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Monday 27 Apr 2026
LOCAL EDITION
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LOCAL EDITION
Hotelier Maldives on Sunday night announced the winners of Hotelier Maldives Awards 2026, presented by Bestbuy Maldives (BBM), at a gala ceremony held at NIVA Kurumba Maldives.
Now in its third edition, the annual awards recognize individuals, teams and programs across the tourism industry, and remain the only awards in the Maldives dedicated to recognizing the talent and contribution of resort employees.
This year’s ceremony brought together hoteliers, industry partners and tourism stakeholders to celebrate achievement across resort operations, guest services, leadership, sustainability, training and commercial performance.
Ali Naafiz, editor of Hotelier Maldives, said the awards continue to highlight the people and teams whose work drives the Maldives tourism industry every day.
“Hotelier Maldives Awards was created to recognize the individuals, teams and programs that play a central role in the success of our tourism industry. The 2026 winners reflect the depth of talent, commitment and professionalism present across resorts and hospitality businesses in the Maldives. We congratulate all of this year’s winners and nominees for their contribution to the industry,” he said.
The winners of Hotelier Maldives Awards 2026 are:
TJ received the award for sustained business growth, leadership in team engagement and retention, and building a culture that supports talent development and long-term operational performance.
Nus-ha received the award for her contribution to training, engagement and talent development, including leading the resort’s internship program and supporting local and international interns into hospitality careers.
Hassan was recognized for operational leadership, people development and community engagement, including structured training initiatives and CSR work with local councils and stakeholders.
Mayuree was recognized for her long-standing contribution to spa and wellness operations, including her role in three spa pre-openings, her progression into cluster assistant spa manager, and her work in training team members and supporting revenue growth through targeted spa initiatives.
Malsa was honored for her role in shaping guest relations operations at the resort, leading service recovery, guest recognition, team coordination and personalized guest journeys, while also contributing to hospitality education and mentoring.
Fazeen was recognized for rising from the resort’s pre-opening team to Executive Housekeeper and for leading a department that achieved 100% scores in both Forbes Travel Guide and LQA housekeeping audits, alongside staff development and team recognition across Kerzner properties.
Anwar received the award for strengthening IT infrastructure, improving cybersecurity and risk management, and supporting the development of local IT talent while maintaining reliable systems and operational support across the resort.
Known as “Chief”, Hussain was recognized for leading the engineering function through planned maintenance, infrastructure upgrades, cost control, sustainability initiatives and community support, while maintaining operational reliability in a demanding island environment.
Abdulla was honored for reshaping the resort landscape with native and climate-suitable planting, improving guest spaces and walkability, and introducing environmentally conscious practices such as repurposing seagrass into natural fertilizer.
Yaugoob was recognized for nearly two decades of work in safety and security, including leadership across multiple resort departments and his role in integrating resort security with guest service delivery.
Shihab received the award for his strategic HR leadership across IHG Maldives properties, his work in compliance, colleague engagement and succession planning, and his wider contribution to developing hospitality talent in the Maldives.
Captain Shazeen was recognized for his role in flight training, safety and quality oversight, CORSIA compliance, and his contribution to Manta Air’s operational standards, backed by nearly 20 years of aviation experience.
Abdul Muhaimin was honored for his work in safe and timely marine transfers, front office and transport coordination, VIP guest handling and coaching junior team members in marine safety and service standards.
Ali Shareef received the award for overseeing full procurement operations at the resort, managing major CAPEX procurement, strengthening internal controls and improving audit and compliance performance.
Mahmoud was recognized for strengthening financial governance, automating operational and financial reporting, and supporting profitability through value-driven financial management.
Thaaif received the award for driving room revenue growth, expanding the resort’s global distribution network, building market visibility and launching sports-based brand initiatives that generated commercial and PR value.
Canan was recognized for leading major brand campaigns, partnerships and local collaborations, while helping elevate the resort’s international recognition across travel and hospitality platforms.
Duygu received the award for her role in shaping and protecting the JOALI brand, strengthening international positioning, driving major media coverage and leading brand communications across multiple channels and teams.
Chef Christian was honored for culinary leadership that improved guest satisfaction, introduced new dining concepts, advanced sustainability-focused menu development and strengthened kitchen culture and team engagement. In addition to Chef of the Year, Christian also received the BBM Chairman’s Special Award in recognition of his broader culinary leadership and impact across the resort’s food offering.
Ayaaz was recognized for his leadership across food and beverage operations, contribution to major events and collaborations, strong hygiene and quality audit results, and his focus on team development.
Zaid received the award for mentoring watersports staff, expanding product offerings, supporting budget performance and maintaining strong guest satisfaction through training, innovation and service delivery.
Arzan was recognized for combining dive operations leadership with marine knowledge, mentoring his team, maintaining service quality and supporting both guest satisfaction and departmental revenue performance.
Mihad was honored for ensuring smooth airport-to-resort transitions, improving lounge service standards, mentoring team members and maintaining a consistent standard of personalized guest handling.
JOALI Maldives was recognized for strong cross-department collaboration, year-on-year revenue growth, guest satisfaction gains, repeat business and the team’s contribution to the resort’s global recognition.
The program was honored for developing local hospitality talent through an 18-month accredited training pathway, graduating 12 students and supporting retention and internal promotion.
The award recognized the Plastic Aa Nulaa initiative for its contribution to environmental awareness, plastic reduction and community-driven sustainability action.
Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu received the award for embedding sustainability into operations, conservation and guest experience, including a decade-long partnership with Olive Ridley Project and continued work in farm-to-table and low-impact resort practices.
The team was recognized for global trade engagement, agent education, large-scale familiarization programs and international broadcast partnerships that strengthened destination and resort visibility.
SO/ Maldives received the award for integrated front office and housekeeping operations, stronger logistics, improved productivity and proactive guest engagement across the rooms division.
The team was honored for structured recruitment, onboarding, training, engagement and inclusion practices, alongside recognition for staff wellbeing, career development and HR contribution.
Six Senses Kanuhura received the award for maintaining resort infrastructure, supporting development projects and festive operations, and delivering preventive maintenance in line with sustainability values.
The finance team was recognized for strong governance, budgeting, forecasting, cost control and financial reporting that supported the resort’s operational and long-term performance.
The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands’ team received the award for culinary and service consistency, operational discipline, guest satisfaction and Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star recognition.
The ELE|NA wellness team was honored for business growth, guest satisfaction, personalized wellness programming and international recognition for wellness and sustainability-focused practices.
The Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa team received the award for its role in shaping the family guest experience through structured programming, festive event support, guest loyalty and revenue contribution.
Meanwhile, four tourism industry veterans - Adam Saeed of Bandos Maldives, Mohamed Waheed of Equator Village, Mohamed Naeem of Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, and Abdul Samad Ibrahim of Club Med Maldives - received the Dedicated Service Awards for thei lasting contributions to the development of the Maldivian tourism industry.
Hotelier Maldives said nominations for Hotelier Maldives Awards 2027 are expected to open in early January 2027, with the platform set to return for its fourth edition next year.
