IHG to bring InterContinental brand to Maldives

InterContinental Hotels Group has signed a management agreement with Hotel Properties Limited to open a new InterContinental resort on the island of Maamunagau in the Maldives. The 83-room InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort will be the first InterContinental-branded hotel in the country.

This is the third resort that IHG has in partnership with HPL. The Singapore-based property owner and developer also owns Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives and Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu. No opening date for the new property has been announced yet.

“Tourism in the Maldives has been a major contributor to its economy, contributing more than 40 percent of the country's GDP last year, and sentiments are positive as the country continues to be one of the world's most highly sought-after travel destinations,” Jan Smits, CEO, Asia, Middle East and Africa at IHG, said in a statement.

“As part of our growth strategy we continuously seek the right opportunity to expand our portfolio across the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean region, Stephen Lau, chairman, HPL Hotels & Resorts Pte Ltd, added. "We see huge potential to grow our resorts business in the Maldives, and Maamunagau island is the perfect setting to develop a luxury InterContinental resort. We've been working with IHG for almost seven years and they have been excellent partners.”

IHG currently operates 25 resorts across three brands in Asia and Australasia: InterContinental, and Holiday Inn, including the 160-room Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives. With the signing of InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort, the company now has 13 resorts in its development pipeline which will open within the next five years. 

Maamunagau island is located at the southern point of Raa Atoll (North Maalhosmadulu Atoll), reachable by seaplane from Male's Ibrahim Nasir International Airport.

Photo by Renee Ollis