Local hospitality giant Villa Hotels & Resorts has announced a rebranding of its Maldives resort portfolio. The simplified ‘Villa Resorts’ is set to debut at ILTM Cannes ahead of its official relaunch in April 2023.
A family-owned and locally-run business since 1986, Villa Resorts developed and operated five private island hotels: the five-star Sun Island, Paradise Island, and Royal Island resorts as well as the four-star Holiday Island and the three-star Fun Island. Two new resorts are under development.
As part of the rebranding in partnership with Luxury Branding, a leading hospitality consultancy, each resort will be renamed with the ‘Villa’ prefix representing the parent brand. After the relaunch of the Villa Resorts master brand with a new website in April 2023, Paradise Island will become Villa Nautica and Sun Island will become Villa Park.
Following a complete remodelling with 68 sea-facing villas with private pools, Holiday Island will reopen as the Villa Resorts’ luxury flagship, Villa Haven, in the fourth quarter of 2023. Royal Island will become Villa Village in late 2025. After a full renovation, Fun Island is scheduled to reopen in 2027 as Villa Eden, a luxury eco resort under development on the island of Maanenfushi.
“Today, we open a new chapter in the history of our proudly Maldivian resort company; a company that was founded by my father almost four decades ago. In 2019, with the guidance and support of our partner, Luxury Branding, we embarked on Project Blue Ocean, an ambitious top to bottom, inside to out transformation of our business. It represents a shift from competing towards creating, and signals my aspiration to lead our company to new levels of guest satisfaction and growth,” explained Ibrahim Siyad Qasim, Group Managing Director, Villa Shipping and Trading Company, and son of the conglomerate’s founder Qasim Ibrahim.
“I am honoured to be stewarding Villa Resorts through its next chapter of development and, together with my siblings, proud to introduce our company and welcome you into our family.”
Villa Park, formerly Sun Island, will be relaunched with rooms, restaurants and public areas upgraded and refurbished by House Nine, a London-based design studio led by Jojo Barr, which “translated the new Resort Concepts for each island into beautiful and functioning physical environments.”
Michelin-starred Irish chef Conrad Gallagher collaborated with the Executive Chefs on each island “to conceptualise and deliver refreshed dining experiences.” World-renowned sommelier Kent Scheermeyer curated Sandstone, a label of award-winning South African wines and MCC exclusive to Villa Resorts, with a collection comprised of two whites, a sauvignon blanc and chardonnay; two reds, a pinot noir and merlot; as well as a rosé as well as a Méthode Cap Classique and a rosé sparkling wine.
Villa Resorts also developed its own coffee brand, Press & Pot, in collaboration with Cape Town coffee roastery, Deluxe Coffeeworks. Ethically-sourced green beans will be roasted on-site at Villa Nautica for distribution across all of the brand’s resorts.
