Soneva has entered into a partnership with J.MAK Hospitality to increase the brand’s presence and reach in the Americas.
Jon Makhmaltchi of J.MAK Hospitality has been appointed by Soneva as the brand’s new sales representative for the US and Latin America as well as Canada. Jon will represent Soneva’s properties in the Maldives and Thailand: Soneva Fushi, Soneva Jani and Soneva Kiri.
Prior to the creation of J.MAK Hospitality, Jon has been a leisure hospitality consultant for Cavallo Point Lodge, as well as the Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Development, Area Director for Small Luxury Hotels of the World. He was also the opening Director of Sales & Marketing at The Carneros Inn Napa Valley and DOSM at the famed Huntington Hotel and Nob Hill Spa.
J.MAK Hospitality, based out of the United States, consults and represents high-end luxury and boutique hotels and resorts around the world, as well as private jets, yachts, experiences and key industry partners. The company also helps resorts and hotels in organising events to generate brand awareness.
Soneva runs two resorts in the Maldives, Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani.
Established in 1995, Soneva Fushi is the original Soneva. The No News, No Shoes blueprint for all desert island barefoot luxury hideaways is located within the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Maldives. Soneva Fushi inspires the imagination with 65 spacious beachfront villas, ranging in size from one to nine bedrooms, hidden amongst dense foliage.
The iconic resort has bagged several international awards for eco-friendly tourism and green initiatives, including the 2017 Green Hotelier Award for the Asia Pacific region and the Sustainable Hotel Award by the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) as well as a spot in the Gold List compiled by Condé Nast Traveler China as the Best Hotel in the Maldives and amongst the best resorts in the world in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2017.
Opened in December 2016, Soneva Jani is Soneva’s newest property and its second resort in the Maldives.
Soneva Jani encompasses a collection of 24 overwater villas and one island villa set in a 5.6 kilometre private lagoon located in the northern Noonu atoll. The resort spans five islands surrounded by pure white beaches, covered in rich tropical vegetation, offering the ultimate in privacy and luxury.
Each of the resort’s multilevel water villas has its own private pool and a retractable roof that allows guests to sleep beneath the stars. Many villas also have slides that transport guests directly from the top level into the lagoon below. Other hotel highlights include a spa, an observatory — home to the largest telescope in the Indian Ocean — and an outdoor cinema.
Since its opening, Soneva Jani has created a lot of buzz amongst luxury travellers with its exciting features such as the retractable roofs and the water slides. It has been named the Best Over-the-Top Luxury hotel of the year by Jetsetter.com, the best new resort in the world by CNN, and the Leading Luxury Hotel/Resort in South Asia and Leading Luxury Hotel/Resort in Maldives.