The inspiring eco-credentials of future-thinking five-star island resort Amilla Maldives Resort and Residences have been given a further seal of approval, with its acceptance into Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s Considerate Collection. Amilla is the first and only resort in the Maldives to become a member of the Considerate Collection – an ethos-driven standard for “actively sustainable luxury hotels” that go the extra mile to be greener.
Amilla Maldives Resort’s elevation to Considerate Collection status came within weeks of joining Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), a prestigious “anti-chain, anti-same” portfolio of handpicked, independently spirited hotels that offer the highest standards of luxury and guest wellbeing. Launched in October 2021, the Considerate Collection was curated to cut through the confusion over certification and help guests make carefully considered travel choices, including only hotels that have made genuine and quantified efforts to be more sustainable. Members must meet the highest standards of SLH’s Sustainability Criteria, aligned with the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals, and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council framework: they either achieved a GSTC-recognised certification or passed an assessment by SLH’s Sustainability Advisory Panel, with independent and impartial review by the GSTC, and they are visited, vetted, and verified against these criteria and other quality goals.
Amilla’s Sustainability and Wellness Mentor, Victoria Kruse, says: “This is such incredibly good news for us, especially as no other resort in the Maldives is in this collection. It is an important recognition of the hard work of our whole team in reaching for and achieving the sustainability goals we set out two and a half years ago.”
Amilla’s induction into the Considerate Collection comes just months after it achieved a silver certification from world-leading environment benchmarking program, EarthCheck, following more than two years’ tireless commitment to revolutionizing its sustainability practices. Since taking the helm at Amilla just months before the pandemic struck, Victoria and her husband, general manager Jason Kruse, have initiated around 30 different sustainability projects ranging from homegrown organic ingredients for the kitchens to regenerating the house reef and protecting nesting sites of long-tailed tropicbirds, which normally only nest on uninhabited islands but found a safe haven amongst the pristine jungle of the naturally lush private island resort.
Only a 15-minute boat ride from the island is Hanifaru Bay, the jewel of the Baa Atoll UNESCO biosphere reserve and a world-famous snorkeling site renowned for attracting exceptionally high numbers of magnificent manta rays and gentle whale sharks. Guests staying at Amilla during ‘manta season’ – typically from mid-May to October – can book a life-affirming excursion to spot these graceful giants via the team at the resort’s H.U.B. diving and watersports center. Amilla recently became an official Manta Trust Responsible Operator, committing to do more to help protect the manta and mobula ray population, ensuring guests are educated on sustainable manta tourism.
