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Haute Grandeur Awards 2017 to take place in Bangkok in October

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Anticipated as one of the most dazzling events on the luxury hospitality calendar, the annual Haute Grandeur Global Hotel and Spa Awards gala ceremony is set to take place on October 27 in Thai capital Bangkok.

The gala ceremony, to be held at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit hotel, commends exceptional hospitality establishments across seven continents and 172 countries, including the Maldives. Awards will be given in 94 categories.

This prestigious red-carpet event is associated with status and exclusivity, drawing admired industry influencers, decision-makers and VIPs together in celebration as top luxury hospitality brands vie for the ultimate accolade in overall excellence. Leading hospitality groups represented include Anantara, Banyan Tree, Dusit Thani, Fairmont, Hilton, Mandarin Oriental, Sofitel, St Regis, The Four Seasons, The Peninsula, Rosewood, The Ritz Carlton, and Westin amongst others.

“Hospitality is one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing industries. Healthy competition is crucial to the sustainability of an industry that creates so many jobs globally,” Haute Grandeur founder and Managing Director Marinique de Wet was quoted in a statement, as saying.

“We are proud to contribute and encourage establishments worldwide to continuously excel on all levels.”

Each year, Haute Grandeur chooses a leading destination to host the prestigious gala ceremony. Bangkok won the bid to host this year’s gala ceremony.

“With its fusion of traditional and contemporary, Bangkok is a gift for the senses. One moment you’re exploring ancient temples and floating markets, the next you’re immersed in luxurious hotels, restaurants and boutiques,” De Wet said.

Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, the South-East Asian flagship of Sofitel Hotels and Resorts, was chosen as the ideal host venue because of its unwavering dedication to raising the standards of service excellence in a highly competitive industry. The 32-storey state-of-the-art hotel is situated in a vibrant cosmopolitan district of Bangkok, and seamlessly blends French elegance with Thai culture to offer discerning guests a magnificent experience.

“We are honoured and proud to be selected as the host property for the 2017 Haute Grandeur Awards,” Khun Oliver Schnatz, General Manager of Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, was quoted in the statement.

“This trusted awards system reflects our commitment to excellence, and recognises the talent and ambassadors who work with unwavering dedication to excel. We look forward to welcoming esteemed guests to this prestigious affair.”

Recognised as the highest accolade a hotel or spa can receive, a Haute Grandeur Award is a guaranteed golden stamp of excellence. Award winners and participating establishments are perceived as exceptional and distinguished by association.

The Haute Grandeur Awards system is unlike any other. Unbiased results are guaranteed through a fair, transparent process that recognises brilliance by means of quality guest feedback rather than the quantity of votes by a panel of judges or the general public. This unique approach to measuring excellence is why Haute Grandeur is in a class of its own.

The 2016 gala ceremony took place at the Fairmont Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, with Raffles Jakarta crowned as the overall victor.

As one of the most illustrious events of the year, the Haute Grandeur Awards gala ceremony is featured prominently in the media spotlight. Global event partners for this year include Etihad Airways, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Sofitel Hotels and Resorts, and Uber.

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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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