Business
LUX* North Male Atoll appoints seasoned hotelier John Rogers as General Manager
LUX* North Male Atoll, the second LUX* resort operating in the Maldives, has appointed seasoned hotelier John Rogers as the General Manager of the brand new resort opening in February 2019.
Drawing on more than 30 years of experience managing award-winning destination properties around the world, British-born John brings an impressive background in pre-opening, planning as well as luxury resort operations to LUX* Hotels & Resorts.
John has held roles as General Manager at several award-winning luxury resorts, including eight years at La Residencia in Mallorca. Most recently, John oversaw all operations as General Manager at the Carlisle Bay resort in Antigua and Barbuda.
John’s wealth of knowledge in five-star resort hospitality is set to ensure the continued success of LUX* Hotels & Resorts and its dedicated commitment to ensure fresh, creative and exceptional experiences in different locales around the world, with LUX* North Male Atoll next out to make its gracious entrance in the promise of a Lighter, Brighter and extraordinary stay.
“I am thrilled to have joined LUX* North Male Atoll, as the resort will be introducing an entirely new level in stand-out luxury with spectacularly designed spaces to play, relax and retreat,” John was quoted in a statement, as saying.
“For the first time in the Maldives, each penthouse villa is crowned with a private Sky Lounge for all guests to overlook the unique location, just a short journey from Male. Leading up to the opening on February 1, 2019, we have been carefully planning all details to perfection, building great teams and sharing the vision of making each moment matter for our soon-to-arrive guests in a lighter, brighter way. We can’t wait to share this with you all.”
LUX* North Male Atoll, the second resort in the Maldives by Mauritius based hotel group LUX* Hotels & Resorts, will officially open on February 1, 2019.
Accessible by luxury speedboat or a short 15 minute seaplane transfer from Velana International Airport, this intimate resort is ripe with eye-catching architecture and ocean-inspired interiors. Each of the 67 double storey residences features a private pool, and for the first time in the Maldives, each residence is crowned with a magnificent private rooftop terrace. Whether set on the beach or stilted over the crystal blue lagoon, every penthouse villa takes indoor-outdoor living to a new level of breezy sophistication, with the largest three bedroom penthouse retreat covering 970sqm in total.
Opportunities for dining range from the openly elegant to the intimately luxurious. GLOW Restaurant and Bar is a meeting point of creative world cuisine. INTI guides you on a delicious journey through Peru and Japan and the height of truly bespoke taste is hidden in the opulent chamber of Barium, while Beach Rouge provides a feet-in-the-sand, sea breezy scenario to take you from day to night. Add the famous Café LUX* and signature homemade ICI ice cream parlour, and the flavours of island life just got fresher.
Guests are invited to indulge further on the island, with two swimming pools, a translucent overwater LUX* Me Spa, a world-class PADI diving centre, high adrenaline water sports with the option for cave diving, ship wreck diving and the ultimate luxury experience with private yacht voyages.
LUX* North Male Atoll is truly an exclusive paradise retreat, and LUX* wouldn’t be LUX* without a few surprises. Expect classic screenings at cinema paradiso, local art classes, expert led workshops and the chance to hang your hopes on a magical tree of wishes.
Business
Feydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space
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.
Business
BBM expands retail presence with new Hulhumalé outlet
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.
Action
Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah
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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