It was a historical moment when the winners of ‘World Luxury Hotel Awards 2008’ were announced at Cape Town on October 18, 2008. Top Luxury Hotels and Resorts from 30 countries participated in the prestigious event. Apart from the Republic of Maldives, it included Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Germany, India, Latvia, Mauritius, South Africa, Singapore, Bulgaria, USA, China, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, North America, France, Italy, Paraiso de la Bonita, Argentina, Zambia, New Zealand, Mexico, Fiji islands, Cook Islands, Malta, Spain, Indonesia and Mozambique.
World Luxury Hotel Awards 2008 Winner
The gala ceremony was opened by the Provincial Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape, MEC Garth Strachan with a key note address to the distinguished gathering from all across the globe. “The sheer number of participants in my humble view shows that there is indeed a demand internationally for an award system for Luxury Hotels, Lodges and Resorts”, said Brandon Lournes, CEO and Founder of World Luxury Hotel Awards.
The ‘World Luxury Hotel Awards’ are accepted as the pinnacle of achievement for Luxury Hotels worldwide. This Award was established as a celebration of ultimate achievement in hoteliering. It is about congratulating hotels that have taken the extra step and have as such differentiated themselves from “good hotels” to “exceptional hotels”. The World Luxury Hotel Awards accounts for all categories in the Luxury Hotel industry. Award winners set the benchmark for luxury hotels in achieving recognition for their world class facilities and service excellence.
Hulhule Island Hotel was one of the three finalists under the ‘Luxury Airport Hotel’ category of ‘World Luxury Hotel Awards 2008’ – the other two finalists being, the newly opened Crowne Plaza Hotel, Singapore and Emperor’s Palace, South Africa – each with more than 300 rooms. During the award ceremony, Hulhule Island Hotel was officially declared the ‘Winner’ under the ‘Luxury Airport Hotel’ category.
Hulhule Island Hotel was officially inaugurated by His Excellency Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of Republic of Maldives in 2001. Since then, the Hotel has been a key member of the travel and trade business in the Maldives. The Hotel has become well-known for its excellent services and the hospitality offered to tourists.
Hulhule Island Hotel has 136 rooms in all inclusive of various categories of rooms on offer including Superior, Deluxe, Super Deluxe, Super Deluxe with Jacuzzi and the Suites. The facilities for the guests at the hotel include the Spa, Gymnasium, Swimming Pool, Beach area,Landscaping, Tennis court, Golf putting green and extensive Food & Beverage options. The diverse dining selections include a rooftop restaurant ‘Uduvilaa’ with a panoramic view of both Male and the Indian Ocean catering to the multi-cuisine creations for the International clientele.
It is worth mentioning that Hulhule Island Hotel was adjudged as the ‘Best Culinary Establishment’ at Maldives in the Hotel Asia Exhibition & Culinary Challenge successively twice i.e. in 2006 and 2008. Hulhule Island Hotel is an ISO 9001-2000 certified hotel and has also been certified for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) which is unarguably the ultimate food safety certification worldwide, with a reputation of covering A-Z of the food processing cycle, right from purchase and selection of suppliers, to the storage, preparation and service of the food products.
On receiving this coveted award, Mr. Utkarsh Faujdar, General Manager – Hulhule Island Hotel stated ecstatically, “This is indeed recognition of the par excellence Hulhule Island Hotel has attained by achieving the highest standards in the hospitality industry”. He further added “The relentless efforts of the team have been instrumental in bringing this International award of repute to the Republic of Maldives.”
Hulhule Island Hotel was officially inaugurated on August 15, 2001 by the Hon’ President of Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The hotel has earned a considerable number of compliments for both its high quality and personalised services since then. Hulhule Island Hotel was also adjudged as the ‘Best Culinary Establishment’ at Maldives in the last Hotel Asia Exhibition & Culinary Challenge.
The initial hotel operations commenced with the following on offer for the guests:
o 88 rooms
o Swimming Pool
o Faru Coffee House
o Captains Fun Pub
The market segments for the hotel were purely based on transit guests and short layover of airline crews. The average length of stay for a guest was less than 24 hrs as Hulhule Island Hotel was positioned as the transit hotel or an airport hotel only.
In Hulhule Island Hotel’s pursuit of continuous improvement and to serve the more discerning travelers even better, the following developments took place over the last couple of years:
* At-site cooking counter - Commenced operations in January 2005
* Gymnasium - Commenced operations in April 2005
* Champs Bar - Commenced operations in November 2006
* Spa - Commenced operations in June 2007
* Renovated lobby - Commenced operations in October 2007
* New Café for team - Commenced operations in November 2007
The new wing construction was planned and is nearing completion now comprising 51 deluxe and super deluxe rooms that will have superior style, design theme and finishes. To top it off, all the guest rooms will have a better sea view as this wing will be closer to the sea and with a balcony with each of the rooms. In this new wing, Hulhule Island Hotel shall also be extending other facilities such as a rooftop restaurant with a panoramic view of both Male and the Indian Ocean. The revised inventory for Hulhule Island Hotel shall be 136 rooms inclusive of various categories of rooms on offer.
Hulhule Island Hotel held the groundbreaking ceremony for its new guest wing on July 17, 2006 to formally kick off the construction for the new wing and is scheduled to commence operations in January 2008.
The team of Hulhule Island Hotel has already been working towards these developments and will boast of the following facilities in next couple of months:
o 51 guest rooms – Deluxe, Super Deluxe and Super Deluxe with Jacuzzi
o New accommodation for team
o New recreation room for team
o Rooftop restaurant Uduvilaa
o Sunset deck
o Beach with service counter
o Tennis court
o Soft refurbishment of all existing rooms
o Refurbishment of Faru Coffee House
o Golf putting green
o New landscaping
As is evident from the upcoming developments, Hulhule Island Hotel has not only focused on creating the new facilities for the guests but the upgrade of the existing guest facilities and the facilities offered to the team members has also been an integral part on the agenda.
The segment of clientele for Hulhule Island Hotel has expanded over the years as the business clientele and guests on leisure have also started patronizing the hotel. Moreover, with the enhanced offer, the positioning of Hulhule Island Hotel has improved tremendously as earlier it was considered as an ‘Airport Hotel’ or a ‘Transit hotel’ only reflecting on the limited facilities on offer for the guests.
The on-going journey towards continual improvement in the product and services has been in line with the market need since Hulhule Island Hotel caters to the clientele of a lot of top-end resorts. The improved Hulhule Island Hotel will continue to make their stay in Maldives more memorable.
The corporate re-branding of Hulhule Island Hotel will provide a competitive edge and a better positioning in the market. The right positioning will further facilitate Hulhule Island Hotel to be able to reach the target markets and explore the newer market segments.
The new corporate branding signifies the new look of Hulhule Island Hotel i.e. more dynamic, vibrant, fresher, modern and contemporary, symbolising the hotel's aspirations and the renewed vigour of the entire Team.
It will be the endeavor of the Management and entire Team to take the hospitality of Hulhule Island Hotel to even greater heights with the completion of exciting project. It demonstrates the efforts of Hulhule Island Hotel to support and grow the aviation and tourism industry in Maldives.
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