Business
Marriott expands off-peak pricing, to add bonus elite-night credits
Marriott International has announced several sweeping updates to its Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programme, from pricing changes, to elite night credits, to perks for its top-tier members.
Expanded off-peak pricing
Marriott has made some temporary updates to its redemption rates. Approximately 5,500 open Marriott Bonvoy hotels are offering off-peak pricing only for award bookings made until June 30.
Travellers interested in booking stays at off-peak pricing must complete those stays before July 31, 2020.
The golf course at St. Regis Bahia Beach (Photo courtesy of the resort)
The golf course at St. Regis Bahia Beach (Photo courtesy of the resort)
According to Marriott, some participating category seven and eight properties are included on this list — meaning that they will be entirely off-peak for stays booked by June 30 for travel through July 31.
Suspension of peak rates
During the stay period when the booking window is open, no hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy will be priced at peak levels, according to the chain. That means even category eight hotels will effectively be capped at no more than 85,000 points through the end of July — as long as you book by June 30.
Given the widespread nature of these new offers, it’s worth checking your existing Marriott award stays to see if the same room is available for fewer points. And if you have any Points Advance reservations for which you haven’t actually redeemed points, now could be a good time to see if the rate has dropped from the one you initially booked.
Extra elite-night credits and perks
Marriott also announced some positive changes for Bonvoy elite members.
Marriott says it will deposit Elite Night Credits into members’ accounts amounting to 50 per cent of the nights required for the status they earned in 2019.
For Marriott Bonvoy credit cardholders, these additional ENCs are on top of the ones awarded from eligible Marriott Bonvoy credit cards you may already hold — which as of earlier this year, allowed personal and business cardholders to earn up to 30 nights.
According to the chain, members will see the added credits in their accounts in late July. Here’s the breakdown:

Even though Marriott has extended elite statuses through February 2022, these boosts could help push you toward a higher tier. So, if you hit Titanium elite through this boost you could earn sweet perks like Five Suite Night Awards or a free night award, worth up to 40,000 points.
Note that this could also help with your progress toward Marriott Lifetime Elite status — both with the number of nights and an additional year of higher status.
Finally, Ambassador Elites who earned status in 2019 and reach 100 ENCs this year will be able to share Platinum Elite status with a friend, family member, or loved one.
Marriott operates six resorts in Maldives.
Marriott brands already present in the Indian Ocean tourist paradise include St. Regis Hotels & Resorts (The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort), W Hotels (W Maldives), Sheraton Hotels & Resorts (Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa), Westin Hotels & Resorts (The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort), and JW Marriott (JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa).
The world’s largest hotel company is also preparing to open the debut hotel in Maldives under its flagship luxury brand, The Ritz-Carlton.
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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