Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, General Manager, Mark Eletr has just celebrated his third anniversary with some exciting milestones reached along the way.
A seasoned hotelier, Mark arrived in the Maldives in November 2021 from Vietnam.
Reflecting on the last three years, Mark says “it has been a roller coaster ride. We’ve accomplished so much and the team has even embraced some of my crazier ideas, which I love.”
Mark has a luxury resort pedigree garnered from different postings around the globe. His experience includes refurbishments and rebrandings as well as new openings.
“When I accepted the role with IHG to be General Manager of Kandooma Maldives, I knew my success would be pinned to taking the property forward into its next chapter in its 40-year evolution. Building on the typical financial measures of success but also caring for our people, the island and safeguarding its future,”
Australian-born Mark last spoke about progress at the tropical island paradise towards the end of 2022 when he was energised by his latest project, Surf Corner. Today, he shares that those days feel like a lifetime ago with the area now in full swing, particularly during the surfing season.
“We even added a fire pit which is a big hit with visiting music stars who often grab the guitar for an impromptu sing-a-long.”
And when we say music stars, we’re not over-stating it, Mark has welcomed many celebrity performers to Kandooma from Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, Kate Ceberano, Mahalia Barnes, Xavier Rudd and Delta Goodrem to The Living End, You Am I, Birds of Tokyo and many others.
“2024 was a big year for Music In Paradise celebrating their 10-year anniversary. We share a wonderful collaboration with their team and look forward to continuing our relationship with them to showcase some amazing talent to delight our guests and fans.”
“2025 is already shaping up to be a fantastic year with Missy Higgins, The Church, Birds of Tokyo and Anthony Callea & Tim Campbell all confirmed to perform at Kandooma.” he adds.
Throughout Mark’s time at the resort he has continued the momentum created with his on-property engineering team to complete a vast number of projects. His latest is building new staff accommodation, which commenced just a week ago.
“When complete, the new block will feature 44 units which is much needed to support our operation and there is a plan to install solar power on their roofs. Property maintenance continues to be a big area for us that requires constant
attention and a rolling annual maintenance plan. The Maldivian climate is harsh, and it does take a toll on our buildings, decks and infrastructure.” he said.
Regeneration is an area in which Mark continues to harbour a deep passion, and actively chooses to give something a shot, rather than not.
True to his personality Mark will always be one of those General Managers who the corporate machine shakes its head at for his renegade traits and big ideas. But one thing is for certain he is a man who can gather the troops and make things happen.
“I’ve said this before, and it remains true today; if you don’t try there is no risk or reward. Try and fail, well, at least you know and go back to the drawing board. Try and win, then celebrate and look for the next opportunity.”
In 2021 Mark introduced the concept of Frond Circles to the island. A simple idea where fallen palm tree fronds are arranged in a circle, much like a clock face, layer upon layer, to a height of 1.5 metres.
“I stole the idea from another resort in Australia. We put it into action and have monitored the progress of the decomposition carefully. Within three and a half years the fronds had decomposed down to a height of 75cms of rich, useable compost for our regeneration projects and gardens. We extracted fifty 20Kg bags.” he says proudly.
The Frond Circles are much more than compost creators. They have eliminated the use of diesel-powered vessels to transport the garden waste off-island, which was a major environmental win in Mark’s eyes. They also provided a simple way to manage all the coconut palm discarded fronds in a tidy manner within the grounds.
“Nature doesn’t have waste. When we look at sustainability, we need to consider circular economies and the decomposition using organised Frond Circles is a good example.”
Two years on since Mark took the step to reduce the daily path sweeping of the white sands, the island is embracing rustic gardens that have been self-seeded and also offer natural habitats and ecosystems for small animals and insects. Another big tick.
Scuba diving is one of Mark’s hobbies (a soon-to-be qualified Dive Master) and with him at the helm, it was no shock that he embarked on a move to create the Maldives’ first ‘Dive Free’ promotion. The promotion is aimed at certified divers staying 3 nights or longer and in short, gives up to two divers two free dives per day. It’s a courageous move, and it’s paying off for the resort; responsibly showcasing the beautiful underwater world on the resort’s doorstep.
Also last year, Mark was part of a dive team that saved a giant oceanic manta ray tangled in ghost nets.
“This experience was life-changing. To see first-hand the damage that discarded nets and rubbish have on marine life, gave me a greater desire to do more.”
And then came the jewellery line where a percentage of revenue goes as a donation to The Manta Trust for their research.
Using IHG’s Journey to Tomorrow sustainability programme as a guide, Mark is actively involved in driving Reefscaping initiatives which recently saw 100-Reef Stars (coral frames) put in place in resort waters.
“I think relationships are key in the sustainability space. We can achieve more by teaming up with others,”
The resort doubled its renewable energy generated from solar power by adding corrosion-proof marine grade photovoltaic panels to the roofs of 19 one-bedroom over water villas and the 2 bedroom overwater pavillion in 2023. This project increased the resort’s solar power to 518.52 KWp.
And what didn’t work? There are always those red herrings. “Our wave energy project has been abandoned by the Japanese research company who was evaluating it, as too costly and not feasible. It started pre-pandemic but we still see our involvement as a win. A win because it didn’t work and because it might just be the impetus for someone to tweak the technology in the future or look at it differently.”
“I’m focused on our Chef’s garden and elevating it in terms of selection and production quantities. We are now growing bananas, coconuts, and a selection of herbs. I’m also a bit excited to see how a pilot project in my yard to farm a fish called TilapiaI takes shape,”
With no immediate plans to increase the room inventory, perhaps the most exciting project from a guest rooms perspective over the last couple of years was the unveiling of a 3-bedroom Beach Pool Villa giving greater options for families and groups of friends.
“We have an incredible infinity-edged resort swimming pool and this new 3-bedroom villa allowed us to explore how a private pool scenario might enhance our offering. There are no plans in place at the moment for more private pools, but you never know what is around the corner,” he said with a cheeky grin.
Despite all of the achievements Mark can quite confidently hang his hat on, he explains that developing talent is what he is most proud.
“It is very special when you are in a position to have a positive influence on the career of others, and in particular when you have the opportunity to develop local talent. We aim to attract and fill at least 40% of our roles with Maldivian people. Nurturing local talent and finding future superstars is very rewarding to me.”
Reflecting on a current example, Mark adds, “Just a few weeks ago, I felt such joy and I think pride too, when Shahid Hussain, our then Resort Manager and my number two, was promoted within IHG to be General Manager of Noku Maldives, a Vignette Collection property. It’s always bittersweet you know. I was thrilled for Shahid but a little sad for our Kandooma team when the day came for him to leave. I know he will do a terrific job and go from strength to strength.”
Back when Mark joined Kandooma he was labelled the Change Maker and he is certainly living up to the name three years on and credits his success stories and the ability to make change so quickly to the Kandooma team and owners.
“It is a journey. The team have now seen the fruits of their labour and our owners have greater confidence in my leadership, however it takes energy to keep the momentum building and to nurture a culture where all ideas will be listened to, considered and some implemented as we strive for a resort that offers consistently great guest experiences. This is what motivates me each day.”
For information about Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives visit
www.maldives.holidayinnresorts.com
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