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Centara signs management pact for new Maldives resort, Centara Grand Muthaafushi

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Leading Thai hospitality group Centara Hotels & Resorts has signed a new hotel management agreement for its fourth beach resort in Maldives, Centara Grand Muthaafushi Resort & Spa Maldives.

In a statement, Centara said the agreement was signed with Maldivian companies Muthaafushi Orient Investments Limited and Well Land Investment to manage and operate the new five-star resort in Baa Atoll. The new resort is expected to have soft opening in the fourth quarter of next year, followed by the grand opening in 2019, it added.

Centara Grand Muthaafushi will comprise 24 land villas and 77 water villas with an array of international restaurants including an underwater restaurant, a floating cinema, a dedicated Thai spa, a fitness centre and other facilities expected in a Centara Grand resort.

“We are delighted to be selected by Muthaafushi Orient Investments Limited to manage and operate their new five-star resort in the Maldives. We believe that Centara Grand Muthaafushi Resort & Spa Maldives will fit well into our Centara Grand resort portfolio. This expansion of the business in the Maldives is in line with Centara’s growth strategy to strengthen our presence both in the South Asian region and internationally,” Centara Hotels & Resorts’ CEO Thirayuth Chirathivat was quoted as saying in the statement.

Mohamed Hameed, Director of Muthaafushi Orient Investments Limited, said, “It was an esteemed pleasure for Muthaafushi Orient Investments Limited to embark on this partnership with Centara Hotels & Resorts for the new Centara Grand Muthaafushi Resort & Spa Maldives. It is a great opportunity for us to work with such an eminent hospitality brand of the Thai origin as Centara, who brings with it long legacy of success in operating both owned and managed properties in popular tourist destinations worldwide.”

According to Centara, Avista Asset Management, a real estate asset management company from Singapore, built an investment case to identify potential joint venture partners which led to the teaming up of Muthaafushi Orient Investments Limited, China Orient Asset Management (International) Holding Limited and Centara Hotels & Resorts.

Avista Asset Management has been appointed as the development and asset manager of this project by Muthaafushi Orient Investments Limited. Avista Asset Management will continue to work closely with all the stakeholders, and manage the development and asset management of Centara Grand Muthaafushi Resort & Spa Maldives.

Located approximately 123 kilometres north west of the Maldives’ main Velana International Airport, Baa Atoll consists of 75 islands dotted around three separate natural atolls, and is home to some of the richest biodiversity in the region. The atoll has been declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, placing it in the company of world famous ecological sites.

Centara, which has 65 hotels in total, operates in 10 countries with 22 properties outside Thailand in locations including Vietnam, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Two hotels are under development in China and 10 others are planned in various countries, including three investments and seven management contracts.

Centara already runs two resorts in the Maldives; the Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa and Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa. The two resorts have won several international awards, including the ‘Leading All Inclusive Resort’ from South Asian Travel Awards 2016 and the ‘Guest Review Award 2016’ from Booking.com for Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa.

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Feydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space

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Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, has announced the opening of Feydhoo Hall, a landmark event venue at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives, redefining the possibilities for meetings, celebrations, and destination events in the Maldives.

Designed to bring scale, flexibility, and creativity to island gatherings, Feydhoo Hall represents a bold step forward in positioning the Maldives as a dynamic destination for conferences, weddings, and large-scale social occasions.

Feydhoo Hall offers a versatile event complex designed to accommodate a wide range of gatherings, from corporate meetings and conferences to weddings and social celebrations.

At its core is the 390 sqm Main Hall, capable of hosting:

  • Up to 300 guests in theatre-style setup
  • Up to 240 guests for dining and banquet-style events
  • Up to 200 guests for cocktail-style receptions
  • Up to 144 guests in cluster-round configuration

Enhancing the flexibility of the venue are additional dedicated spaces, including:

  • A 110 sqm Veranda Terrace, ideal for welcome receptions, breakout sessions, and pre-event gatherings, accommodating up to 100 guests for cocktail-style events.
  • A spacious 1,000 sqm Lawn Space, perfect for large-scale outdoor celebrations, destination weddings, and open-air events, accommodating up to 400 guests for cocktail receptions and up to 350 guests for dining setups.
  • The 55 sqm Ekugai Meeting Room, designed for smaller meetings and executive sessions, accommodating up to 30 guests in theatre or dining setup and 24 guests in cluster-round format.

