First Holiday Inn Resort opens in The Maldives

Holiday Inn Resort, Kandooma has become the first Holiday Inn Resort to open in the Republic of Maldives.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) signed an agreement with Leisure Holidays Private Limited (LHPL), a Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) Group company, to takeover Kandooma Maldives on November 1, 2009 and re-brand it as ‘Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma’. HPL is listed on Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX), and its principal businesses include hotel ownership and management, property development and investments.

“This partnership gives us the opportunity to begin a relationship with IHG. We are confident of the strength of the new Holiday Inn brand, and believe the new Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma will provide a unique guest experience in this segment of the Maldives market,” said Mr. Stephen Lau, Chairman of HPL Hotels & Resorts Pte Ltd and Executive Director of HPL.

Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma is the second Holiday Inn property in the Maldives. The resort is built on Kandooma Island in the South Malé Atoll, a forty-minute speedboat ride from Malé International Airport.

The 160-room resort features villas with great sea or garden views and extensive food and beverage options, including a specialty restaurant with Mediterranean-Thai cuisine, a well stocked wine room, and a rooftop lounge serving tapas.

Kandooma Island is extremely popular its close proximity to many excellent dive sites like the Kandooma Channel, Kandooma Caves and Kandooma ‘Thila’ (an undersea mount). Apart from the Dive Centre, sports and recreational facilities at the resort include Kandooma Kids’ Club, full spa services at the COMO Shambala Spa and three radio channels with resident radio DJs. Guests can also enjoy activities such as dolphin watching, windsurfing, snorkeling, guided kayak safaris, and underwater hockey.

“This partnership is both a fantastic opportunity for IHG to build a relationship with a partner company like HPL and to introduce a brand-defining resort property under the new Holiday Inn brand. I have every confidence that guests will enjoy the facilities and service experience at the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, which will be a refreshing new hotel option in the Maldives,” said Jan Smits, Managing Director, IHG Asia Australasia.

Inter Continental Hotels Group (IHG) is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms.