 9th May 2026, followed by M6m (Minus Six Metres) at OZEN LIFE MAADHOO from 12th to 14th May 2026. The culinary extravaganza will also include a signature Crab Dinner Experience at the HUDHU BAY, also at OZEN LIFE MAADHOO.

Presented as a five-course menu at both Only BLU and M6m, each dish will trace Chef Servetto’s culinary journey, translating his philosophy into refined and sophisticated expressions. Developed in partnership with Atmosphere Core culinary team, the menus will prioritise island-grown produce. Hydroponic greens cultivated on Maadhoo Island, fresh vegetables sourced from local farms, and sustainable catch from the Indian Ocean will reinforce a transparent and measurable commitment to environmental accountability.
“Creativity begins with listening—to the land, the sea, and what they give you,” says Chef Giorgio Servetto. “My cuisine is about simplifying. When you respect ingredients fully, every element finds its purpose and flavour becomes clearer. You are a guest in nature’s elegant dining room. It is especially exciting to bring this experience to the Maldives for the first time with Atmosphere Core, where serving food in this underwater realm makes the journey feel even more special.”
Born and professionally shaped in Liguria, Italy, Chef Giorgio Servetto is known for an approach to cooking that is both disciplined and deeply curious. He is a great wine enthusiast and a dynamic presence in the kitchen, driven by an openness to learning, cultural exchange, and continuous research. This passionate pursuit of excellence has earned him rare distinction: he remains the only chef in Liguria to hold both a MICHELIN Red Star and a MICHELIN Green Star, and the only one to be awarded Red Stars at two different restaurants.
Bringing together MICHELIN-level gastronomy and tangible island sustainability leadership, this collaboration extends beyond a single culinary moment. It reflects Atmosphere Core’s broader commitment to embedding conscious dining principles across its portfolio.

Anupam Banerjee, Vice President Food & Beverage, Atmosphere Core, expands, “This kind of culinary experience feels very natural to us. We are focused on bringing conscious dining into everything we do. Our approach to circular cuisine comes from working closely with what’s grown on our islands and what the sea provides responsibly. Collaborating with Chef Servetto has been inspiring. His way of thinking aligns instinctively with ours, and together we’ve designed something enriching, grounded and memorable, a new experience that our guests can genuinely enjoy and take with them.”
The venues themselves complete the immersion. One of the Maldives’ largest under ocean restaurants, Only BLU offers a cobalt-washed dining room framed by drifting marine life, while M6M delivers a sophisticated, limited-seat experience six metres below the surface, where ocean panoramas replace traditional décor. In both settings, dining becomes a sensory experience, focused and deliberately unhurried.
Easily accessible from Velana International Airport, OBLU SELECT Lobigili and OZEN LIFE MAADHOO offer seamless entry points for travellers seeking meaningful travel. Whether for a fleeting escape or an extended stay, the collaboration positions Atmosphere Core at the forefront of a new gastronomic language where creativity, sustainability and sense of place are inseparable.
In an age where luxury dining is being redefined, this underwater takeover makes a compelling statement, the future of fine dining isn’t louder, it’s deeper.
News
InterContinental Maldives celebrates Women’s Day through creative expression
As travellers increasingly seek experiences that go beyond indulgence, blending creativity with personal enrichment, InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort presents a distinctive celebration of International Women’s Day, where art becomes a form of empowerment.
On 8 March 2026, the resort unveils Ocean Muse: A Women’s Day Atelier, an intimate, atelier-style jewellery art workshop designed exclusively for women. Led by the resort’s Resident Artist, Anastasia Medvedeva, this immersive experience invites participants to design their own 925 silver jewellery piece, incorporating authentic Maldivian sand, delicate shells, and ocean-toned pigments, a wearable reflection of island beauty and personal expression.
Set within The Collective’s Art Studio, the experience elevates Women’s Day beyond celebration, offering a rare opportunity for creative ownership. Each piece is handcrafted in collaboration with a jewellery couturier, transforming raw island elements into a timeless keepsake shaped by the hands and story of its creator.
Complementing the atelier is a thoughtfully curated selection of wellness rituals at AVI Spa, including a Ladies’ Glow Facial Experience and a woman-only Sound Healing Session, gentle offerings designed to restore radiance and emotional balance.
Together, these experiences reflect a growing global movement toward artful travel, where creativity, mindfulness, and meaningful connection define luxury.
At InterContinental Maldives, International Women’s Day becomes not only a celebration of strength, but an invitation to create, to pause, and to honour one’s own evolving narrative.
Family
Royal Island introduces Easter escape with up to 25% savings
For travellers who prefer Easter with a softer pace and a more intimate sense of place, Royal Island offers a boutique island retreat in Baa Atoll, part of the Maldives’ UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Available under Villa Resorts’ Easter Offer, guests can enjoy up to 25% savings when booking direct, with an Easter Escape that also includes exclusive direct booking benefits and 50% off domestic flight transfers for Royal Island.
Royal Island’s charm is in how quickly it helps you ease into island life. It’s not a resort built around a busy schedule, but one that encourages the simple rituals that make a holiday feel restorative: slow mornings by the lagoon, barefoot afternoons that drift from beach to shade, and evenings that arrive gently with the sound of the ocean. The boutique scale keeps everything feeling personal, warm, and unforced.
Accommodation reflects that same sense of calm. The resort’s Beach Pool Villas bring privacy and space into the holiday, with indoor-outdoor living and your own pool just steps from the shoreline, ideal for couples seeking quiet togetherness or families wanting comfort without feeling far from the sea.
Easter at Royal Island can be made especially memorable through private dining, with intimate set-ups that feel true to the island’s character, simple, beautiful, and focused on the people you are sharing the moment with. Families are also well catered for, with younger guests enjoying their own island adventures at Starfish Kids Club, giving parents time to unwind while children stay happily engaged.
With its boutique feel, biosphere setting, and island-first rhythm, Royal Island is an invitation to celebrate Easter in the Maldives in a way that feels gentler, more personal, and genuinely unhurried.
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