InterContinental Hotels: Priority Club & Inter-Continental Ambassador - Coming Soon: Maldives Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma

http://www.kandooma-maldives.com/index.php
(http://www.kandooma-maldives.com/index.php)
From the Press Release (http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?PageID=116&NewsID=2371):

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) today announced that it has signed an agreement with Leisure Holidays Private Limited (LHPL), a Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) Group company, to takeover on 1 November 2009 and re-brand Kandooma Maldives to Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma.
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma is the first Holiday Inn Resort in the Republic of Maldives, and will be the second Holiday Inn property in the Republic to carry the look-and-feel and service standards of the refreshed Holiday Inn brand.

...

The 160-room resort is built on Kandooma Island in the South Malé Atoll, which lies 35 km south of Malé International Airport, via a forty minute speedboat ride.

Kandooma Island is a favoured tropical isle because of its close proximity to many excellent dive sites. The Kandooma Channel, Kandooma Caves and Kandooma ‘Thila' (an undersea mount) dive sites all contribute to making the island one of the Republic's most sought after destinations for divers.

One observation...It doesn't appear that this hotel has any "overwater" villas that most Maldives resorts offer.


Correction: The resort does indeed offer Overwater Villas.
http://gallery.kandooma-maldives.com/080506k126M.jpg

Also, a plus is speedboat transfer instead of airplane transfer.

From the Press Release (http://www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?PageID=116&NewsID=2371):



One observation...It doesn't appear that this hotel has any "overwater" villas that most Maldives resorts offer.

Another great sun & beach destination! The resort has 160 villas in four main categories of beach and garden villas, Duplex villas, family villas and water villas.

The downside is this resort doesn't have a house reef like most of the island resorts in Maldives do, so snorkeling might not be good there.

Hope IC will also be appeared in Maldives in the near future!

Wow, a HI in such a location! I would have thought their next hotel in the Maldvies would be an IC. Interesting that the water villas are about 7x the price of the other villas :eek: wonder if they upgrade Plat members to the water villas :p

I guess taking over the property will give IHG a quick and immediate entry into the leisure sector of the maldives. It was inevitable after the Male HI opened that something was going to happen.

The property looks decent, but certainly not IC quality. I'd love them to open an IC there at the same standard as the BB Thallaso. For us european's getting to Tahiti isn't an easy/cheap task but I can fly to the Maldives in Club for the same price as Coach to Tahiti.

Yesssssssssssssss Finally I can use my points in Maldives...Although I have been waiting for Intercontinental to open.Looks like IHG is entering the region with more than 1 hotel.
Who knows maybe by the end of the year IC will open

Yesssssssssssssss Finally I can use my points in Maldives...Although I have been waiting for Intercontinental to open.Looks like IHG is entering the region with more than 1 hotel.
Who knows maybe by the end of the year IC will open

Welcome to flyertalk! Oh you are from Egypt, just curious why you bother to travel to Maldives when you have everything in Red Sea? :D:p I really envy you!!! Have you dived in both places? Which place is better in terms of quality and quantity of corals and fishes?

Who would go to Maldives to stay at a Holiday Inn? :confused: :confused:

Who would go to Maldives to stay at a Holiday Inn? :confused: :confused:

It looks like a decent hotel to me anyway - pleasant enough looking rooms, easy access to the beach, count me as one of those that would go (especially if it was on PointBreaks :D). Sure, not a luxury experience, but doesn't exactly look like it'd be a hardship to stay there either. :cool:

Welcome to flyertalk! Oh you are from Egypt, just curious why you bother to travel to Maldives when you have everything in Red Sea? :D:p I really envy you!!! Have you dived in both places? Which place is better in terms of quality and quantity of corals and fishes?

Hehehe True !!!
Diving in Sharm el sheikh is a very pleasant experience.never been to Maldives so cant judge

Who would go to Maldives to stay at a Holiday Inn? :confused: :confused:

I would. A lot of HIs in Asia are better than a lot CPs or even ICs in the States or Europe. HI Phuket is a good example. I'm sure this one is a nice HI resort judging from the current Kandooma website (http://www.kandooma-maldives.com/). However, lacking of house reef makes this resort less attractive.:(

I would. A lot of HIs in Asia are better than a lot CPs or even ICs in the States or Europe. HI Phuket is a good example. I'm sure this one is a nice HI resort judging from the current Kandooma website (http://www.kandooma-maldives.com/). However, lacking of house reef makes this resort less attractive.:(

Fair. I did actually stay one night this Summer at the HI Phuket and agree that it was nice. It actually made me wonder why they would carry the HI flag at all.

Anyway it is quite expensive to get to the Maldives. Does this resort require the airplane transfer by Maldives Air Taxi? That is another $500 or so per person.

Stayed at the Conrad for three nights the other Summer and didn't like the place at all. Left after three nights, although my reservation was for six.

Anyway it is quite expensive to get to the Maldives. Does this resort require the airplane transfer by Maldives Air Taxi? That is another $500 or so per person.

Fortunately it's accessible by speedboat from the airport, rather than requiring a seaplane transfer - so that reduces the cost of getting there.

Just check the web page and seems no link with Holiday Inn brand yet.

Wasn't November 1st the date?

Just check the web page and seems no link with Holiday Inn brand yet.

Wasn't November 1st the date?

November 1st was the date that the partnership was supposed to begin.

Per their response to my inquiry on their website, the rebranding started 11/1 and is expected to be completed mid-December. No mention about when we'll be able to book on points there ;)

I have found that some British travel sites are offering this resort now as "Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma".