Skip to main content

My recent visit to Zimbabwe

-
 The journey was well planned and it took us less than 10 hours to reach our destination from Pretoria South Africa to Mvuma central Zimbabwe.  A lot of construction is happening on the roads. Harare to Masvingo Highway is complete and the remaining part which was left between Beitbridge and Masvingo is being completed.  Surely by December it should be done. Though there is a lot of money being miss used, there are elements of success. Harare to Beitbridge road was a death trap, the road had so many potholes, had no shoulder no fencing to protect  animals from entering the road and some parts even worn out that left it narrow in a way that two trucks cannot pass without one having to go out of the road.  Those improvements form part of the new Government's transformation policy. There is job creation and slowly improving the standards which has been declining for more that 20 to 30 years. Surely Rome was not built over night. At the border you can see significan...
Post a Comment

Alila Villas Maldives Hopefully Opening Soon(ish)!

-

 

Alila Villas Maldives Hopefully Opening Soon(ish)!

 BY BEN 17
HOTELS, HYATT

While we still don’t have a projected opening date, it looks like the new Alila Maldives may be closer to opening than we thought.

Alila Maldives looks like it’s nearing completion

At the beginning of 2020 we learned that Alila was planning on opening a property in the Maldives. Specifically, the Hyatt developments website began listing the Alila Villas Maldives, and at the time there was an expected opening date of October 2020.

While there had been no official updates on the timeline, unofficially we had been hearing that the hotel would open in 2022-2023, which sure represents a significant delay. I’m guessing that has something to do with coronavirus.

However, to me it’s sure looking like this hotel is closer to opening than we may have previously thought:

So while it’s anyone’s guess when the hotel will actually open, personally I’d be surprised if it doesn’t happen sooner rather than later. Below are some pictures of the property.

Alila Villas Maldives


Alila Villas Maldives


Alila Villas Maldives


Alila Villas Maldives

For context, the Alila Villas Maldives will have 80 villas, 36 of which will be overwater. The hotel will be located to the north of Male, and will be accessible with a 45 minute seaplane flight.

The Alila brand is coming full circle in the Maldives

What’s interesting about the upcoming Alila Villas Maldives is that it will represent a return of the Alila brand to the Maldives:

  • In 2009 the Alila Maldives Hadahaa opened (at the time the Alila brand had nothing to do with Hyatt)
  • In 2011 management for the property was turned over to Hyatt, and the former Alila became known as the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
  • Then in 2018 Hyatt acquired Two Roads Hospitality, which manages Alila properties
  • Now there will once again be an Alila property in the Maldives, except this time it will be managed by Hyatt

For those of you not familiar with Alila, it’s essentially Hyatt’s luxury nature-focused brand. I’d say it’s roughly on par with Park Hyatt, though like all hotel brands, there’s some variance in terms of quality.

Funny enough, the pictures we see so far of the new Alila in the Maldives look fairly similar to the Park Hyatt.

Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa (former Alila Maldives Hadahaa)

This is exciting for World of Hyatt members

While no details of pricing (in cash or points) has been announced yet, this is a property that many World of Hyatt members will likely be excited about. I would imagine that this will be a Category 7 World of Hyatt property, meaning that a free night redemption will cost 30,000 points.

There’s a lot to love about redeeming points with World of Hyatt vs. other hotel groups, especially if you’re a Globalist member. Hyatt is great about offering elite perks at Alila properties, so here’s to hoping that this is no exception.

It would also be nice if this property had standard suites that were eligible for suite upgrade awards, unlike the Park Hyatt Maldives, which is excluded from the program.

Bottom line

While there’s no announced opening date yet, it looks like the Alila Villas Maldives is nearing completion, and hopefully it opens in the not-too-distant future. I can’t wait to learn more details about this property, from the room types, to the amenities, to the pricing.

Would anyone consider staying at the Alila Villas Maldives?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MultiChoice’s BEE scheme trying to find 22 000 shareholders who are missing out on millions

-
Image
  USINESS REPORT COMPANIES MultiChoice’s black economic empowerment scheme is looking for about 22 000 shareholders who owned shares and did not receive dividends of R207 million between 2006 and 2020. Picture: Karen Sandison/African News Agency(ANA) MultiChoice’s BEE scheme trying to find 22 000 shareholders who are missing out on millions By Edward West   Feb 16, 2021 CAPE TOWN - PHUTUMA Nathi, the MultiChoice black economic empowerment scheme of more than 80 000 shareholders, is looking for about 22 000 shareholders who owned shares and did not receive dividends of R207 million between 2006 and 2020. “This money belongs to our shareholders. We’re calling on them to contact us to get their money. In these tough economic times we want to do everything in our power to give them what is rightfully theirs,” Phuthuma Nathi chairperson Mandla Langa said in a statement yesterday. Phuthuma Nathi has been paying dividends every year since the start of the scheme in 2006. Am...
Read more

Which countries have the world’s largest coal reserves?

-
Image
  Visual Capitalist Elements   | September 15, 2021 | 8:58 am   Intelligence   Australia   USA   Coal   The Countries With the Largest Coal Reserves Cheap and abundant coal remains one of the largest sources of energy worldwide, even as governments set out goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While jurisdictions in Europe and North America have been phasing out coal use in power generation, it has been on the rise in Asia. China and India are scrambling to provide electricity to a growing population and relying on coal power plants to meet demands despite the environmental costs. SIGN UP FOR THE ENERGY DIGEST Sign Up This infographic takes a look into the  BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2021 , and the 11 countries that make up  89%  of the coal reserves globally. Coal Reserves, by Country While countries need to phase out coal by 2040 to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC, consumption in key ...
Read more

MOTORS MARINE MAY 7, 2021 Boat of the Week: This 171-Foot Super-Luxe Sportfishing Yacht Is the Largest in the World

-
Image
  The epic vessel is a 30-knot "battlewagon" designed to chase marlin, swordfish and sailfish. It's also decidedly lavish. By  HOWARD WALKER           Courtesy Vripack To hook the world’s biggest fighting fish, in the words of Chief Brody in the classic 1975 movie  Jaws , “You’re going to need a bigger boat.” Privately owned  fishing  boats won’t come any bigger than this astonishing 171-foot super-luxury sportfisherman, set to claim the title of “World’s Largest Sportfish Superyacht.” Designed by Dutch naval architects  Vripack , and soon to start construction at the Royal Huisman yard in the Netherlands, Project 406 as it’s currently codenamed, will be a 30-knot “battlewagon,” designed to chase marlin, swordfish and sailfish to the ends of the earth. “Project 406 is a sportfishing machine on steroids,” Vripack co-creative director Bart M. Bouwhuis told  Robb Report . “It has the proportions of a typical American sportfishing ...
Read more