Browsing Tag

Hospitality

Top 5 Breathtaking Dining Experiences in the Maldives

March 28, 2019

The Maldives appeals to millions of travellers every year, who flock to the tropical islands in search of sun, sand and some respite from their normal lives. The palm-fringed endless beaches and the glittering azure waters cast their spell on travellers who visit year in, year out. Adding to the charm of the Maldives, are the endless opportunities for once in a lifetime destination dining experiences. Here are our top 5 picks:

 

Underwater Dining

Dining in 5.8 Undersea Restaurant in Hurawalhi Island Resort is a spectacular gastronomical experience like no other. The meals are prepared with flair, seasoned with awe and served against the backdrop of the sea, in the world’s largest all-glass undersea restaurant. Sample the multi-course delights as you take in a view that very few restaurants in the world can offer.

 

Unscripted Dining

Dining in Kudadoo Maldives Private Island is inspired by your imagination. Their Anything, Anytime, Anywhere concept extends to dining, allowing you to indulge in culinary creations that are inspired by you, adapted to your dietary requirements and prepared to perfection by the executive chef. Here, you can let your imagination run wild and embark on a culinary journey like no other.

 

Dining Under The Moon

Idyllic and intimate, Full Moon Dinners in Meeru Island Resort & Spa, Veligandu Island Resort & Spa and Vilamendhoo Island Resort & Spa redefine the beach dining experience. Set on the beach, these dinners allow you to indulge in delicacies specially prepared for you as the moon casts a romantic glow and the palm trees sway, serenading you.

 

Dining On The Beach

Komandoo Island Resort & Spa’s candlelit dinner on the beach promises an evening of indulgence. Couples can sink their feet into the soft sand, unwind under the stars and savour divine delicacies. With the Veli dinner in Kuredu Island Resort & Spa couples enjoy a 5-course menu, paired with a bottle of wine and set on the pristine sandbank, in a private and comfortable soft sand arrangement.

 

Dining In The Sky

Enjoy the stunning views of Male’ City from Champa Central Hotel’s Roof Top Restaurant as you enjoy any of the tasty meals from the a la carte menu, or the Buffet theme nights. Sip on a refreshing drink as you watch the sunset over the dotted skyline. Offering one of the best views in Male’ City, you are in for a treat here.

 

These resorts redefine destination dining. You will surely be spoilt for choice. View reasons to pick Crown and Champa Resorts here.

Innahura Maldives Resort Opens Its Doors

March 28, 2019
innahura opening

innahura opening

At Crown and Champa Resorts, our goal is to exceed expectations by providing a unique combination of outstanding accommodations and exceptional service so as to accomplish our vision of being recognised as the most successful hotel and resort management group in the Maldives. With the recent opening of Innahura Maldives Resort, we are making great strides towards our vision.

Innahura Maldives Resort finally opened its doors, welcoming the first guests to the unpretentious gem tucked in the heart of Lhaviyani Atoll. The guests were met with song and dance, fresh towels and refreshing Kurumba drinks. As the staff welcomed them to the sound of the beating Bodu Beru Drums, the smiles on everyone’s faces were a great sign of the joyful moments to come.

innahura opening

 

At Innahura, life is easy. The 3-Star resort affords guests the opportunity to have a holiday that is as adventurous or as laid-back as they please. Combining the quintessential sun, sand and sea elements with a traditional Maldivian twist, Innahura allows travellers of all ages to appreciate the beauty of the Maldives. Here, guests will enjoy authentic experiences that come without a hefty price tag.

Boasting of 78 Beach Bungalows, a stunning restaurant, two well-stocked bars, a Prodivers centre, watersports centre, spa, and a well-equipped gym, Innahura is a dream Maldivian getaway. Furthermore, the joyful Innahura team is always at hand to anticipate and meet the guests’ needs.

innahura opening

Experience Innahura Maldives Resort for yourself and enjoy the easy life!

