The arrival of the fabulous Waldorf Astoria collection in the Maldives was one of the most exciting openings of 2019. The project stood out from its inception by the opulence and generosity of its offer: sublime and spacious villas nestled in the heart of lush vegetation. The Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, located in the southern atoll of Malé, thinks about every detail during the stay of its guests. To make this crazy dream come true, Hilton chose Etienne Dalançon, now General Manager of the hotel, not only for his in-depth knowledge of the Asian market (Park Hyatt Tokyo, Park Hyatt Shanghai) and the successful openings he made (Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme in 2002) but also for his vision of luxury which seems to know no limits. Today he explains to vendom.jobs what makes Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi such a unique place in Maldivian paradise.
Vendom.jobs - After having been in charge of opening projects at Hyatt and the opening of Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, could you explain to us the drivers and challenges of this function?
Etienne Dalançon - This is a broad question but, for me, the most important thing is to open at the right time with a product that perfectly meets the objectives set and with the right team.
V. J. - What were your recruitment issues before the opening and what are they now?
E. D. - It may seem surprising, especially in the current context, but in the Maldives we don't really have any recruitment problems. The prestige of the destination, the way we take care of our employees make this area incredibly attractive. We are dealing with qualified and motivated employees who come for the experience. The same goes for the Maldivians, they are extremely well trained because they come from the most famous brands in the sector. Indeed, the Maldives are a very sharp market, and we owe it to ourselves to have impeccable service. Finally, we do not really have any training to do, apart from updating the knowledge of our teams regarding the brand's standards, but many hotel chains share similar ones.
My experience in China was different, mainly because of the high turnover. There is also a lack of qualification and motivation. Here in the Maldives, we perceived the effects of the crisis much less because the employees stayed in their respective hotels.
V. J. - How do you support your employees in their development?
E. D. - There are many possibilities for transfer to the Maldives within the group between Conrad, Curio Collection and other projects still in development. We are part of the Southeast Asia zone. In a brand like Hilton, our people start by moving within a geographic area, between brands, and then around the world.
V. J. - Your various experiences include a broad knowledge of the Asian market. How does the Maldives stand out?
E. D. - We tend to travel more and more individually or in small groups. Maldivian destinations lend themselves perfectly to this type of stay. In addition, thanks to the economic collaboration with China, the two countries have started to work well together on investments. The only challenge, at the start, was the prices which are remarkably high in the Maldives. It took us longer to open up to the Chinese market, but it is now one of our three most important customers. Of course, the type of clientele and its origin vary according to the brands. Some of our competitors have very few Chinese customers.
V. J. - Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi is the first opening of Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts in the Indian Ocean. Could you tell us about its positioning in such a popular but also very competitive environment?
E. D. - Our positioning was truly clear from the start. We wanted to do everything to get to the top of the ladder as quickly as possible. Simply the best! To do this, Hilton has teamed up with the best partners and potential investors. The brand has also capitalized on the island's proximity to Malé and its international airport. What undoubtedly made the project so successful was its articulation around these main points. If you want to create an exceptional product that will work, you need solid finances, a privileged geographic location, a diverse and unique offering, as well as a team with an exceptional desire to succeed.
V. J. - Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi differs from many Maldivian addresses, notably by its choices in terms of architecture, design but also services?
Could you tell us about your incredibly rich and varied offer and explain to us why you made this choice?
E. D. - Above all, you have to know that the Maldives are not a culinary destination. It is, in fact, difficult to find the varied and fresh products on an island and customers have little choice on what is offered to them. We therefore observed that the cuisine offered in Maldivian hotels is often mediocre and expensive. Our research led us to believe that in order to do something different we need to vary the offers, the outlets, and their atmosphere. We have therefore made it a point of honour to offer our customers services and experiences that would have nothing to envy of establishments they might encounter in Paris, London, Tokyo or New York.
Another goal was to make our restaurants independent and authentic, not to think of them as hotel restaurants. Thus, in our Chinese restaurant, the dining room and kitchen teams are Chinese. It is the same with our Middle Eastern restaurant whose collaborators come from Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, etc.
In general, the average length of stay in the Maldives is considered to be 4.5 days. Our aim was to be able to give our guests the possibility of having different experiences every day, for lunch and dinner if they so wish. It was very difficult to set up but the magnificent result makes it one of our main differentiations. Moreover, we have made the decision to continue to develop this axis. We took advantage of the crisis dictated by the crisis to design and build our Japanese restaurant on the water, which will be open for the upcoming high season.
V. J. - What surprises and makes your customers the happiest?
E. D. - I think it is our ability to access and welcome from the airport 24 hours a day in just 40 minutes. Customers very much appreciate the yachts of 20 meters and more available to them. Then I would say that it is the space offered not only by the island itself but also by the accommodation. The island is 3.8 km from one end to the other on which we have installed 118 villas, all with their own swimming pools and fabulous outdoor spaces. Our smallest villa is 235m2 and they can go up to 1100m2. That's without counting our 119th key, which is our 32,000 m2 Itaafushi Private Island Estate, the ultimate, paradise on earth and the most exclusive island of the Maldives. Most often, in the Maldives, hotels are located on small round islands and accommodation is built around them. The island of Ithaafushi is a long spit of land where we have been able to build over its entire extent. This environment allows a feeling of freedom quite unique to the Maldives while being surrounded by a superb lagoon and magnificent beaches.
V. J. - The most beautiful addresses in the Maldives invest a lot in eco-responsibility. Could you tell us about the plans of the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi on this subject?
E. D. - Our resort is still recent, so these are questions we are still working on because all actions must have an impact. However, from the start we decided to achieve zero plastic consumption (0 single plastic Island), which was quite a big challenge nowadays, especially in finding suppliers. We are proud to be approximately 99% plastic free. Our water is produced on the island and of course exclusively bottled in glass, the room products are contained in marble dispensers, the keys are made of wood, the flip-flops are made of bamboo, etc. We have even gone further to drastically reduce our waste when we organize picnics or excursions. The dishes and cutlery are made from starch which can be either eaten or given to the fish.
V. J. - Carrying out such an opening must be extremely rewarding for you, your teams, what is your fondest memory on this subject?
E. D. - When we open such a resort on the other side of the world, in the middle of the ocean, we experience two adventures in a way. First of all, the design. We were nearly 3000 employees at the start to make this island a welcoming place with lush vegetation. Then we had a lot of rewarding moments, the welcome from our first guests, the prestigious awards we received are part of it, but what gave me the greatest emotion was certainly our move to the island. This event was eagerly awaited as we worked together for a long time in Male in preparation for the opening. We all arrived at the same time. About a hundred people, some 450 pieces of luggage, water and food for 15 days, all on board a barge for a 3-hour crossing. Of course, we made regular trips back and forth to the island for 14 months but this feeling had nothing to compare with the surreal moment when we set foot on Ithaafushi knowing that, from now on, we had to live in self-sufficiency. . The enthusiasm of everyone upon our arrival, the happiness of this accomplishment particularly touched me.
Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
Ithaafushi Island South Malé Atoll Male
20009, Maldives
+960 400-0300
(Photo Credit : Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi)
