March 31, 2016
Four Seasons Maldives
Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa is helping its clients catch a wave to coincide with a surfing tournament.
The Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy, an invitation-only judged competition, will take place Aug. 8-14, and interested clients will be given a prime view of the event. The competition will help entice surfers to consider the hotel for their summer getaway and reinforces the brand's commitment to exclusive experiences.
“It’s crazy to think how prominent the Surfing Champions Trophy has become in just six years," said Mark Winston, event co-ordinator of Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy. "It’s a one-of-a-kind event where the camaraderie off the waves makes for an even more magical competition on them.”
Surf's up
The 2016 Champions Trophy competition has invited six world-class surfers, including last year’s champion Shane Dorian, to compete with one another across single-fin, twin-fin and triple-fin thruster divisions. The winner will receive $25,000.
“Lisa and I can't wait to return to the Maldives to enjoy the chilled out vibe of the Champions Trophy,” Mr. Dorian said in a statement. “It's such a unique concept with fun waves and great company and definitely one of the highlights of our year."
Shane Dorian surfing
Last year, Mr. Dorian recorded the first “10” score for a single wave and a heat total of 19.60/20. He recently participated in the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational and Jaws Big Wave World Event.
The five remaining competitors will be announced in the near future.
Four Seasons Explorer, a three-deck catamaran, serves as the hub for the tournament. Guests booking at least five rooms are eligible for the “Group Surf & Stay” package, which will include day passes to board the Explorer.
The package also includes five or seven nights of accommodation, with surfing, instructed by expert guides from Tropicsurf, included in each day. Transfers to and from the Explorer are also included.
Four Seasons Maldives at sunset
For those in smaller groups or for locals not staying at the hotel, a limited number of day passes are available for a fee for those wishing to watch from the Explorer.
The August heat is getaway season for many consumers, and tie-ins to events and exclusive access could encourage some surfers to pick Four Seasons Maldives for their vacation. While the season is generally high-traffic for resorts, forming thoughtful initiatives emphasizes the hotel’s dedication to service.
Getting radical
If the climate permits, surfing is an effective way for hotels to draw a crowd.
Each year, The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, CA, takes a stand for individuals with autism during its annual Holiday Surfboard Action and Surfing Santa Competition.
Proceeds from both the Surfing Santa Competition, which took place in 2015 at Salt Creek Beach on Saturday, Nov. 21, and the Holiday Surfboard Auction, which opened online the same day and ran throughout the year, benefit Surfers Healing, a foundation that has put on free events for children with autism since 1999. Hotels are increasingly putting efforts into charity and other causes to establish themselves as pillars of their communities (see story).
While resorts are often seen as fun getaways, and a surfing competition fits that image, Four Seasons Maldives has also taken a stand on larger issues.
In October, Four Seasons Resort, Maldives, turned its eye to shark and ray conservation by hosting a ministerial symposium.
The symposium, which took place Oct. 25-26 and was organized by Four Seasons and The Pew Charitable Trust, was attended by ministers of various environmental, marine and wildlife departments in Maldives, Sri Lanka and Seychalles and included speakers from Pew’s global shark conservation campaign, professors, scientists and shark attack survivors. The decision to host the convention establishes Four Seasons’ environmental consciousness and represents a genuine and dedicated effort to effect change on both a local and global scale (see story).
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