Crown & Champa Resorts wins Leading CSR Program at Maldives Travel Awards 2018

December 29, 2018
Maldives Travel Awards 2018

In an exclusive soiree on Thursday, December 27, 2018, Crown & Champa Resorts received the ‘Leading CSR Program’ for 2018 in the Maldives Travel Awards. The event, held at Paradise Island Resort, welcomed over 200 industry professionals to celebrate the winners across all 25 categories in the gala edition.

 

The award serves a formal testament of the continuous aim to increase the sustainability of operations through positive contributions to biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage preservation and community development. Within the extensive Sustainability Report is the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to promote local employment and fair trade, support local entrepreneurs, respect local communities, implement policies against commercial exploitation and practice responsible sourcing.

 

Read the full Sustainability Report »

 

5-Star luxury resort, Hurawalhi Island Resort has been bestowed the ‘Leading All-Inclusive Resort’ award, which highlights the resort’s generous and value-for-money plan that allows guests to luxuriate in a carefree getaway in the Maldives. Having been in operation for 2 years, Hurawalhi sets an exemplary path for sustainable luxury and elegance with a traditional Maldivian touch that is rooted in the core values of Crown & Champa Resorts.

 

View Hurawalhi’s complete All Inclusive Plus package »

 

Finally, the Maldives Travel Awards named Duniye Spa the ‘Leading Wellness and Spa Brand’ for 2018, adding to the spa’s stellar reputation as one of the best in the Maldives. Founded in 2002 by a group of international hotel owners, Duniye Spa is a leading spa management and consultancy company in the Maldives and Indian Ocean region. The spa offers a holistic approach to well-being using world-class facilities, natural products and the care provided by each professional therapist.

 

Visit the Duniye Spa website »

 

Crown & Champa Resorts offers guests 40 years of expertise in the hospitality industry. Each resort is individually crafted to reflect its surroundings and heritage, creating getaways filled with authentic beauty and allure, and catering for all types of guests and island experiences.

Secrets to Successful Training & Development in the Maldives

September 20, 2018

Zakariyya “Zaki” Easa, Training & Development Manager for award-winning Crown & Champa Resorts has been with the company for over 19 years and offers insightful secrets to success in Training & Development in the Maldives.

 

Training & Development is an essential department in any organization, where employees are further equipped with a range of skills designed to enhance their job performance and shape their overall career goals. In the Hospitality Industry, resorts and hotels further invest their resources on training employees, and most importantly, developing the necessary skills within the company.

 

Born and raised in the Maldives, Zaki holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Open University of Malaysia; a Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management Honours from the University of Toulouse in France (via Taylor’s University of Malaysia); and has maintained a successful track record working in various departments of the hospitality industry.

 

He has grown in his career with Crown & Champa Resorts during the past 19 years, focusing on all the operational departments from junior levels to executive levels. His multifaceted management skills include the highest level of compliance-based activities, such as Implementation and HACCP/Food Safety Training, and currently leading the Training and Development team representing the entire award-winning group.

 

Zaki’s acute knowledge and experience allows him to observe the various changes in the training processes employed by various companies in the Maldives, ‘the perspective of Employee Training and Development has drastically changed over the years in Maldives, from least valued sector to the most vital strategic business tool towards a necessary competitive edge’, he mentions. He further emphasises the need to have skilled trainers at the various Crown & Champa Resorts properties.

 

“To sustain business success, quality standards and continuity of service improvements at a competitive edge, multi-skilled and experienced trainers are vital. Their partnership is inseparable from a company’s business strategies and the business plans.”

 

Open communication and genuine partnership are some of the reasons why the Training & Development Department at Crown & Champa Resorts is so successful and essentially, one of the leading teams in the Maldives. Zaki finds that although each company is unique, very few keep the global workforce in mind when creating training portfolios. Key factors such as cultural and generational differences in the workforce affect how receptive an employee is to any training activity.

