Hyatt thrive

The Maldives is a tiny country with an incredibly small population, yet it’s a bit of a celebrity on the global stage. Certainly everybody I meet when I’m at home in London knows the Maldives. There’s nothing better than someone blandly asking me what I do during a wedding or dinner party. I particularly enjoy watching eyebrows fly up and the look of polite curiosity transform to extreme envy.

Like a siren, the islands captivate travellers with their beauty - the combination of crisp, flawlessly white sandy beaches and blindingly turquoise water. They have the appeal of freshly fallen snow, clearly begging for you to plant your footprints in the sand and splash around in the glossy tranquil waters.

However in recent times, interest in this chain of reefs and islands has been boosted by their vulnerability to climate change. The presidential office has done a good job of highlighting how fragile they are as a nation. The first question I’m asked is usually “are we really sinking?” to which regrettably I have to respond “The consensus amongst the scientific community is that sea levels are rising.” But never one to miss an opportunity to share our beautiful island, I go on to add “so you better come and stay at Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa before it’s too late.” 

The intimidating thing about global climate change is the sheer scale of the problem, where to start when we need the cooperation of billions of people. The answer to that conundrum, in our opinion, is education. At Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa we make a considerable effort to minimise our impact on the environment. From bottling our own water, preventing the production of 100,000 further plastic bottles a year, to reclaiming heat from the generators to warm the bath water. But how useful is this if the island next door doesn’t have a clue and are busy undoing our good work? A number of local people have never left their little 1km² island, they’ve never seen a city, let alone a power station or factory. Yet these are the people will be amongst the first to have their homes and heritage engulfed by rising seas and the other negative impacts of climate change.

Our relationship with the local people has to be very strong, more than 55% of our employees are Maldivian, and a large proportion of those come from the nearby islands. The remote location of Hadahaa rewards us with an exceptional stillness and peace, but it also presents inevitable logistical challenges which require sustainable resources. The more supplies and staff we can source from local islands the better. It’s with this philosophy that we have started to develop a symbiotic relationship with our neighbouring islands. This month we have launched an incredibly exciting community development initiative by the name of ‘Hyatt Thrive’. 

Although a large number of the employees on Hadahaa are from nearby islands, we all live together on the resort. The initial aim of Hyatt thrive was to allow us to continue to contribute to the communities while we are all living away from home. We’ve taken inspiration from the UN and formed a committee of elected ‘Ambassadors’ to represent the different islands. Our ambassadors understand the status of their islands with regards to sustainability and employment issues and are fully aware of the capabilities of the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa team which is a powerful tool for the establishment of a worthwhile educational program such as this. The focus of ‘Hyatt Thrive’ is based around long-term sustainability education, the development of new business skills and other personal development projects that will improve the lives and livelihoods of the local people.

Through better connectivity, shared knowledge and encouragement from all sides, we will create a new situation in which everyone benefits. We can inspire sustainability and environmental responsibility, gather supplies and recruits from nearby islands, while the local communities develop and prosper.  It’s a project we are extremely proud to launch. The level of enthusiasm and support we have received from all in involved is terrific. I’ve come to realise that most people want to help. By breaking the problem down into manageable bite sized chunks, and giving everyone a means to act on their concerns, I am confident that together we can achieve great things.  

Executive Chef Elchin chatting with some local children