How would you describe the overall concept behind Jumeirah Vittaveli?

The philosophy behind any luxury resort is to exceed guests' holiday expectations, and it's no different at Jumeirah Vittaveli. Our philosophy has always been to ensure guests have a relaxing, enjoyable, memorable holiday, no matter who they are or where they come from. We look very carefully at every demographic and we've trained our colleagues to cater to their needs. We're very fortunate to be in a beautiful setting, but I'm a firm believer that it's always a combination of several elements, and the biggest element is time. Over time, a resort will find its place. This was built as a luxury resort catering to romantic couples. But over time, thanks to our great location and fantastic facilities, it has also become a very family-friendly resort, and 35% of our entire business now comes from families. We have a fantastic kids' club and large villas that are great for families.


What makes Jumeirah Vittaveli different from other ultra-luxurious resorts?

We are constantly evolving. Right now, for instance, we are expanding the bar, offering a lot of new non-alcoholic beverages. And we keep creating new spaces – communal spaces, playing spaces, spaces for relaxation. All of this has kept us very relevant in the market. We know that competition is going to increase as new resorts come into the market, and keeping yourself competitive and relevant is key – a lack of competition can make you complacent, so we welcome the challenge and drive to remain creative.


What about the facilities? How are they different from other resorts?

Something that makes Jumeirah Vittaveli unique is the size of our villas. The lead-in category, our Beach Villas with Pool, is 184m², with a private pool, outdoor and indoor showers, and outdoor bathtubs. Our biggest villa is 3,500m², with two swimming pools, its own private restaurant, its own private spa and fitness studio and five guest bedrooms. Besides the size of the villas, it's the facilities that we're really proud of. We are constantly looking for better facilities and that's what makes this resort really unique. Our restaurants offer a variety of menus from different cuisines, and we have consistently won awards for Best Indian Cuisine at Swarna, and Best French cuisine at Fenesse. As for the spa, each room is actually a villa unto itself, with a choice between overwater treatment villas and garden villas. All of them come with private steam shower, and most include deep soaking bath tubs. Very few resorts offer spa facilities like we do. We always take great care to provide plenty of room for privacy for all of our guests, be it couples or families. People want to be left alone and engage with others when they want to. At Jumeirah Vittaveli, we know that personal space and privacy is luxury.

What is the key to success for any hotel – not just in the Maldives, but anywhere in the world?

Put your guest first. I often tell my chefs: don't cook what you like; find out what your guest likes. And the same goes for room design. Do something that is not necessarily what you like, or what your interior designer would like. Do it from the perspective of a guest. For instance, consider what happens just before guests go to sleep. They're probably using an iPad or a tablet, and some have probably got two phones; others of us still like to read a book. And some of them probably wear glasses. So how much space should we keep for all these items on the bedside table? How much is too small, and how much is too large? Putting yourself in these situations, you'll find your answers. You have to constantly put yourself in the guest's shoes. So the underlying key to success is putting the guests first.
And the second very important key to success is service. Anybody can make a fantastic-looking product, but you can only provide it with soul if you also offer the right service. For a long time I used to think that training was the key, but I think that beyond that, there is also happiness. If you keep your work colleagues happy, you keep the guest happy. And the guest comes back. And there is your business right there. I'm not saying anything new; this has been tried and tested. But it takes some people a long time to understand it and to come to terms with it. I'm very lucky to have a fantastic team of people around me to provide very genuine, heartfelt service.


What has made the Maldives such a successful holiday destination?

One of the things about the Maldives is the uniqueness of its natural beauty, both above water and under water. Above water you get these beautiful islands with white sandy beaches. And under water you have the natural marine life, which is something that you need to experience yourself, and which is better than meditating. You know you're in a different medium altogether from your natural environment; you're floating and you're in a completely different realm. I find it the most relaxing place in the world.

The Maldives is a 100-percent Muslim country. What does Jumeirah Vittaveli offer the Muslim visitor from the GCC seeking ultra-luxurious experiences?

