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Vakkaru Maldives is a luxury resort located within the crystal clear waters of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Baa Atoll. Our client got in touch with Jpd to create a distinctive brand story and identity, to be able to stand out within a competitive landscape of Maldivian travel, where many big and established players were having similar offerings and shared target audiences.
Looking at entering Maldivian hospitality, the concept was supported by two serial entrepreneurs, Mr Hamed El Chiaty and son Karim El Chiaty, owners of the global hospitality brand, Travco Group International. Seeing an opportunity of utilizing one of their assets, a virgin island in the middle of the UNESCO Biosphere, surrounded by nothing but endless ocean views, they were looking at building a brand and creating their take on luxury travel.
What we did
> Brand Strategy
> Tone of Voice
> Brand Naming
> Brand Identity
> Brand Guidelines
> Digital Experience
With a new brand and unknown island to the audience, there were a few challenges in place when it came to creating the Vakkaru Maldives brand:
Establishing a distinctive story to stand out within a uniform offering of Maldivian travel
Create a premium brand that sparks curiosity in the dissenting modern traveller, attracting a diverse client base across various demographics, as well as travel agents and media
Approaching brand development of the new brand, the client was looking to create a resort with a distinctive yet raw and organic story, that would not only fit the resort’s unique proposition but also would spark curiosity across media, and travel agents and would go in line with modern trends of the elite consumer.
Approaching the strategy stage, Jpd ran an in-depth research and brand positioning exercise.
While looking at a target audience of guests who can afford to focus on reconnecting with nature and enjoying moments of mindfulness, looking for a place that can offer inner peace and reconnection with mother nature, while building timeless memories with family and loved ones, “A Timeless Sanctuary” brand was born; not bound by the time, Vakkaru is a place where time is honoured, memories are born and revisited in its full mindful immersion.
The established brand positioning platform helped to define the brand story, inspiring full visual execution as well as brand activities and engagements.
Based on the key findings and brand positioning from the strategy phase, Jpd rolled out a full brand visual identity, inspired by the local Maldives motives and patterns, margining with a contemporary eternal simple line supergraphic that alludes to timeliness and geographical undertones.
With an earthy and humble feel, Look & Feel remained to reflect the simple infinite horizon of the Maldivian serenity, reflecting timeless unscripted moments, disconnection with the world and full immersion into the present moment.
A simple yet flexible brand visual system, allowed for a full and consistent rollout of the Resort’s seven outlets, each carrying its unique twist, yet having a visual recall to the brand of Vakkaru.
The successful official launch of the resort was welcomed by media and celebrity guests, with features in magazines, such as Forbes, Telegraph, Hello, Arabian Industry, Hotelier Middle East and such, noting it as “one of the most secluded islands in the Maldives”, as well as welcoming celebrity guests, like iconic singer Madonna and Victoria's Secret model, Ana Beatriz Barros, choosing it a place to stay with their families. Madonna mentioned her trust in the Vakkaru Maldives brand to spend her New Year with the family, where she “found the ultimate luxury getaway to forget her woes” (Daily Mail).
Less than a year from launch, the hotel was recognized as:
Favourite Romantic Getaway for International Hotels by Condé Nast Traveller Middle East Readers’ Choice Awards
Winning Hideaways magazine’s Newcomer of the Year award.
With its distinctive story and positioning, Vakkaru Maldives has become an addition to Global Hotel Alliance’s (GHA) award-winning DISCOVERY loyalty program under the curated “Ultratravel Collection” that features a premium brand of exceptional hotels and resorts from around the world.
