Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort has joined other properties in the AccorHotels’ portfolio, opening doors to local heroes for a day of gratitude and appreciation.
To celebrate the golden jubilee of AccorHotels’ founding, about 2,000 properties around the world that are under its management opened their doors to everyday heroes — men and women who are firefighters, nurses, teachers, craftspersons and local shopkeepers — who work every day to serve their communities. It is an opportunity for hoteliers and their employees, which are also deeply involved into the life of the neighbourhood, to thank them and share a moment with them around a breakfast, a barbecue, a concert.
As part of the #WelcomeHeroes initiative, Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort on Sunday invited officials from authorities and companies that operate in the resort’s neighbourhood, including the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO), Island Aviation Services (IAS) and Kooddoo Airport.
They attended a special function held to mark AccorHotels’s anniversary and the Maldives National Day, which also fell on November 19 this year. It was followed by a brunch and social get-together, which saw the participation of staff as well as in-house guests.
Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort welcomed the first group of guests in August.
The four-star resort, developed on the island of Kooddoo in Gaafu Alif atoll, boasts 68 stylish and well-appointed villas, comprising 43 overwater villas and 25 beach villas with 20 of them featuring a private swimming pool. Attesting to the Mercure brand promise of an authentic experience, vivid colours and decorative motifs along with warm textures and local design touches are used tastefully throughout the villas in order to create a haven of peace with a strong local character.
Guests are offered several attractive dining options. The all-day dining Alita Restaurant serves Pan-Asian à la carte cuisine and themed buffets, with both indoor and outdoor seating. Vistas, an overwater restaurant and lounge, serves tapas, snacks and handcrafted cocktails, while the Alita Pool Bar offers cocktails and light bites with a view.
Suvadiva Divers, the resort’s five-star PADI dive and water sports centre, provides aquatic excursions to the many unique and wonderful locations nearby. Several water sports options such as snorkelling, sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, catamarans, jet skis and fun tubes are also available.
Additionally, the resort has several recreational activities and facilities such as the 50-metre lagoon-side swimming pool, fully equipped fitness centre, tennis court, kids’ club and off-island day trips. The marine-themed Suvadiva Spa at Mercure Maldives Kooddoo, meanwhile, offers a range of treatments and therapies for guests in need of relaxation and rejuvenation.
Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort is the only resort in the Maldives directly accessible via domestic flight from the main Velana International Airport, with no need for an additional speedboat transfer. The domestic plane transfer to Kooddoo, which also houses a fish processing plant, takes about 55 minutes.
A newcomer to the Maldives booming tourism industry, AccorHotels is on a major expansion drive with two existing properties and another two under development in the island nation.
Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort is the first property to be run in the Maldives by the French multinational hotel chain. The company has since taken over the management of Dhevanafushi from Dubai-based hospitality group Jumeirah, with plans to reposition the luxury resort under the iconic Raffles Hotels and Resorts brand.
AccorHotels is also gearing up for the opening in December of Sirru Fen Fushi, a brand new luxury resort in the northern Shaviyani atoll, with plans to later reposition it under the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts brand.
The company has also signed up to manage another resort being developed in Gaafu Alif atoll.
Set to open next year, the Pullman Maldives Maamutaa resort is a traditional ‘one island, one resort’ property located a 10-minute speedboat ride away from its sister property, the Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort. The five star resort will offer upscale modern facilities such as two swimming pools, a sunset bar overlooking the lagoon, a luxury spa, a state-of-the-art fitness centre, a kids club, beach playground, tennis courts, gourmet restaurants, organic gardens, a dive centre and a water sports centre.