Riu Hotels & Resorts has embarked on a new project which will make it the first Spanish hotel chain in the Maldives.
The company has purchased the islets of Kedhigandu and Maafushi, on which it will develop two hotels: the 174-room Riu Palace and 248-room Riu Classic. The projects are currently in the design phase and both hotels are scheduled to open in 2018.
The two islets are located in the Dhaalu atoll, and the company said its developments face “an enormous challenge” due to a lack of infrastructure and services in the area.
“Construction will be unlike any other project previously carried out by the chain, while the investment necessary will also be significant. Between the land and construction, Riu calculates that it will be close to EUR140 million (US$153m),” the company said in a statement.
The resorts will feature small seaside structures which will have direct access either to the beach or to the sea via stairways from the rooms’ terraces. A walkway joining the two islets will also feature rooms built directly over the water. These rooms will belong to the Riu Palace hotel and will be the most luxurious, with private pools and bathtubs on the terraces, which will have direct access to the water.
Riu said the new Maldivian hotels will “serve as a platform for its future growth in Asia”, which will kick-off in 2016 with the opening of a Riu hotel in Sri Lanka.
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