Together, these integrated spaces create a seamless indoor-outdoor event experience, allowing planners to design dynamic and personalised event journeys.

True to the dusitD2 brand’s lifestyle-driven philosophy, Feydhoo Hall introduces a fresh approach to meetings and events — where productivity meets creativity in an inspiring island setting.

The venue offers flexible meeting formats designed to suit different event needs, including:

  • Half-Day Meeting Package (4 hours) — ideal for focused sessions, executive meetings, and creative workshops.
  • Full-Day Meeting Package (8 hours) — designed for immersive conferences, extended workshops, and large-scale corporate gatherings.

These thoughtfully structured packages provide planners with the flexibility to create impactful and seamless experiences, whether hosting intimate strategy sessions or dynamic full-day events.

Located just seven minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives combines accessibility with vibrant lifestyle energy, offering event planners and guests a rare balance between convenience and tropical escape.

With the introduction of Feydhoo Hall, the resort strengthens its position as a versatile destination — not only for leisure travellers but also for international conferences, creative retreats, luxury weddings, and large-scale social celebrations seeking something refreshingly different in the Maldives.

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BBM expands retail presence with new Hulhumalé outlet

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Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) opened a new wholesale store in Hulhumalé Phase 2 on Monday.

The outlet is located on the ground floor of Lot 20286, Nirolhu Magu, and is intended to improve access to BBM’s imported goods for residents of Hulhumalé Phase 2 and for businesses operating in the area.

According to the company, the opening forms part of its plan to expand services closer to customers in line with population growth in Hulhumalé.

With the opening of the new store, BBM’s full range of imported and distributed products will be available at the Hulhumalé Phase 2 location. These include consumer goods from international brands such as Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Unilever.

The store will also stock wholesale food products from brands including Daily, Cavin’s and Redman.

BBM has supplied goods to resorts, hotels and retail outlets across the Maldives for several years.

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa recently hosted a week-long, closed corporate offsite in Fuvahmulah for a US-based artificial intelligence company, highlighting the island’s growing suitability for integrated work-and-experience retreats. The retreat brought a group of 36 international professionals to the property, which was reserved exclusively for the programme.

Designed as a private company offsite, the stay combined structured daily work sessions with guided diving and beginner-friendly surf experiences, creating a balanced format that blended focused collaboration with physical reset.

A notable component of the programme was dive training and certification. During the retreat, 17 participants completed their Open Water certification, while a further six undertook the Advanced Open Water course, with training and dives scheduled alongside work sessions as part of the integrated itinerary.

Throughout the week, participants worked on-site using dedicated shared spaces supported by reliable high-speed internet, allowing meetings, informal collaboration and scheduled activities to take place within a single, uninterrupted environment. This setup enabled teams to move seamlessly between work periods and organised ocean activities without leaving the property.

Fuvahmulah’s natural and operational advantages formed a key part of the retreat’s appeal. As one of the Maldives’ largest inhabited islands, it offers immediate access to pelagic dive sites, internationally recognised shark diving and surf breaks suitable for instruction, alongside the infrastructure required to support extended group stays.

The offsite reflects a growing preference among technology and knowledge-sector teams for small-scale retreats that prioritise concentrated work environments and team cohesion over traditional conference formats. Such programmes typically involve longer stays and higher per-capita spend, aligning with sustainable, quality-driven tourism models.

The retreat also demonstrates how locally operated properties such as Ataraxis Grand & Spa are supporting this shift by delivering unified environments where accommodation, workspaces, connectivity and curated experiences operate as a single programme rather than separate services.

As organisations continue to explore alternative formats for strategy sessions, team resets and creative offsites, Ataraxis Grand & Spa’s experience positions Fuvahmulah as an increasingly viable destination for integrated corporate retreats.

Ataraxis Grand & Spa offers work-and-dive retreat programmes in Fuvahmulah that combine accommodation, dedicated workspaces, high-speed connectivity and organised diving and surfing.

Further information on retreat formats and dive-inclusive stays is available via the Ataraxis Grand & Spa website.

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