The first-ever 5-star city hotel in the Maldives, “Barcelo Nasandhura Male'” officially opens its doors to welcome travelers and guests.
Previously known as Nasandhura Palace Hotel, the venue closed down in 2015 for a complete overhaul which involved demolition of the old property for a modern and bigger replacement.
The new Nasandhura hotel, the first-ever 5-star property of this kind in the Maldives, now bears Spanish hotelier brand ‘Barcelo’ name in its formal identity. Barcelo Nasandhura Male’ in its official Facebook page adds the new property is the latest and among the most significant landmarks of the capital city.
The USD 90-million property consists of 126 luxurious and spacious rooms and features 118 service apartments, pools, and several other contemporary amenities.
Barcelo Nasadhura Male’ was eyeing for a late-2024 grand opening but got pushed back in light of several different unprecedent hindrances.
The property also adds to its credit in being the largest hotel of its kind in Greater Male’ region, and perhaps in the entire country as well.
Development of a newer and more modern hotel property on the plot was awarded during former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s government, whose administration had gentrification among its top priorities.
The project was awarded to NPH Investment, a company in which ‘Ellaidhoo’ Mohamed Manik, the brother-in-law of Yameen, was a shareholder. The development commenced under a joint venture with Brown Investment PLC, a subsidiary of Sri Lanka’s LOLC Group.
In 2019, Spain’s hotelier brand Barcelo bought 33.33 shares of the joint venture at a cost of USD 30 million from Bodufaru Beach Resorts Limited, a business owned by Brown Investment.
The buyout also involved Barcelo formally taking helm of the development of a 100-key property in Bodufinolhu along with the 60-key Bodufaru property as well as the Nasandhura city hotel property as well; which resulted in the Spanish brand bearing its name on the face card of the largest hotel in the Maldives right now.