The name Jumeirah itself provides a feeling of comfort. We are very well known in the GCC market, and we are very well located in Dubai. Jumeirah is a household name. People who live in Dubai are highly aware of the Jumeirah brand and the service behind it. So I don't think it is very difficult to sell Jumeirah Vittaveli to GCC clientele. Jumeirah gives all of our GCC clients a feeling of comfort: "That's Jumeirah. We know what to expect. Let's go there."


How do you market this as a luxury hotel where GCC clients can feel right at home?

Our GCC clients know that privacy here is top-notch. That's one of our first priorities. There is no feeling of prying eyes. And from a more religious perspective, when you're sitting in your room you can easily see what direction Mecca is in. We've also got the Koran, and we customise every room according to the guest's needs. And we've got a beautiful mosque in the centre of the island for guests. You would be surprised how many of our guests come down and pray there on Fridays. On top of that, the main restaurant is completely Halal, and has 100 percent Halal suppliers and producers. We also have a special food section for our GCC guests, in case they want to eat like they do at home, because we are all creatures of habit, especially when it comes to breakfast. And in the room itself, you will always find Arabic dates as a welcoming element, because at Jumeirah we've got Arabic roots and we want to tell everyone about that. We also employ Arabic-speaking colleagues in all different areas of the resort. So we are completely geared up for that market because we know what our clients expect. I don't think Arabic guests will feel more comfortable anywhere in Maldives than in Jumeirah Vittaveli.


Competition is extremely fierce and there are 112 resorts in the Maldives. GCC visitors also have a lot of luxury options other than the Maldives. How does Jumeirah Vittaveli attract and retain guests?

One of the things that works best is word of mouth. Guests go back home and say "I had a wonderful experience at Jumeirah Vittaveli." This works wonderfully well, because they are able to talk about all those little things that make someone comfortable. We have a very high rate of referrals among our GCC guests.

The airport is being expanded to accommodate over seven million visitors, up from 1.4 million now. How do you think the Maldives will deal with this influx of visitors, and will they be able to still have a true Maldivian experience?

Such a fast expansion is very ambitious yet absolutely essential for the economy of the country, especially when there are not many resources that you can really bank upon as an alternative to tourism. This should really be experienced by more and more people.
Like the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon or the Taj Mahal, people should come and visit it at least once in their lifetime. It's an experience that's going to stay with them forever.


What are the challenges facing the future of tourism in the Maldives?

The challenge is talent. Anybody can build beautiful places, but then you need people to service those places, and people to engage with your guests, and this is such a small country expanding on such a large scale that the next step should be to train the youth, the next generation. Train them and put them in a position where they can lead the industry in the coming years. There are already initiatives on a very local basis, led by private agents and NGOs, and also by many resorts such as ourselves.


What is Jumeirah Vittaveli's impact on the economic development of the country?
Apart from the wages, every guest who comes here purchases commodities on the island, and a certain percentage of what they pay is the service charge, which is divided equally among the staff. This can come to a fair amount which then goes back into the economy, so local people can buy more goods to improve their own lives and standard of living. And you are seeing that right now, you are seeing people building their houses, buying businesses, investing in businesses. Many of them moved on from here to start their own business, and I am very happy that they were able to do so.
We also believe in giving back to the community. We have a shop on the island for basic necessities and whatever profits we make from the shop goes back into the community. We provide people with interim loans on a very easy basis, providing them with up to $5000 immediately which they can put towards medical use, building houses, schooling and so on. We also contribute directly to natural disaster relief through collections; we contribute to orphanages and old-people's homes, and we recently partnered with UNDP, the United Nations Development Program, for their Unite for Climate Action campaign. Next year, we're planning to build a foundation to handle all of this activity.


What's your pitch to the GCC traveller in one line? How do you sum it all up?

Because we are so well known as a brand in the GCC, I would simply say: "We are Jumeirah."