Luxury is still in demand

As Senior Area Director of Sales & Distribution, Marriott International, Peter Foreman is responsible for the development of the Marriott International portfolio in Singapore and the Maldives. A talk about the latest developments in the destinations.

As Senior Area Director of Sales & Distribution, you are responsible for seven Marriott hotels in the Maldives and 17 hotels in Singapore. How has the year gone so far in your region?
After the pandemic-related lockdown, the Maldives was one of the first destinations to reopen. Due to the natural geographical order of the islands, they were the perfect vacation destination with plenty of space for all guests. In the first two years after the pandemic, they were very well booked.

The situation was similar in Singapore after the borders reopened. This year, we are seeing a return to pre-pandemic trends. In the Maldives, we had a very good peak season from Christmas to Easter, and the low season in the European summer is back to pre-pandemic levels. Singapore is maintaining occupancy, but there is no growth trend. However, Singapore has remained very strong due to major events such as the only six Taylor Swift concerts in Asia and Formula 1. That was a great start to the year.

Is there still room for improvement in the luxury sector in both destinations?
Yes, we have a strong focus on luxury. In the Maldives, we have The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, W Maldives, JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa, and in January we will be adding the JW Marriott Kaafu Atoll Island Resort. The W Maldives is currently closed and will be renovated and reopened on January 12. We are also looking forward to opening the Bulgari Resort in April 2026. We see that luxury is still in demand and the high-end luxury customer continues to travel. We are also seeing that the entry level to high-end luxury, such as the JW Marriott brand, is becoming increasingly popular. In Singapore, we opened The Singapore Edition at the end of 2023, a collaboration with Ian Schrager of Studio 54 in New York. At the St. Regis, we have renovated the spa and the Chinese restaurant, and in the coming months we will start renovating the rooms. At W Singapore - Santosa Cove, we have completed the refurbishment of the meeting rooms, lobby and Skirt restaurant. We continue to invest in luxury and open luxury hotels where it makes sense, especially in leisure destinations such as the Maldives.

"We are finding that the entry level to high-end luxury, like the JW Marriott brand, is becoming increasingly popular."

What are the biggest challenges at the moment?
In the Maldives, it's a challenge to find employees who want to live and work on an island, far away from their family. I lived there for two and a half years. It's an incredible place, if only because of the beauty of the destination, but also very challenging. But now the employees have Netflix and Facetime and it's so easy to stay entertained, connected and up to date. That wasn't the case in my day.

In Singapore, we have done a lot to make the hospitality industry interesting and promote careers. For example, I started as a waiter, then moved to reception and finally to sales. This year I have been with the company for 28 years and have worked in seven countries. As you can see, no one has to work for us in the Maldives for 28 years, but our employees do have the opportunity to move around within the company. This is ideal for people who want to see the world and get to know different cultures.

How does the cooperation with German tour operators work?
We have very good relationships with them. Germany is a key market for our hotels in the Maldives - and with an increase in guests of more than 120 percent, it is in the top 5 source markets. German guests have been traveling to the Maldives for 50 years. In this country, we are present at trade fairs such as ITB and Loop, and I have been coming here regularly for three years to meet our tour operator partners.

We work with a global sales office based in Frankfurt, and I have spoken to Dertour, Dertour deluxe, Tui and Airtours, for example, as well as smaller agencies in Munich, Cologne and Düsseldorf, who book with the major providers or directly with us. We call them Stars Agencies - our most important travel agencies.

"We continue to invest in luxury and open luxury hotels where it makes sense: especially in leisure destinations such as the Maldives."

How big are the price differences between high and low season?
The European winter is high season in the Maldives, and from May to August prices are 35 to 40 percent lower. This means we are very competitive in the low season. This year, many German vacationers came to the Maldives during this time. I think Europe has become very expensive. People say I don't want to or can't afford a vacation in high season, but in summer it doesn't cost any more than a vacation in Venice, for example.

How important is sustainability?
Guests expect us to do more than what is absolutely necessary. For several years now, we have replaced all plastic water bottles with glass bottles and banned single-use plastic. For new hotels, we take further measures right from the start. The Ritz-Carlton, for example, has a flat roof covered with solar panels. This saves us between 25,000 and 40,000 liters of diesel per month.

At Le Méridien, we now have 1,500 solar panels on the roofs, saving 435,000 liters of diesel a year. At the Westin, we installed solar panels on the roofs of the offices in 2019, saving 135,000 liters of diesel per year, which corresponds to 62 kilograms of carbon emissions.

Le Méridien also has a 430 square meter greenhouse - the largest in the Maldives. Here, 25 varieties of herbs and vegetables are grown and 500 kilograms of food are harvested each month for the kitchen and bars. Our guests love visiting the greenhouse, especially families. We organize courses where they can harvest their own produce and then process the ingredients in a cooking course.

The Maldives has transformed from a honeymoon destination to a family destination. The Ritz-Carlton with its extraordinary Kids Club, Ritz Kids, has created great programs for children aged four to eleven. The Kids Clubs at the Westin and Le Méridien also offer educational and engaging experiences.