luxury and sustainability. Two words that, until recently, stood a long way from each other on their own. Today they are getting closer and closer to each other. They are mutually dependent, at least in the hotel industry. The best hotel concepts in the world are currently working on new, environmentally friendly ideas.
Various activities indicate that German hoteliers will also value sustainability as the basis of luxury in the future. One of them is the 101 Future Hospitality Days in Hamburg at the end of March. In this forum, sustainability is placed at the center of the German hotel industry.
But does sustainability also find its way to the most remote places in the world? The long journey by plane and water alone suggests the opposite. I did some research for you. With a surprising, even outstanding result: One of my last trips took me to Soneva Fushi and Jani, probably the most sustainable Maldives resorts. The teams on these islands have been operating ecologically for more than 25 years.
The arrival of the guests is also integrated into this concept, at least as far as this is possible. The shuttle from the airport is an electric Tesla. In addition, hotelier Sonu Shivdasani uses two percent of each guest’s stay price as an environmental tax. This flows directly into the Soneva Foundation and is therefore available to numerous projects. That is a very sustainable start to the holiday!
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Sonu Shivdasani is an Indo-British hotelier and visionary who founded Six Senses Resorts & Spa and Soneva. He was living his sustainable concept at Soneva long before the topic was en vogue. As a true pioneer of sustainable luxury, Sonu Shivdasani understands like no other how to harmonize the guest experience with a unique experience of nature. He wants to touch people’s hearts with his dream resorts in the Maldives. In my case, at least, he more than succeeded.
Carsten K. Rath discovers the paradise of sustainability: Soneva Fushi & Jani, Maldives
Soneva Fushi & Soneva Jani: epitomes of dreamlike, sustainable luxury
The name “Soneva” is made up of the first names of the founders Sonu and Eva, his wife. I find the almost spiritual bond between the two in many other aspects of the company, in addition to the resort name. Every employee contributes to preserving the incredible natural beauty of the Maldives island. At the same time, I feel more than welcome as a guest. Up to ten employees work in the background – per guest! Even before my arrival, I am asked about my preferences, food preferences and other expectations. Not all of them will be implemented, but most of them will.
The guest reaches his own villa via a footbridge.
(Photo: Soneva Fushi, Julia Neeson)
The luxurious villas of the Soneva Fushi Resorts are very spacious and are located in the Baa Atoll, the Unesco Biosphere Reserve. The same applies to Soneva Jani in the Noonu Atoll. From my water villas I watch the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. The slides are probably the biggest that have ever carried me into the sea.
Luxury is celebrated at the highest level on Soneva Jani and Soneva Fushi. In addition, I sense an unprecedented consistency with which this luxury resort lives sustainability. The more than 200 rabbits, who hop unabashedly all over the island, are also happy about this.
In addition to the usual activities in the Maldives – snorkeling, relaxing, cycling to the beach – I visit the “Waste Management Center” on the island. Up to 90 percent of the waste produced is recovered and recycled. The meticulousness with which each individual employee acts is unbelievable.
With Soneva he has been living his sustainable concept for a long time.
(Photo: Soneva Fushi)
15 employees alone are responsible for the professional separation of the waste. All materials are reused and some even experience their second spring in the luxurious villas. You read that right. International artists are invited at regular intervals to create new, artistic things from the remains. Even the door handles or entire lampshades in the villas are design elements made from reused material and are pleasing to the eye of the guest.
Sustainable love goes through the stomach
If you are not yet completely convinced that the natural guest experience does not need to be compromised, then the buffet will inspire you at the latest. As a reader of my column, you know that I like to start my day with a hearty breakfast. Actually, I thought I had already tasted the world’s best breakfast at Mandarin Oriental. Well, this one has actually been overtaken by an island breakfast. The selection is as diverse as the blue tones of the ocean. Everything that is put on the plate comes from their own garden or, if possible, is made in-house. The eggs are freshly laid by the island’s own happy chickens.
Everything that ends up on the plate grows in our own garden or, if possible, is made in-house.
(Photo: Soneva Fushi)
The drinking water is produced on the island and also distributed to the neighboring islands. Potable water is an unreliable resource in the Maldives due to prolonged dry seasons. The social project Soneva Water replaces the imported water from plastic bottles. In a solar-powered desalination plant, the water is filtered, mineralized, sterilized with UV light and filled into environmentally friendly bottles. It tastes like pure energy, alive and fresh.
In addition to the delicious taste, I immediately experience another advantage here: I automatically eat much healthier and adapt my lifestyle to the careful conditions of the island. I left my business shoes behind me right at the beginning of the barefoot resort. Unhealthy habits and stress naturally stay behind on the mainland.
And if you really want to sin, just go to the Guilty Room with up to 16 different flavors of ice cream. All are naturally made vegan and simply taste incredibly good. Feelings of guilt have no place here. Also in the chocolate room.
The Soneva Fushi is one of the partner hotels of “The 101 best hotels in Germany”.
(Photo: Soneva Fushi)
Conclusion: Sustainable island life as a new benchmark for luxury
Higher, faster, further: these hotel strategies have had their day as a legacy of the 1990s. In these fast-moving times they are precious again, the unique moments. True luxury is quiet, unobtrusive, sustainable. People come into contact with each other again, the artificial distance between the hotel team and the guest is eliminated. Everyone is a part of the lifestyle, finding their place and fulfillment, whether as a team member or as a traveller. The hotelier of today and tomorrow is a holistic manager who orchestrates gastronomy, the hotel industry and a sustainable, high standard of living for his guests. The Soneva Fushi is one of the partner hotels of “The 101 best hotels in Germany”.
By the way: some of the villas on Soneva Fushi are for sale. So if you want a slice of private paradise in the Maldives, then you’ll find what you’re looking for here.
About the author: As a former grand hotelier and operator of a travel platform, Carsten K. Rath is a professional globetrotter. He travels to all the hotels he writes about for the Handelsblatt on his own account. Rath is the brain behind the ranking “The 101 best hotels in Germany”, whose partners include the Handelsblatt.
More: Ranking “The 101 best hotels in Germany”: Four seasons of Hamburg and Schloss Elmau: Together at the top