Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into an agreement with Driftwood Maldives Private Ltd. to manage Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa Island in the Maldives. The hotel will commence operating as Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa on April 1, 2011.
Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa will be the first Hyatt hotel in the Maldives, a chain of 1,200 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, located southwest of India, just south of the equator. The first resort in the Maldives to follow Earth Check certification standards for construction and operations, the hotel’s design provides for guest comfort and privacy, while ensuring sensitivity to the surrounding environment. Situated in the Indian Ocean’s largest and deepest atoll, Huvadhoo, the hotel opened in late 2009 and has been operating as Alila Villas Hadahaa. In its first year of operation, the hotel garnered recognition as one of Condé Nast Traveler’s 2010 Hot Hotels, Condé Nast Traveler’s Best New Spas in 2010, and 2010 DestinAsian Luxe List’s 41 Best New Hotels of the Year.
“The Maldives draws 94% of its travelers from Europe and Asia, regions where the Park Hyatt brand has a significant presence and is well known,” said Stephen G. Haggerty, global head of real estate and development for Hyatt Hotels Corporation. “Opening Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa will broaden the range of fantastic Park Hyatt locations and will help further Hyatt’s goal of being the most preferred brand in every segment we serve.”
Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa offers 50 luxurious villas with private decks and bedrooms with living areas. Designed by SCDA Architects of Singapore, the modern villa interiors include natural timber and stone in a minimalist, contemporary design. Fourteen of the resort’s 50 villas are elevated over the Indian Ocean with an uninterrupted view of the breathtaking Maldivian horizon and are a private enclave for guests who yearn for tranquility. The other 36 villas are designed with intimate gardens featuring outdoor baths and rain showers. Individual plunge pools are outstanding features in some of these villas. Less than 30 steps from the azure water, they provide complete privacy and serenity to discerning travelers.
“Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa is an exclusive, island hideaway with private villas veiled by lush, natural vegetation,” noted Peter Fulton, managing director, Hyatt International, Southwest Asia. “Secluded and serene, Hadahaa is more than 10 kilometers from the closest inhabited island and is an ideal destination for a honeymoon, scuba-diving, or a soul-searching vacation. Located 400 kilometers south of Male International Airport and spread over 86,000 square meters, the resort offers some of the best diving opportunities in the world. Spectacular coral reefs teeming with brilliantly colored marine life can be found only 50 meters from the silver sands that wrap around the island’s periphery.”
Park Hyatt Hadahaa features two specialty restaurants, The Dining Room and Battuta’s, as well as a poolside bar and 24-hour in-villa dining. With a mesmerizing view of the ocean, The Dining Room is an intimate two-story a-la-carte restaurant serving an array of international delights for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Battuta’s, the only indigenous restaurant in the Maldives serving gourmet regional cuisine, features an open kitchen and Maldivian-inspired interiors for elegant, yet casual dinners. Bell’s Bar, an open-air lounge-style bar, perched beautifully between the ocean and an infinity swimming pool with breath-taking ocean views, features an impressive selection of vintage wines and champagnes, as well as cocktails, imported beers and fresh juices.
“The Maldives is one of the most popular vacation and spa destinations in the world and the number of visitors there increased by 21% in 2010,” said Ratnesh Verma, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts’ senior vice president, real estate and development for Asia. “Hyatt is delighted to introduce our Park Hyatt brand to this resort destination with such a spectacular property.”
The hotel features a fitness and health center, multiple swimming pools, and a five-star PADI diving water sports center. Activities range from kayaking, snorkelling and diving to Maldivian cooking lessons, dolphin spotting, sunset cruises and guided visits to local artisan villages. A large freshwater pool overlooking the ocean provides guests with a picturesque backdrop during a casual swim or for lounging poolside. Guests looking for peace and solitude can visit the Spa Pool within the tranquil spa enclave. Shaded garden pavilions complement the serenity of the spa poolside.
The onsite PADI 5 Star dive center offers an opportunity to dive amidst undisturbed reefs and sites in this untouched atoll where the marine life is virtually more abundant and varied than anywhere else in the Maldives. Diving enthusiasts will enjoy experiencing the rich and diverse marine life, including a variety of sting rays – Spotted Eagle Rays, Porcupine Rays, Whiptail Stingrays, Marbled Sting Rays, sharks, and large numbers of green turtles and Hawksbill Turtles. On rare occasions, lucky divers have spotted Ornate Eagle Rays, Guitar Sharks, Whale Sharks, Marlins and Mobulas.
Park Hyatt hotels offer elegant, contemporary luxury, along with highly attentive personal service in an intimate and refined environment. Located in many of the world’s premier cities and select resort destinations, Park Hyatt combines understated sophistication with distinctive regional character. From the exquisitely appointed guestrooms to the critically acclaimed art program to the signature restaurants featuring award-winning chefs, every detail of the stay experience is thoughtfully and impeccably executed. Park Hyatt hotels serve discerning, affluent individual business and leisure guests. In addition to the 26 Park Hyatt hotels currently open around the world, 13 new properties are under development in seven countries. In 2010, more than 30 new Hyatt-branded properties were opened worldwide across all Hyatt’s brands.
About Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of members of the Hyatt family strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The Company’s subsidiaries manage, franchise, own and develop hotels and resorts under the Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place® and Hyatt Summerfield Suites® brand names and have locations on six continents. Hyatt Residential Group, Inc., a Hyatt Hotels Corporation subsidiary, develops, operates, markets or licenses Hyatt ResidencesTM and Hyatt Vacation Club®, which is changing its name to Hyatt Residence ClubTM. As of December 31, 2010, the company’s worldwide portfolio consisted of 453 properties in 45 countries. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.
