Business
Carlson Rezidor makes fresh attempt to enter Maldives with Radisson Blu Resort Maldives opening 2019
Global hotel giant Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has yet again announced plans to enter the Maldives tourism market with the opening in 2019 of a Radisson Blu resort in the island nation.
In a statement, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group said Thursday that an agreement has been signed with Singapore-based Chang Hua Holdings to manage the Radisson Blu Resort Maldives. Scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2019, the property is one of the most anticipated new developments in the Maldives, in addition to being the first Radisson Blu resort in the market, it added.
According to Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, the resort is being developed in South Ari Atoll, and is accessible by a 30-minute seaplane journey, or a domestic flight from the main Velana International Airport to the Maamigili Airport followed by a 15-minute speedboat ride.
Maldives Insider understands that development of the Radisson Blu Resort Maldives is taking place on the island of Ranveli, which up until recently was home to the Ranveli Island Resort.
Featuring 128 exclusive villas, including family villas and a premium overwater villa, the new Radisson Blu Resort Maldives is set to strike a balance between stylish contemporary design and a truly Maldivian resort experience with breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean.
Set amidst some of the most amazing coral reefs, the resort’s first-class sea sports and dive centre will offer guests an array of activities, set for adrenaline pumping action. For those seeking to rejuvenate and restore, the yoga pavilion and spa will be the ethos of wellness as moves are practiced in the tranquil surrounds of the island. Dining at the restaurants and bar on the island promise to tantalise even the most discerning palate with unique cuisines and experiences.
“As a global brand, Radisson Blu Resort Maldives will provide the international leisure market with a full range of innovative design-led products and services, delivering genuine and relevant guest experiences with Radisson Blu’s distinctive Yes I Can! service philosophy,” Thomas Hagemann, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s Vice President for Future Openings and Special Projects in Asia Pacific, was quoted in the statement, as saying.
“Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group continues our growth trajectory in Asia Pacific, we are pleased to expand our footprint into the Maldives with an iconic Radisson Blu resort on the island.”
“We are excited with our first hotel project in the Maldives and believe that it will be a success. Our partnership with Carlson Rezidor stems from their proven expertise and management capabilities. We are confident that the Radisson Blu brand will position us for solid performance, setting inspiring and authentic experiences for our guests,” Li Fei Chang, Managing Director of Chang Hua Holdings, said.
The latest announcement by Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the world’s largest and most dynamic hotel companies, follows three unsuccessful attempts by the group to enter the Maldives market. Previous plans to open the Radisson Hotel Maldives in the satellite town of Maldives capital Hulhumale and The Radisson Plaza Resort Maldives in the island of Naagoshi as well as the acquisition of then The Regent Maldives, which is now run as COMO Maalifushi Maldives, later fell through.
Radisson Blu is one of the world’s leading hotel brands, with more than 398 hotels in operation and under development globally.
Located in prime locations in major cities, airport gateways and leisure destinations around the world, Radisson Blu offers vibrant, contemporary and engaging hospitality characterised by a unique Yes I Can! service philosophy. Known the world over as Hotels Designed to Say YES!, Radisson Blu hotels are first class hotels that celebrate leading-edge style and offer signature features that are empathetic to the challenges of modern travel, including a 100 percent Satisfaction Guarantee.
Carlson Rezidor’s Asia Pacific portfolio has 117 hotels in operation across the region, including 51 Radisson Blu hotels. Carlson Rezidor has 78 more hotels in the pipeline for Asia Pacific.
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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