The Maldives: now for children too

	Beaches are incredibly safe for kids

Once you couldn’t move for the honeymooners. Not now. The island has been transformed for kids. In word-association tests, if you don’t answer “The Maldives” when the psychologist says honeymoon, the good doctor will give you a sideways stare.

These so-romantic Indian Ocean atolls are now as indelibly imprinted on the gilt-edged marriage map as the best man’s cringeworthy double entendres and the embarrassing dad dancing at the evening disco. So the latest focus for its top resorts is rather puzzling – they’re pushing their kids’ clubs.

In the past, you practically had to walk around ringing a bell if you dared turn up with an infant, but the new hot hotel in the archipelago, Diva, is placing every bit as much emphasis on attracting brats as bridezillas.

To ensure a rose-tinted, Waltons-on-Sea appeal, it has drafted in Johnny Mathis, the exacting Swiss general manager who turned the Anassa in Cyprus into the poshest, family-friendly property in the Mediterranean.

Mathis explains: “The Maldives don’t require a string of vaccinations, and the shallow lagoons here mean that the beaches are incredibly safe for kids. Some islands are tiny, so mixing families and honeymooners might not work, but Diva has 4km of beach and we can easily accommodate both groups.”

The resort offers plenty to tempt the grown-ups, including six restaurants, six bars and a spa. Some areas are strictly adults only. But there is also a large children’s club, The Nest, which is complimentary and open daily from 9am to 10pm for 3-to 12-year-olds (under3s must be accompanied by a parent, or a baby-sitter for a nominal fee). It has a cinema lounge, a well-stocked library, a computer room, a large outdoor playground and a “siesta lounge” for when your toddler tires of excess and needs an afternoon nap.

Next door, just for teens, is the Place, stacked with WiFi computers, PlayStations, table tennis and pool tables. Beach-volleyball matches are organised here, and tennis tournaments are held on its two dedicated courts. There is also Musik, a nightclub with live bands – though since this also doubles as a conference space, it’s never going to rival Mahiki for ambience.

Diva isn’t alone in targeting those with children. When Reethi Rah opened three years ago, Jodie Kidd and Aidan Butler and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were among the stream of high-profile honeymooners seeking out its six-star seclusion. But what really surprised the resort’s bosses was the demand from families. During the Easter and Christmas breaks, 80% of its guests are nowen famille.

Reethi Rah already has an impressive complimentary kids’ club, complete with dinky swimming pool and pint-sized sun loungers; and ClubOne for teen-agers, staffed by its own sports and entertainment team. Now, it is looking to boost its family appeal further by introducing a “parents go lightly” scheme.

This would allow guests to preorder everything from nappies to buggies for their villa, rather than run the risk of having their baby milk mistaken for sarin at the airport.

The Beach House at Manafaru, which opened in February, is another newcomer with its eye on looking after junior. Apart from complimentary kids’ and teen clubs, it has a giant trampoline, tennis, volleyball and badminton courts, Ninten-do Wii, an 18-hole golf simulator – and a special spa menu. For the “Lil’ Mud-Man” treatment, youngsters are given a bowl of chocolate mud to smear over themselves, before jumping into a mud bath and having a mini massage... followed by a slice of chocolate cake.

The idea is catching on, too. In May, the Conrad Rangali followed gooey suit with its Ice Cream Spa, where kids can have a “Super Sundae Supremo” body scrub and massage using “Gotta Have It Pomegranate”. And if the thought of those ingredients doesn’t make you feel queasy, the prices will – the Supremo costs about £45.

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J Resorts plans to tap Bollywood for promotion of its properties

	Tapping the growing Bollywood tourism segment

To launch three more resorts by January next year

Maldives based J Hotels & Resorts is looking at tapping the growing Bollywood tourism segment. The Group, which already operates two beach resorts in Maldives is slated to launch three more properties on January 10, 2009. With the growing popularity of Bollywood all around the globe, the Group believes that shoots are a major tool for marketing.

Talking about the potential of Bollywood promoting tourism in Maldives, B A Rahim, Director – Sales & Marketing, J Hotels & Resorts Pvt. Ltd. said, “It was Bollywood, which made the unknown corners of the world popular in India as tourism destinations. Since Maldives is one of the short haul destinations for Indians, we are not leaving any stone unturned to promote our properties primarily in Indian market and globally. Shooting of ad films and movies will provide the property a proper platform of marketing itself not only in the Indian market but also other countries.”

Few shoots have already taken place at the Group’s Handufushi Resort, which had a soft launch in May this year with a few more shoots lined up at the new properties in the coming months. Last year in July, TravelBiz Monitor was the first to report the entry of J Resorts in India. During the same period, Akqua Sun Holidays India Pvt. Ltd was also appointed as their sole General Sales Agent (GSA) for India, Hong Kong, China and Middle East market. Rahim further stated, “The GSA will help sales in India, as well as in the other markets. We are also aiming to tap the Incentive, Honeymooners and family market from India. There are plans to invite tour operators and media from all around the world for the launch of our three properties in Maldives.

Yacht Tours Maldives Pvt. Ltd owns the J Hotels and Resorts brand and has invested more than USD 50 million for the new resorts that will be operational next year. “We are going to have a joint launch of J Resort Handufushi (soft launch in May this year), J Resort Raalhuveli, J Resort Kuda Rah and J Resort Huvandhumaafushi in January next year,” added Rahim.

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Martin Michalik appointed Resort Manager of One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives

	Our quest - to ‘blow away our customer’

The One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives has appointed Martin Michalik as Resort Manager. Martin will oversee the day-to-day resort operations with an emphasis on food and beverage, room division, spa and recreation.

Martin’s foray into the hospitality industry began when he earned his degree in International Hospitality Management at the highly acclaimed Swiss Hospitality Institute, César Ritz. Martin’s career progression began in food and beverage and spans over 17 years where he held a myriad of executive positions in major international hotels and resorts in Thailand, Prague, Canada, Maldives, Japan and Hawaii with JW Marriott Phuket and Marriott Vacation Club, One&Only Kanuhura and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

Prior to his present appointment at One&Only Reethi Rah, he worked as the General Manager at Almyra Resort in Cyprus.

Michael Payne, General Manager of One&Only Reethi Rah said, “We are fortunate to have someone of Martin’s caliber at our property here in the Maldives. With his talent and passion for the industry, we will continue our quest to ‘blow away our customer’ and offer our guests the most memorable moments during their stay on our ‘beautiful island.’”

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