Hotelier Maldives has opened nominations for the Hotelier Maldives Awards 2026, inviting resorts across the Maldives to submit entries over a one-month period from 2 January 2026 via an online nominations portal. The 2026 edition broadens the awards programme with the introduction of eight new team-based categories, placing stronger emphasis on departmental excellence and the collective performance that drives day-to-day resort operations. The newly added team categories are Sales & Marketing Team of the Year; Rooms Division Team of the Year; HR & Training Team of the Year; Engineering Team of the Year; Finance Team of the Year; F&B & Culinary Team of the Year; Wellness Team of the Year; and Support Team of the Year, reflecting a full spectrum of capabilities that shape a resort’s commercial success and guest experience.
Together, the new team awards recognise core functions that define modern resort performance, from revenue generation and brand positioning to guest services, talent development, technical reliability and sound financial oversight, as well as dining concepts, wellness programming, and essential support operations such as IT, security, marine services and logistics. For Maldives resorts serving global travellers, these categories align closely with what guests value most: seamless arrivals, well-maintained villas and facilities, responsive service, engaging culinary journeys, and high-quality wellness experiences that match the destination’s reputation for relaxation and renewal. By highlighting entire departments, the programme encourages resorts to invest in systems, training and collaboration across teams that operate behind the scenes, ensuring consistency and excellence at every touchpoint of the guest journey.
Hotelier Maldives said the expanded team categories complement the existing portfolio of individual awards, which in 2025 included recognitions such as Young Hotelier of the Year, Chef of the Year, F&B Personality of the Year, Finance Personality of the Year, and PR and Communications Personality of the Year, alongside a wide range of operational and leadership accolades. Combined, the individual and team awards aim to provide a comprehensive view of excellence across all layers of resort operations, recognising both the professionals who lead with vision and the teams who deliver measurable results on the ground. Resorts may nominate eligible teams working at properties in the Maldives during the qualifying period, and multiple nominations across different categories are permitted as long as the published criteria are met. All nominations must be submitted within the one-month window through the official Hotelier Maldives Awards portal, where full guidelines and category descriptions are provided.
Launched in 2024 as the first awards programme dedicated to hospitality professionals in the Maldives, the Hotelier Maldives Awards were established to recognise the individuals and teams whose expertise underpins the success of the country’s tourism industry. The programme has since become a regular feature on the industry calendar, acknowledging the contributions of both front-line and back-of-house professionals whose efforts keep resort experiences smooth, safe, memorable and consistently world-class. This focus resonates strongly with the Maldives’ global positioning, where service quality, operational precision and team culture are vital in sustaining guest satisfaction across a diverse portfolio of luxury, family, lifestyle and wellness-oriented resorts.
The Hotelier Maldives Awards 2025 ceremony, held at Barceló Nasandhura Malé, marked an important moment for the programme, attracting more than 450 nominations and over 600,000 public votes. Winners were selected through a combined scoring model of expert judging (60 percent) and public voting (40 percent), with awards presented across 23 individual categories and four team, programme and special categories. A dedicated segment also honoured long-serving hospitality professionals, with the Hotelier Maldives Awards for Dedicated Service presented to Mohamed Hashim of Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, Mohamed Fuad of Bandos Maldives, Hussain Manikfaan of Coco Bodu Hithi, and Ali Rasheed Adam of Villa Resorts, recognising sustained commitment and excellence across some of the country’s most established names.
As in previous editions, winners of the 2026 awards will be selected through a combination of expert judging and public voting, reinforcing a balanced approach that values professional assessment alongside public engagement. Details of the awards ceremony will be announced in due course. Further information on eligibility, judging and nominations is available through Hotelier Maldives’ official awards information page, and queries may be directed to [email protected]
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