PRISTINE Islands Investment has appointed Accor to manage its first two Maldives resorts in Gaafu Alifu Atoll, which will be branded Pullman and Mercure.
Pullman Maldives Maamutaa Resort, Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort and a new domestic airport will all come under Accor’s management, with development costs chalking up to an estimated cost of US$120 million.
The 68-villa Mercure Kooddoo, scheduled to open in 2016, will be the only Maldivian resort directly accessible by domestic plane without the need for an additional speedboat journey thanks to the upcoming Kooddoo Airport.
Facilities will comprise an all-day restaurant, a sunset bar, spa as well as a range of watersports including a dive centre.
Pullman Maamutaa will be located 10 minutes by speedboat from the new airport on the 195,000m2 Maamutaa Island. When it opens in 2018, it will offer guests 80 over-water villas and 40 beach bungalows, an all-day restaurant, a specialty restaurant, a sunset bar perched in the middle of a lagoon, a spa and fitness centre as well as a dive centre and watersports centre.
Additionally, the planned Kooddoo Airport will reduce travel time to the south of the Maldives.
Pristine is a joint venture company set up by Keong Hong Holdings, Sansui Holding, BRC Asia, L3 Development, and Hotels & Resort Construction last year to own and develop the projects.
At yesterday’s official signing ceremony between Pristine and Accor, Ronald Leo, CEO and executive chairman, Keong Hong Holdings and CEO, Pristine Islands Investment, spoke of the Maldives’ continued potential for tourism.
“In February 2015, there was a record 120,468 tourist arrivals, an increase of 8.8 per cent compared with February 2014, with Asia-Pacific accounting for 44 per cent of visitor arrivals and Europe, 49 per cent,” he said.