 

There are many facets to understanding the factors that affect an employee’s development within a company. Zaki mentions, ‘not having clear expectations at an operational level, as well as a career and succession plan.’ He further states that career goals serve as a fundamental motivational tool for any employee who wants to work in this industry. ‘A development plan with a realistic time frame builds trusted social contract between employees and employers’, he adds. This plan eventually helps to sustain continuous service improvements by retaining qualified and experience employees.

 

Crown & Champa Resorts offer a variety of development programmes for the benefit of the employee, the company and our guests. These include a Sponsorship Programme for in-house staff, Graduate Management Training Programme, as well as Departmental and Inter-Resort Cross Exposure Programme.

 

“Apart from basic education qualification, good behaviour, a positive attitude, flexibility and a passionate for your work. The ideal scholarship programme candidate is a person who loves to learn and improve knowledge/skills, is results oriented and a people’s person.”

 

Find out more about one of the successful recipients of a Crown & Champa Resorts scholarship here.

 

Download our 5 ways to improve your Training & Development Methods and enhance your own teams… the Crown & Champa Resorts way.

Secrets to Successful Sales & Marketing in the Maldives

July 25, 2018

Ahmed Shaheen, Director of Sales & Marketing for award-winning Crown & Champa Resorts (‘CCR’) has been with the company for over 23 years and offers insightful secrets to success in the Sales & Marketing arena of the Maldives.

 

From Market Trends, Sales Strategies and Marketing Plans to Sales Calls, International Trade Shows and Lead Generation, Sales & Marketing is an essential department in the Hospitality Industry, which is visible in multiple stages of the Guests’ Journey between initial knowledge of a destination, to the checkout and aftersales experience.

 

Year after year, CCR continues to grow as leading Resort & Hotel brand in the Maldives, which currently manages a total of 8 properties with several new developments underway. The Sales & Marketing Department ensures that each Resort and Hotel individually, as well as a part of the renowned group, is well represented across all Markets and platforms among our partners, Travel Agents and Tour Operators.

 

Born and raised in Maldives, Shaheen holds a Higher Diploma in Hospitality Management from Taylor’s College in Malaysia and has climbed the ladder from a young age with experience in various departments of the hospitality industry. He has grown in his career with CCR during the past 23 years focusing on Accounts, Operations, Sales & Marketing and currently now taking lead of the Sales & Marketing team representing the entire award-winning Group.

 

Travel and Hospitality in the Maldives is a rapidly changing environment and an industry where one has to focus to stay ahead of the market. CCR’s diverse and experienced Sales & Marketing team sets the Group apart. Shaheen adds that, ‘each member in the team contributes valuable experience and knowledge to our sales strategies in order to keep up with the new trends of each market in the world and the destination itself.”

 

In his advise to Sales & Marketing professionals on setting a successful sales strategy, Shaheen lists the follow key points:

 

  1. Listen to your sources and evaluate their statements, concerns, suggestions and opinions.
  2. Discuss with your team of experts and evaluate the same.
  3. Use the contributions to implement a customized strategy.

 

“By listening to our valued partners all around the world, we focus on evolving our brand and creating new trends for our partners to join us on our journey of new and fresh offerings.”

 

International Trade Fairs are a great way for Sales & Marketing professionals to foster Business-to-Business (B2B) partnerships, including some of the World’s leading travel events like ITB Berlin and the World Travel Market. At such events, Shaheen estimates that the team manages an average of 70 meetings including Tour Operator functions and networking events.

 

“A typical day at a trade show for our team includes a combination of meetings to acquire, developing and retain partners. With each partner, we actively solicit discussions on how we can improve, as well as plan and strategize how to keep up with the market trends and empower these relationships.”

 

The goal, to ensure that Crown & Champa Resorts remains the best partner in the Maldives, is intrinsically linked to the Group’s vision, as well as the mission to exceed all expectations, whether from behind-the-scenes, as with Sales & Marketing efforts, harnessing valuable feedback from partnerships or improving the overall guest experience.

 

Learn more about Sales & Marketing efforts in the Travel and Hospitality Industry. Read the 5 little known facts and the link between these efforts and the guest experience.