Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts have been committed to sustainability since their foundation.

Now, three of its five resorts have received the Green Globe certification; OBLU by Atmosphere at Helengeli (November 2019), OZEN by Atmosphere at Maadhoo (November 2019) and OBLU Select at Sangeli (January 2020).

This certification is considered one of the first global programmes for the conservation of people and nature, with a local focus. The certification was designed specifically for the travel and tourism industry and has been in existence since the early 1990s.

For Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts, sustainability means managing the resorts in accordance with the company’s guiding principles, which include being aware of and taking responsibility for global environmental issues.

The group’s resorts have been managed in a sustainable manner from the very beginning, and considerable steps have been taken to minimise the impact that operating the resorts has on the environment.

For example, all resorts use glass bottles for drinking water, which is processed in the resort’s own facilities, and plastic straws are banned. At OZEN by Atmosphere, floating solar panels power the resort. Solar power generation will be introduced in all resorts in the near future.

Guests are actively encouraged to preserve nature and the surrounding underwater world, to help further protect the environment.

In addition, Maldivian culture and heritage is shared at the resorts, to ensure it is known and protected.

The Green Globe certification process is complex and rigorous.

Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts dedicates special teams of staff at each of its resorts to ensure that the resort adheres to the certification criteria. The responsible teams have to work through more than 300 certification criteria comprehensively, taking into account various factors such as sustainability, protection of cultural heritage, social and economic considerations and environmental protection.

“As the Maldives is one of the most endangered tourist destinations in the world, environmental conservation and sustainability have always been a key element to our operations and integral in all that we do. Since the establishment of Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts in 2013, we have worked to become more and more sustainable,” Giri Venkat, Chief Operating Officer and President of Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts, was quoted in a statement, as saying.

“We are thrilled to be part of the Green Globe community, with three resorts currently certified, and the others well on their way. I am very proud of all the resort teams who have worked immensely hard to achieve this certification.”

Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts is a dynamic and fast-growing Indian Ocean hospitality group currently based in the Maldives.

Atmosphere’s first property, Atmosphere Kanifushi, opened its doors in December 2013. The group opened its second property, OBLU by Atmosphere at Helengeli, in November 2015; followed by their flagship lifestyle luxury sub-brand, OZEN by Atmosphere, in July 2016; and then OBLU Select at Sangeli, which opened in July 2018. The newest addition to the portfolio, VARU by Atmosphere, opened in October 2019.

Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts offers guest-centric resort experiences through unique resort plans, offering guests a range of all-encompassing experiences, with varieties of dining options as well as a number of complimentary amenities and activities that ensure a relaxed, hassle-free holiday experience at each resort, all while staying true to the brand’s core philosophy: ‘The Joy of Giving’.

Cover photo: OBLU Select at Sangeli.